Yadavindra Singh

Yuvraj of Patiala
Cricket information
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style -
International information
National side
  • Indian
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 1 52
Runs scored 84 1629
Batting average 42.00 20.88
100s/50s -/1 2/7
Top score 60 132
Balls bowled - 2891
Wickets - 50
Bowling average - 30.73
5 wickets in innings - 1
10 wickets in match - -
Best bowling - 5/131
Catches/stumpings 2/- 32/-
Source:

Yadvinder Singh Mahendra Bahadur, GCIE, GBE  pronunciation  (17 January 1913, Patiala, Punjab – 17 June 1974, The Hague, Netherlands) was Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1974. He was also an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1934.


Biography

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.

He succeeded his father, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, as the Maharaja of Patiala on 23 March 1938. He married first Maharani Hem Prabha Devi of Saraikela and second Maharani Mohinder Kaur in 1938.

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 president of the British Indian Olympic Committee from 1938 to 1947 and as president of the Indian Olympic Committee 1947-1960. He was instrumental in organizing the Asian Games. He founded Yadavindra Public School, a premier 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.

He continued his career from 1956 onwards, serving as Indian delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1956 to 1957 and to UNESCO in 1958. He also headed the Indian delegation to the FAO on and off during 1959-1969. Sir 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 61 after a reign of 36 years. On specific instructions of Indira Gandhi he was cremated with full state honours.

He was succeeded by his son Captain Amarinder Singh, who is a politician with the Congress Party and who served as Chief Minister of the Indian State of Punjab from 2002 to 2007. His daughter, Heminder Kaur, is married to K. Natwar Singh, former external affairs minister of India.

In 1956 Yadvinder Singh donated the Anand Bhawan, a 150 bigha palace to the Govt. of Punjab (before the creation of Himachal) for a holiday home for poor children, which was later leased out at throw-away prices to Baba Ramdev for his Pitanjali Trust.

Titles

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today; UK decorations only)

[1]

Reference

  1. ↑

External links

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Yadavindra Singh
Phulkian Dynasty
Born: 17 January 1913 Died: 17 June 1974
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Bhupinder Singh		 Maharaja of Patiala
1938–1974 		Succeeded by
Amarinder Singh