Major-General Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Shri Dr. Karan Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat (1931-) is an Indian politician, author, diplomat and present titular Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. He was born as the Yuvraj (Crown Prince), i.e., heir-apparent to the then ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh, in the royal family of Jammu and Kashmir. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005.
Karan Singh was born on March 9, 1931, in Cannes, France, to the last ruler of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu (also known as The Royal House of Jammu and Kashmir), Maharaja Hari Singh and his wife Maharani Tara Devi.
He was educated at Doon School, Dehra Dun, and received a B.A. from Sri Pratap Singh (S. P.) College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir University, and an M.A. in Political Science from Delhi University. He went on to receive a Ph.D. from Delhi University.
Political career
In 1949, at age of eighteen, he was appointed as the regent of Jammu and Kashmir state after his father stepped down as the king, following the state's accession to India. He served successively as regent, Sadr-i-Riyasat and governor of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1965-1967. He was then, successively, Union Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation from 1967-1973, Minister of Health and Family Planning from 1973-1977 and Minister of Education and Culture in 1979-1980. In 1990-1991, he served as Indian Ambassador to the US.
From 1967-1980, and in 1990, Karan Singh served as an MP in the Lok Sabha; since 1996, he has been an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He served as Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Jammu and Kashmir University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is an active member of several boards, organizations, and foundations, including the Author's Guild of India, the ICCR, the Auroville Foundation, the Indian Board of Wildlife, and several others.
Presently, Karan Singh is Chairman of the AICC Foreign Department.
In 1956, he married Princess Yasho Rajya Lakshmi (1937-2009), the granddaughter of Maharaja Sir Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Rana Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty of Nepal. They have four children ... a daughter, Jyotsna, and three sons Vikramaditya, Ajatshatru, and AshokRaj, and seven grandchildren ... Vivaswat, Viveka, Mriganka, Martand, Adishree, Ranvijay, and Kanav.
1931-1949: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Yuvaraja of Jammu and Kashmir
1949-1952: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Regent of Jammu and Kashmir
1952-1965: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir
1952-1956: Yuvraj Sri Karan Singh Bahadur, Rajpramukh of Jammu and Kashmir
1961-present: Major-General His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Dr. Karan Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir (formally preferred to be known as Sri Dr. Karan Singh upon accession)
1965-1967: His Excellency Sri Dr. Karan Singh, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
1967-1980; 1990: The Right Honourable Sri Dr. Karan Singh, MP (Lok Sabha)
1980-1989; 1991-1996: Sri Dr. Karan Singh
1989-1990: His Excellency Sri Dr. Karan Singh, Ambassador to the United States of America
1996-present: The Right Honourable Sri Dr. Karan Singh, MP (Rajya Sabha)
