Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
June 12, 2001
Dr. Karan Singh to visit U of G
Dr. Karan Singh, the last living Maharaja and the youngest person to ever become a central cabinet minister in India, will visit the University of Guelph today.
Singh will speak to students in Prof. O. P. Dwivedi’s course on politics in India and meet with participants of the University’s India semester abroad program.
In 1949, at the age of 18, Singh was appointed regent by his father. Over the next 18 years, Singh was elected Sadar- i-Riyasat and governor. In 1967, he was inducted as a member of the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was elected soon after to the Lok Sabha from Udhampur Parliamentary constituency on behalf of the Indian National Congress and was re-elected in 1971, 1977 and 1980. During his tenures as minister, Singh neither drew salary nor lived in government accommodations. He also surrendered his privy purse and converted his palace into a museum and library. Singh graduated from the Jammu and Kashmir University, where he later served as chancellor. He is also associated with many other cultural and academic institutions and is recognized in India and abroad as an outstanding thinker and leader. He and his wife, Princess Yasho Rajya Lakshmi, have three children.
Contact: Prof. O.P. Dwivedi, Department of Political Science (519) 824-4120, Ext. 8937
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 3338.
