Ranbir Singh Jind

Portrait photograph of Raja Ranbir Singh of Jind State, ca.1903

Maharajah Sir Ranbir Singh (11 October 1879 – 31 March 1948) was the Maharaja of Jind (Punjab at that time, now Jind city falls in Haryana and the rest of his state is in Punjab). He ruled Jind from 1887 to 1948- one of the longest terms as the ruler.

Early life

Singh was born on 11 October 1879 as the only son of Tikka Sri Balbir Singh Sahib Bahadur (1857-1883), the only son of Raghubir Singh of Jind and the heir apparent to the throne of Jind. When Ranbir Singh was four, his father died, and he became the heir. In 1887, his grandfather Raghubir Singh died, and he succeeded him as the Raja of Jind.

Raja and Maharaja

After ruling under a regency for a decade, Singh came of age and was formally installed in 1899. He contributed contingents of the state army to serve with the British in the Tirah Campaign of 1897, the East African campaign during the First World War and in the Third Afghan War of 1919 and the Malayan campaign against the forces of Imperial Japan during the Second World War. Ranbir Singh himself pursued a military career, eventually rising to the rank of Brigadier in the British Army.

A progressive ruler, Singh built schools and hospitals, established charities for widows and orphans and instituted free primary education in Jind. In the 1909 New Year Honours, he was knighted with the KCSI and two years later was granted the hereditary distinction of Maharaja of Jind. He was appointed a GCIE in the 1916 New Year Honours. In 1918, he received the additional title of Rajendra Bahadur; in 1926, he was granted an increased permanent gun salute of 13-guns with a 15-gun local salute. He was appointed a GCSI in 1937.

His inability to rise against the British Monarchy, as a domininant characteristic of the other Phulkian city-states like Patiala, Nabha, Faridkot, etc., eventually led to his lack of dominance and invitation to the town-hall by Sardar (by Title, not inheritance) Patel, which decided the fate of Sikh states joining the Indian union.

He was known as the Bola Raja, or the 'Deaf King', not only about his inability to understand things mentioned to the right side of him, due to a congenital defect, but also due to his attitude of turning his head to ignore any viewpoints that were contrary to his own.

He was known to be impotent, so the section below and the references seem divergent and plausible.

In March 1947, Singh celebrated his Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne of Jind-the longest reign of any of the rulers of the Phulkian clan. He signed the Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India five months later and died on 31 March 1948, aged 68 after a 61-year reign. He was succeeded by his son, Rajbir Singh.

Personal life

Singh married five times, first to Dhelma Kaur, then to Jaswant Kaur (née Olive Monalescu), the daughter of a Romanian barber, third to Deepkumar Kaur and fourth to Gurcharan Kaur. He had 12 children, five sons and seven daughters:

• 1. An unnamed princ
• 2. Dorothy Kaur
• 3. Dhelma Kaur
• 4. Devinderbir Kaur
• 5. Rajbir Singh
• 6. Brijinder Kaur
• 7. Ruby Rajibir Kaur
• 8. Diamond Balbir Rajinder Kaur
• 9. Jagatbir Singh
• 10. Lieutenant-General Jasbir Singh, PVSM
• 11. Gajinder Bir Singh
• 12. Taranbir Kaur

He was stone deaf for his last few years on the throne, before the Partition of India and during the course of World War II, and was largely a puppet of the Prime Minister at the time- Sir Behari Lall Dhingra.

Titles

• 1879-1883: Rajkumar Sri Ranbir Singh
• 1883-1887: Sri Tikka Sahib Ranbir Singh Bahadur
• 1887-1909: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Raja Sri Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Raja of Jind
• 1909-1911: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Raja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Raja of Jind, KCSI
• 1911-1916: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, KCSI
• 1916-1918: His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, GCIE, KCSI
• 1918-1926: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Rajendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, GCIE, KCSI
• 1926-1937: Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Rajendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, GCIE, KCSI
• 1937-1943: Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Rajendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, GCSI, GCIE
• 1943-1948: Brigadier His Highness Farzand-i-Dilband, Rasikh ul-Itiqad-i- Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sri Sir Ranbir Singh Rajendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Jind, GCSI, GCIE

Honours

• Delhi Durbar gold medal-1903
• Delhi Durbar gold medal-1911
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1916
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
• King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1937 (KCSI-1909)
• Indian Independence Medal-1947