‘Kapurthala’s maharaja, Jagatjit Singh, would have loved Chandigarh’
MAHARAJA JAGATJIT SINGH WAS AN ERUDITE RULER WHO EMBRACED MODERNITY AND UPHELD THE CUSTOMS OF HIS ANCESTORS: AMARINDER
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday released the book ‘Prince, Patron and Patriarch Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala’, co-authored by the Maharaja’s grandson, Brigadier (Retd) Jagjit Singh, and Cynthia Frederick.
Besides the authors, Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore was also present on the occasion, which saw the CM hail the Maharaja as one of the scripters of modernisation of Kapurthala. He recalled how his own grandfather Bhupinder Singh, along with Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, brought Patiala and Kapurthala on the world map through modernisation. Describing the book as a candid tribute by a grandson to the erstwhile exceptional royal king of Kapurthala, the CM regaled the august audience with anecdotes showcasing the far-sightedness of the Maharaja, whom he recalled meeting once as a six-year-old, and the valour of his grandson, Brigadier Sukhjit Singh.
Describing the book as a source of great insight for the younger generation about the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Kapurthala, with whom Capt Amarinder’s family shares historic links, the CM said that Brig Sukhjit Singh had very efficiently brought out the multi-faceted personality of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, who was a just and progressive ruler.
The 1920s and the 1930s were Europe’s golden years, and some of the Indian rulers visited the region to see what they could bring back to Punjab for the state’s betterment, he added. His family association with Maharaja Jagatjit Singh went back 12 generations, said the CM.
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was an erudite ruler who embraced modernity and upheld the customs of his ancestors.
Amarinder spoke highly about Brigadier Jagjit Singh, and read out a para from the book recognising the valour displayed by Brig Sukhjit in the 1971 Indo-pak war for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. Eventually, Jagjit Singh left the Army on matter of principles, he added.
Disclosing that Brigadier Sukhjit Singh wrote a letter to him advising him to join Army when he was only 14 years old, the chief minister stated he had always looked up to him as his brother. “Though I had already decided to join Army and at the time of receiving the letter I had no idea who Brig Sukhjit Singh was, I later came to know of him after joining the Army and since then we have been in constant touch,” said the CM.
Governor Badnore said though the Rajasthan royal families turned their palaces into hotels, in Punjab their benevolence led to them give up everything for the welfare of the people. The governor cited the example of the school being run in Kapurthala Palace and the Sports Institute in Moti Bagh in Patiala.
Meanwhile, Cynthia Meera Frederick, a conservation architect who was intrigued by the Maharaja’s love for French architecture, thanked the CM for launching the book and said that it was only befitting that the book was formally being launched in Chandigarh as Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was passionate about architecture and urban planning. He thoroughly embraced modernity and was a very forward looking ruler who would have appreciated Chandigarh both aesthetically and for what it represents, she added. The city and its facilities would have transfixed him, as the Maharaja was an admirer of urban space science, she added.
Talking about the challenges faced in writing the book, Brigadier Sukhjit Singh said the book would go a long way in dispelling long-held notions about the monarchs being generally labelled as feudal Thakurs and Nawabs, who were the reason for everything ailing the society. For a society which now believes in ostentatious display of wealth, the book on a Maharaja who seamlessly stood for equality would stimulate thought in the right direction, Brig Sukjhit further said.