Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh (18 April 1901 – 1994) was an Indian freedom fighter, diplomat and administrator.

Early life

Singh was born in the Bhumihar Zamindar family of Parsagarh State in Saran district of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. He obtained an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, C ...

, from where he also obtained the Mallick Gold Medal in 1925. After returning to Bihar, he joined the national movement, getting elected to the then Bihar Legislative Council in 1927. He was also elected Chairman of the District Board of Muzaffarpur, where he organised relief efforts for earthquake victims of the

1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

Career

He was conferred a Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in New Year Honours List of 1935. In 1945, he was appointed as the

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the new Patna University. His contribution to development of a post-graduate course in the university was acclaimed by all. He brought teachers of eminence from all over the country to administer the newly opened departments. Further, his support for the education of girls was highlighted and the tradition continues to this day with three of the thirteen colleges of Patna University being exclusively for girls, and another eight being co-educational with a high percentage of girls. The Patna University Institute of Psychological Research and Service, one of the oldest psychological service centres in

Eastern India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha fr ...

was founded in 1945 by him. The institute is located at Krishna Kunj. The building housing the institute was donated to the university by the late Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh, an eminent educationist of the state. In 1946 he was conferred his knighthood. After independence, in 1949, he was invited by the then Prime Minister of India,

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, to become India's ambassador to Nepal. It was during this tenure that the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; it can also be translated as "Sovereign Emperor" ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजधिराज)) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 ...

sought refuge at the Indian embassy in 1950. After completing his tenure in Kathmandu, he was appointed as the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of undivided Punjab in 1953. Under his aegis that the city of Chandigarh as well as the

Bhakra Dam Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerge ...

were built. The establishment of the Kurukshetra University was his dream. He wanted to set up an institute to promote

Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...

and traditions. He was also appointed as the governor of Uttar Pradesh. He was a close friend of Jawaharlal Nehru. Also, Pracheen Kala Kendra, an institution for arts and culture was established in

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

in 1956 with his active support and kind patronage. In 1958, he went as India's ambassador to Japan. There he was given an honorary doctorate from Ohtani University. Unable to continue in that post, due to ill-health, he was forced to come back to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Zamindari

Singh opposed the abolition of zamindari, along with

Kameshwar Singh Maharajadhiraj Sir Kameshwar Singh Goutam Bahadur , K.C.I.E. (28 November 1907 – 1 October 1962) was the Maharaja of Darbhanga. He held his title over his family estates in the Mithila region from 1929 – 1952, when such titles were abolis ...

Raj Darbhanga The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a Maithil Brahmins dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided between India and Nepal. The rulers ...

. Singh was the leader of the pro-establishment landed aristocracy. His speeches from the opposition bench against Restoration of the Bakasht Land Act and the Bihr Tenancy Act by the Congress Ministry during 1937-39 and

Sri Krishna Sinha Shri Krishna Sinha (21 October 1887 – 31 January 1961), also known as Shri Babu, was the first chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar (1946–61). Except for the period of World War II, Sinha was the chief minister of Bihar from the time ...

's forceful defence, though they added a memorable chapter in the province's legislative history, marked the division of the aristocracy into pro and anti-Congress factions.

Retirement

After retirement he became a director of the

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible for ...

and the

IDBI Bank The IDBI Bank Limited (IDBI Bank or IDBI) is a development finance institution under the ownership of Life Insurance Corporation of India and Government of India. It was established in 1964 as Industrial Development Bank of India, a developmen ...

, and chairman of several companies. In 1977 he was honoured with a

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service" ...

for meritorious services rendered to the country. Singh's focus on the empowerment of women, both in his family and outside, was well known. He supported his daughter, Pratibha Singh, to become a multiple term member of the Rajya Sabha. He was responsible for his granddaughter, Ratna Singh (now Ratna Vira), who topped the CBSE board examination, joining the prestigious St. Stephen's College in Delhi, against opposition from other members of the family. Ratna Vira is a best-selling author and artist, and her first book, Daughter By Court Order, has received a lot of acclaim. C. P. N. Singh's family estates, that were a part of his Hindu Undivided Family, are the matter of a partition in the Patna civil court. The women of the family as supported by the Supreme Court of India order, among others, have asserted their rights in Singh's HUF. Shri Prashant Singh, his descendent, lives in Parsagarh House in Lucknow. His grandson, Ashok Harshwardhan, and great grandson, Aradhya Harshwardhan, are involved in various social welfare programs in their ancestral village, Sursand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan 1901 births University of Calcutta alumni Ambassadors of India to Nepal 1958 Governors of Punjab, India Governors of Uttar Pradesh Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in literature & education Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Knights Bachelor 20th-century Indian educational theorists Bihari politicians People from Saran district 1994 deaths