Col J P Singh, Retd
84 years ago, Dr. Karan Singh was born on 9 March 1931 as the ‘heir’ of princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. He would have ruled the state as monarch had the history of the sub-continent followed its chronology right. But still he rules over the minds and hearts of vast spectrum of people world over as can be seen from the photographic retrospective of his glorious public life in Amar Mahal Museum Jammu. A cursory glance at the display will suggest that His Excellency is inseparable constituent of, not only of pre and post independence socio-political history of India, but also from the contemporary world. It tells the story of a Prince; the inheritor of largest empire of British India, up to his meteoric rise as formidable intellectual and world renowned statesman. The pictorial retrospective is a chronological presentation of his life journey beginning from Cannes; France in 1931. It covers his childhood, schooling, the royal wedding, ruling the state in various capacities and thereafter his role in national and international socio-political spheres; which a Darbar Hall can only project whereas books, periodicals and papers will always be constrained for space for such illustrations.
He was born when Maharaja Hari Singh was representing the Indian Chamber of Princes in the 1st Round Table Conference in London. In this conference Maharaja sought independence for India with respectable place in Commonwealth of Nations. Expecting early independence, Maharaja groomed him for a democratic role in India, which he performed remarkably when the time came. In 1967 he shifted to the national politics after which he continued to render his illustrious services to the nation as minister, statesman, diplomat and MP.
During partition led independence, J&K plunged into political turmoil which catapulted him into active politics. Under the compelling circumstances Maharaja appointed him Regent on 20 June 1949 and left the state for good. He was barely 18 when the responsibility of handling the political crisis after Pak aggression and subsequent transformation from monarchy to democracy fell upon his young shoulders. It is said that a flower which blooms in adversity is the rarest and the most beautiful and so blossomed the Yuvraj. On 15 September 1952, he abolished the monarchy with his own signatures after which the state legislature elected him as Sadar-e-Riyasat. In 1964 he was appointed Governor of J&K. The post of Sadar-e-Riyasat came into being and ended with him with the distinction of HH being the only Sadar-e-Riyasat of India. Due to unprecedented turn of political events, he dismissed the govt of Sheikh Abdullah on 8 August 1953. It pushed the state into yet another political turmoil which he handled diligently. In his path-breaking initiative, he met Russian top leaders Khrushev and Bulganian in Delhi in 1955. He invited them to J&K. While at Srinagar these leaders of the super power declared that J&K was an integral part of India which strengthened Indian stand on Kashmir and put all apprehensions of accession and plebiscite under UN resolution at rest. Instead of ruling as monarch, he remarkably led his state as an elected head for initial 18 formative years. His personal life and the history of J&K is thus intertwined and inseparable.
He joined Indira Gandhi’s cabinet in 1967 as the youngest minister. He voluntarily surrendered privy purse and put the entire sum he had received into Hari-Tara Charitable Trust. He was elected to Lok Sabha four times from Udhampur constituency with distinction of being the ‘only post emergency Congress MP’ elected in North India. In the general election following tragic assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, he was persuaded to contest from Jammu. He left his constituency and contested from Jammu as independent. Swayed by the sympathy wave the result went in favour of Congress candidate. His defeat can be categorized as watershed event in J&K politics. People do realize that they lost a great leader and respected statesman, who, by virtue of his intellect and statesmanship would have contributed a lot in maintaining peace in the state during the turbulent periods of militancy preventing mass killings and exodus of Kashmiri pandits.
He is internationally respected as most learned person of modern times with everlasting impact on philosophy, religion, culture, education and environment. Deep understanding of Hinduism and varied past of India flows from his writings and recitations. He travels world wide illuminating intellectuals, diplomats, students and lay audience with eloquent speeches. He has earned a unique place in the hearts of millions of Indians as an intellectual & crusader of religious interfaith world over.
Lately he has started lecture series titled, ‘The Message of Gita’ through which he decodes the messages of Lord Krishna to Arjuna and explains its relevance in the present day conflicts ridden world. He preaches ‘theory of correct action’ elaborated in Gita by Krishna. He explains that once one’s conscience justifies a decision in a given situation and makes him believe that it will be the correct action; he should go ahead with it. Other lessons of Gita which he explains to the world audience are guru shishya relationship, repeated assurances of divine, gospel of total surrender and universal learning. He tells students that education should nurture in them a quest for eternal knowledge so that it could transform them into ‘karma yogis’. He regularly shares his intellect with younger audience.
In 1971, Indira Gandhi sent him to East Asian Republics to project East Pakistan political situation. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi appointed him Ambassador to USA with the status of cabinet minister. During unprecedented Maoist uprising in Nepal, he advised the King to respect the will of the people and give up power. Since 1991, he is President of ‘Auroville Foundation’ and ‘India International Centre’ with cabinet rank. He had been Chancellor of JNU & presently he is Chancellor of BHU and NIIT University. He is member of NIC and Chairman of AICC foreign affairs cell.
In 2005, he was conferred with Padma Vibhushan. Till the recent past, he was Chairman of ICCR. By his personal indulgence, he imparted a new vision and dynamism to the Council. He has composed and recited many bhajans, songs and poems in Dogri which we often rejoice in Radio Kashmir-Jammu’s broadcasts. In March 2013, he gave a sterling recital performance in Amar Mahal. He sang Ganesh Bandhna, Rag Bhopali, Tarana, Gazals and Dogri folk songs.
He has converted Amar Mahal into a museum and library which contains priceless collections of pahari miniatures, modern art and thirty thousand books. He himself has written 33 books; the last one being ‘Meeting Most Remarkable Women’.
At 84, His Excellency is a shinning star of India of which Dogra Community is immensely proud of. Hope the generations to come will pass on the stories of the great son of soil to their progenies. May he continue illuminating youths with splendid intellect and inspiring scholarship for decades to come.
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