Kameshwar Singh
Maharajadhiraj Sir Kameshwar Singh Goutam Bahadur | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Darbhanga, Bihar, India |
| Died | October 1, 1962 (aged 54) |
| Occupation(s) | Maharaja of Darbhanga, industrialist, politician, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1929–1962 |
| Known for | Maharaja of Darbhanga; patron of sports; founder of Darbhanga Cup; member of Council of State and Constituent Assembly of India; Rajya Sabha member; founder of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University |
Maharajadhiraj Sir Kameshwar Singh Goutam Bahadur, K.C.I.E. (28 November 1907 – 1 October 1962), held the title of Maharaja of Darbhanga, administering extensive family estates in the Mithila area from 1929 until the abolition of royal titles in 1952 following India's independence. He was the heir of Maharaja Sir Rameshwar Singh Goutam, assuming leadership in 1929.
Patronage of sports
As a prominent supporter of the All India Football Federation, which was established in Darbhanga in 1935, Kameshwar Singh played a vital role in promoting football nationally. He founded the Darbhanga Cup tournament held in Calcutta, drawing teams from across India, Afghanistan, and England. Additionally, he commissioned the building of four stadiums, significantly advancing sports facilities.
Biography
Born into a Maithil Brahmin lineage in Darbhanga, he took part in both the First and Second Round Table Conferences held in London during 1930–31. His public service included membership on the Council of State from 1933 to 1946 and participation in the Constituent Assembly of India between 1947 and 1952. In recognition of his leadership, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.) in 1933.
In response to the devastation caused by the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, he initiated construction of Raj Quila fort as a memorial project; however, due to legal complications and subsequent political changes after independence, work was halted and never resumed.
Politically, Kameshwar Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha representing the Jharkhand Party from 1952 to 1958 and was re-elected in 1960, serving until his passing in 1962. He presided over several organizations including the Maithil Mahasabha (1929–1962), Sri Bharat Dharma Mahamandal, Bihar Landholders' Association (as lifelong president), All-India Landholders' Association, Bengal Landholders' Association, and led the Bihar United Party before independence, exerting considerable influence on agrarian policies during pivotal times.
Philanthropist
He was pioneering in commissioning India's first bust of Mahatma Gandhi by sculptor Clare Sheridan, which was gifted to the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, for exhibition at Government House (present-day Rashtrapati Bhawan). Gandhi acknowledged this tribute in a letter addressed to Linlithgow in 1940.
Serving as pro-vice-chancellor at Benaras Hindu University, where his father Sir Rameshwar Singh had been a significant benefactor, he chaired the 1939 meeting that saw Madan Mohan Malviya resign as Chancellor and facilitated the election of Radhakrishnan.
In 1930, Sir Kameshwar Singh contributed Rupees 1.2 lakh to the University of Patna to support vernacular language development.
After independence, in 1951, he donated a property comprising a building with sixty acres and gardens along the Bagmati river to establish Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan, an institution founded through efforts by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Later, in 1960, he endowed his Anand Bagh Palace for creating a Sanskrit University that now bears his name as Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University.
Industrialist
Maharaja Kameshwar Singh inherited and further developed his father's industrial ventures; notably, his father co-founded Bengal National Bank in 1908.
He managed interests spanning fourteen companies involved in sectors such as sugar production, jute manufacturing, cotton trade, coal mining, railways, iron and steel industries, aviation services, print media outlets, and electricity supply.
Among his principal enterprises were: Darbhanga Aviations; newspapers The Indian Nation and Aryavatra; publishing house Thacker Spink & Co; Ashok Paper Mills; Sakri and Pandaul Sugar Mills; Rameshwar Jute Mills; Darbhanga Dairy Farms; Darbhanga Marketing Company; Darbhanga Lahoriasrai Electric Supply Corporation; and Walford automobile dealership located in Calcutta. He also held significant shares in British India Corporation, Octavius Steel—a diversified conglomerate—and Villiers & Co colliery operations, all managed under Darbhanga Investments.
Memorials
- Maharaja Kameshwar Singh Hospital, located in Darbhanga
- Maharaja Sir Kameshwar Singh Library in Darbhanga
- Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, situated in Darbhanga
- In 1989, Maharaniadhirani Kam Sundari, the third wife and widow of Sir Kameshwar Singh, founded the Maharajadhiraja Kameshwar Singh Kalyani Foundation to honor his legacy through philanthropic initiatives.
Further reading
- A great estate and its landlords in colonial India: Darbhanga, 1860–1942 authored by Stephen Henningham; published by Oxford University Press, 1990
- 1907 births
- 1962 deaths
- History of Bihar
- Mithila
- Maharajas of Darbhanga
- Members of the Council of India
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
- Indian knights
- Members of the Constituent Assembly of India
- Rajya Sabha members from Bihar
- Founders of Indian schools and colleges
- Indian industrialists
- Indian aviation businesspeople
- Businesspeople in textiles
- Indian sugar industry businesspeople
- Businesspeople in steel
- Indian newspaper founders
- Indian book publishers (people)
- Indian businesspeople in coal
- Indian businesspeople in mining
- Indian royalty
- Businesspeople from Bihar
- 20th-century Indian businesspeople
- 20th-century Indian philanthropists
- Members of the Council of State (India)