Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Karni Singh ji (21 April 1924 – 6 September 1988), also known as Dr Karni Singh, was from 1950 the last Maharaja of Bikaner State to hold the title of Maharaja of Bikaner, officially, until 1971, when the privy purse and all the royal titles were abolished by the Republic of India. He was also a politician, serving as a member of the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

for twenty-five years, from 1952 to 1977, and an international clay pigeon and skeet champion.

Early life and education

Born as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Karni Singh on 21 April 1924 in the

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...

, Singh's first schooling was there, after which he attended St Stephen's College,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, and

St Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, where he graduated BA with Honours in History and Politics.

Career

He saw active service in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, serving in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

with his grandfather,

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Ganga Singh, the 23rd

. Prince Karni succeeded his father,

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Sadul Singh, in 1950. In 1952, the young Maharaja Karni Singh was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

in the

(Lower House) of India from Bikaner constituency as an independent candidate, serving on several consultative committees of different ministries and holding his seat until 1977. In 1964 he received the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

from Bombay University, for his thesis ''The relationship of the Bikaner royal family with central authority (1465–1949)''. He was an ardent supporter of the Rajasthani language and argued for its inclusion in the 14th schedule of the Indian Constitution. As well as many sports, his interests included photography and painting. Maharaja Karni Singh attended his last Olympic Games in 1980, and he died on 4 September 1988.

Family

He was the elder son of Maharaja Sadul Singh, and his name was chosen after their (kul devi) deity's name

Karni mata Karni Mata (Hindi: करणी माता, or Bhagwati Karniji Maharaj), known by various names such as Bhagwati, Mehaai, Jagdamba, and Kiniyani is a Hindu Goddess of power and victory described as a warrior sage who lived between 14th to 16 ...

. Singh was married to princess Sushila Kumari of Dungarpur on 25 February 1944 and they had one son and two daughters: Narendra Singh, Rajyashree Kumari, and Madhulika Kumari. His daughter Princess Rajyashree Kumari was also a first class shooting sportswoman who received the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

in 1968. He was succeeded by his son

Narendra Singh Narendra Singh Tomar (born 12 June 1957) is an Indian politician and a member of the 17th Lok Sabha. He is the incumbent Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. He has been Minister of Rural Development, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Minis ...

, who has 3 daughters: Daksha Kumari,

Siddhi Kumari Sidhi Kumari is a member of Legislative assembly from Bikaner East (Rajasthan Assembly constituency) ever since the creation of this constituency seat(after delimitation) in 2008. She got elected from Bikaner East in 2008, 2013 and 2018 respe ...

, and Mahima Kumari. Princess Siddhi Kumari is active in today's politics, currently MLA from Bikaner East ( Rajasthan).

Sporting career

Singh won the National Championship in Clay Pigeon Trap and Skeet seventeen times and represented India at all levels of international competition. He was the first Indian to compete at five Olympic Games, which he did from 1960 to 1980, missing the Games of 1976, representing India at clay pigeon shooting at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Rome, 1960, Tokyo, 1964 (Captain), Mexico, 1968, Munich, 1972, and Moscow, 1980. His best positions in competition were eighth in 1960 and tenth in 1968. He represented his country in the

World Shooting Championships The ISSF World Shooting Championships are governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. World Shooting Championships began in 1897, after the successful 1896 Summer Olympics, and although the ISSF was not founded until 1907, these earl ...

at Oslo in 1961, and the next year won a silver medal at the 38th World Shooting Championships in Cairo, after tie for 1st place, captaining the Indian team. He also competed in the World Shooting Championships at Wiesbaden in 1966, again captaining the team, and at Bologna in 1967 and San Sebastian in 1969. He competed in the Asian Shooting Championships at Tokyo in 1967 and at Seoul in 1971, where he won a gold medal. He won a silver medal at the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

in Tehran, 1974, and another in the Asian Games at Kuala Lumpur in 1975.Profile of Dr Karni Singh
at iloveindia.com In 1981 he won the Welsh Grand Prix for clay pigeon shooting, the North Wales Cup and the North West of England Cup. In 1961 he was given the

Arjuna award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

, becoming the first person from the world of shooting to be rewarded with that national honour. He documented his shooting experiences in a book of memoirs called ''From Rome to Moscow''. Singh was also a keen player of tennis, golf, and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

, and held a private

pilot's licence Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. Flight crew licences are regulated by ICAO Annex 1 and issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. CAA’s have to establish that the holder has met a specifi ...

Memberships

Singh was a member of the Asiatic Society of India, the

National Sports Club of India The National Sports Club of India (''NSCI'') is a twin-city based sports club with branches in Mumbai and Delhi, India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadiumis an indoor sports arena that seats 5,000 people. The stadium was established in ...

, the Cricket Club of India, the

Western India Automobile Association The Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) was founded in 1919 and is one of the largest motoring organisations in Asia with over 42,000 members. The head office is located in Mumbai with branches in Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, Jaipur and Go ...

, the Bombay Natural History Society, the Bombay Flying Club, the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, the Delhi Golf Club, the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (of which he was an honorary life vice-president), the Willingdon Sports Club, and the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club.

Legacy

Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range is a shooting range in New Delhi, India. Spread over 18 acres, it is situated on South Delhi ridges in the backdrop of Adilabad Fort, near the historic Tughlaqabad Fort to its North and Surajkund Lake to its South W ...

situated near the historic Tughlaqabad Fort in Delhi was named after him. It was first constructed for the

1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...

in New Delhi, and later rebuilt for the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

.Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range

website.

Titles

*1924–1950: Yuvaraja Sri Sadul Singh Bahadur *1950–1971: Sri Raj Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Narendra Maharaja Shiromani Doctor Sri Karni Singh Bahadur (titular)

Honours

*Grand Commander of the Order of Vikram Star (Bikaner) *Order of Sadul Star (Bikaner) *Order of Star of Honour (Bikaner) * Africa Star (

campaign medal) * India Service Medal *

, for shooting sports, 1962

References

External links

* *
Dr. Karni Singh's multi-faceted achievements - Quiz question
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Karni 1924 births 1988 deaths Indian male sport shooters Skeet shooters Maharajas of Bikaner Recipients of the Arjuna Award Sport shooters from Rajasthan Rajasthani people Trap and double trap shooters People from Bikaner Indian sportsperson-politicians India MPs 1952–1957 India MPs 1957–1962 India MPs 1962–1967 India MPs 1967–1970 India MPs 1971–1977 Indian Army personnel Olympic shooters of India Shooters at the 1960 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1964 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1968 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Shooters at the 1980 Summer Olympics Indian Army personnel of World War II Asian Games medalists in shooting Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan Shooters at the 1974 Asian Games Shooters at the 1982 Asian Games Rajasthani politicians Indian royalty Independent politicians in India Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for India Asian Games bronze medalists for India