Raja Maharaj Singh
Encyclopedia
Raja Sir Maharaj Singh, CIE
, CStJ (born May 17, 1878, Kapurthala
, Punjab
– died June 6, 1959, Lucknow
) was the first Indian Governor of Bombay.
Maharaj Singh was the son of Raja Harnam Singh of the Kapurthala royal family. He was educated at Harrow School
and Balliol College in Oxford, where he completed his MA, and was called to Bar by the Middle Temple
in 1902. Starting off as the Deputy Collector of United Provinces
, he held several positions in the government of India. He was elected the chancellor of Lucknow University in 1941 and served for a short span as the Prime Minister of Kashmir. He was the Governor of Bombay from 1948 to 1952. He was appointed a CIE in 1915 and knight
ed in 1933.
At the age of 72 he captained the Bombay Governor's XI against a touring Commonwealth
XI in a match starting on November 25 1950. This makes him the oldest cricketer to make his first class debut and the oldest player to play the first class game. Coming in to bat at No.9, he edged Jim Laker
for 3 and one run later, was caught at first slip off the same bowler. He took no part in the game after the first day and Maharaja of Patiala captained the side in his absence. Laker was 44 years younger than the man he dismissed. The Test cricketer Rusi Modi
served as his ADC
while he was the Bombay governor.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
who was the minister of health in the Nehru
government was his younger sister. Married to Gunwati Maya Das of Ferozepore, he had two sons and a daughter.
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, CStJ (born May 17, 1878, Kapurthala
Kapurthala
Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
, Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
– died June 6, 1959, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
) was the first Indian Governor of Bombay.
Maharaj Singh was the son of Raja Harnam Singh of the Kapurthala royal family. He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Balliol College in Oxford, where he completed his MA, and was called to Bar by the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1902. Starting off as the Deputy Collector of United Provinces
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
, he held several positions in the government of India. He was elected the chancellor of Lucknow University in 1941 and served for a short span as the Prime Minister of Kashmir. He was the Governor of Bombay from 1948 to 1952. He was appointed a CIE in 1915 and knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1933.
At the age of 72 he captained the Bombay Governor's XI against a touring Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
XI in a match starting on November 25 1950. This makes him the oldest cricketer to make his first class debut and the oldest player to play the first class game. Coming in to bat at No.9, he edged Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
for 3 and one run later, was caught at first slip off the same bowler. He took no part in the game after the first day and Maharaja of Patiala captained the side in his absence. Laker was 44 years younger than the man he dismissed. The Test cricketer Rusi Modi
Rusi Modi
Rustomji Sheriyar 'Rusi' Modi was an Indian batsman who played for the Indian National Cricket Team from 1946 to 1952....
served as his ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
while he was the Bombay governor.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
Dame Rajkumari Amrit Kaur DStJ was the health minister in the Indian Cabinet for ten years after India's independence from the British Raj in 1947. She was an eminent Gandhian, a freedom fighter, and a social activist....
who was the minister of health in the Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
government was his younger sister. Married to Gunwati Maya Das of Ferozepore, he had two sons and a daughter.
Titles
- 1878-1915: Kunwar SriSriSri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Maharaj Singh - 1915-1932: Kunwar Sri Maharaj Singh, CIEOrder of the Indian EmpireThe Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
- 1932-1933: RajaRajaRaja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Sri Maharaj Singh, CIE - 1933-1937: Raja Sri SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Maharaj Singh, CIE - 1937-1959: Raja Sri Sir Maharaj Singh, CIE, CStJ
Honours
- Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)-1915
- Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
-1933 - King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
-1935 - Commander of the Order of St JohnVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(CStJ)-1937 - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
-1937 - Indian Independence Medal-1947