Patiala celebrated the birthday of its last Maharaja
KS Diwan/ royalpatiala.in/ Patiala
Patiala celebrated the birthday of its last Maharaja Yadvinder Singh Mahendra toady on 7th January. He was the 9th and last Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1971. Preneet kaur ,daughter-in-law of Maharaja Yadvinder Singh toady visited Qila Mubarak and paid her obeisance to the holy flame (Jot).
Born at Patiala on 7 January 1914 to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and Bakhtawar Kaur Maharaja Yadavindra attended Aitchison College, Lahore. He served in the Patiala State Police, became its Inspector General and served in Malaya, Italy and Burma during the Second World War. In 1935, he married his first wife, Hem Prabha devi of Saraikela State (1913–2014).
He succeeded his father, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, as the Maharaja of Patiala on 23 March 1938 and subsequently married his second wife, Mehtab Kaur (1922–2017), in 1938.
Yadavindra served as president of the Indian Olympic Association from 1938 to 1960. He was instrumental in organizing the Asian Games. He founded Yadavindra Public School. Lal Bagh Palace, the building in which Yadavindra Public School is housed was donated by Sir Yadavindra Singh. He was a noted horticulturist by passion and later served as chairman of Indian Horticulture Development Council. He was also the president of BCCI.
Following his accession to the throne of Patiala, Yadavindra pursued a political and diplomatic career, serving as chancellor of the Chamber of Princes from 1943 to 1944. In 1947, when India gained independence, he was the pro-chancellor of the Chamber of Princes. At a special session he said “After centuries time has come when India has gained independence from foreign rule and it’s the time when we all (princely states) should unite for our motherland” and persuaded many other rulers to join the Indian Union.
He agreed to the incorporation of the princely state into India on 5 May 1948. He was Rajpramukh of the new Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union until it was merged with Punjab in 1956.
Yadavindra served as Indian Ambassador to Italy (1965–1966) and as Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1971 until 17 June 1974, when he died suddenly in office at The Hague from heart failure, age 60. He was survived by Heminder Kaur (daughter), Rupinder Kaur (daughter), Amarinder Singh (son),Malvinder Singh (son).
He was also an Indian Cricketer who played in one Test in 1934.
