481:, the government had deemed it expedient to keep the Maharaja beholden (and away from politics) by giving him minor diplomatic assignments which required his presence abroad. The Maharaja was however anxious to gain some political leverage and influence in the ruling dispensation, but as a titular Maharaja, it was not possible for him to enter party politics himself. Meanwhile, Mehtab Kaur's father and family had risen in the ranks of the Congress party, building on the Riyasat
379:
31:
507:. In 1971, the Congress party and its government executed some of their radical plans by individually 'de-recognizing' each and every one of the over 500 Maharajas who existed at that time in India. The privy purse (pension) and other benefits which had been guaranteed to them by solemn covenant in 1947â48, when they signed away their kingdoms, were summarily withdrawn as well. In keeping with
535:, succeeded as head of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala. The princely state of Patiala no longer existed, and even titles had been abolished in 1971, but by the general public, and even in the press, Mehtab was routinely referred to as 'Rajmata of Patiala' and her son as 'Maharaja of Patiala.'
547:
tradition. She had forayed into politics only because her husband had desired it, and as a pious widow, she now intended to withdraw from public life and spend her days in prayer and religious observances. All her children were married and settled by this time, and she had seven grandchildren upon
386:
Yadvinder Singh had succeeded his father as
Maharaja of Patiala only a few months prior to this wedding. His first marriage had been (and remained) childless. However, barely 10 months after her wedding, Mehtab Kaur became a mother with the birth of a daughter, Heminder Kaur, future wife of the
434:
refugees who had been compelled to leave their homes in the territories that became
Pakistan. The royal family of Patiala organised numerous camps and relief projects in aid of these refugees. In particular, the two Maharanis supervised relief kitchens and medical provisions for them.
472:(1971â1974). These relatively minor assignments were significantly less than the assurances that the royals of India had received when they signed away their kingdoms, and from the absolute ruling powers to which the Maharaja had been accustomed. Further, the ruling
414:
or ceremonial
Governor of this new state. The royal family of Patiala worked diligently to adjust to the new realities of their situation, and Maharani Mehtab Kaur (the name by which she was now known) made important contributions in the transition.
453:(ceremonial governor) of PEPSU for life. However, in 1956, PEPSU disappeared from the map following a further reorganization of internal borders in India, and the Maharaja was summarily deprived of the responsibilities (and perks) of office.
327:. Had it not been for the erstwhile Indian princely families being stripped of their titles in 1971, upon the death of her husband she would have been considered Rajmata (queen mother), and in popular usage was commonly referred to as such.
542:
in
Patiala. Upon the demise of her husband, Mehtab Kaur gave up wearing jewelry, silk or bright colored clothing, and dressed exclusively in two colors, namely white and indigo blue, which are the colors of renunciation and piety in
754:
476:
was championing a sharp turn left-wards in its policies, and its utterances with regard to the erstwhile princes were radical and alarming. Since
Patiala was by far the largest of the princely states in
575:
In her retirement, Mehtab Kaur maintained the charitable traditions of her family and remained assiduous in matters of tradition and religious observance. She often granted audience to ladies from
366:. She was the Maharaja's second wife. As the senior Maharani was also named Mohinder Kaur, and was present in the palace to receive her co-wife, the younger Mohinder Kaur received the new name
511:'s anti-royal political stance, Mehtab Kaur was marginalized and was not given a party nomination to contest the general elections of 1971. Instead, the Maharaja was appointed ambassador to
606:
579:
until advanced age and ill-health prevented exertion. Her piety, austerity and charity made her a cultural icon in
Patiala. In later life, she resided in New Moti Bagh Palace,
749:
744:
739:
422:, and the province of Punjab bore the brunt of that brutal upheaval. Patiala, as a major town located near the newly defined border between India and
406:
was merged with the Indian union and the ruling power of the
Maharaja was ended. Patiala was merged with certain other princely states to form
456:
After 1956, the
Maharaja was given various diplomatic assignments, including heading Indian delegations to the UN general assembly (1956),
444:
391:. The following year saw the birth of another daughter, Rupinder Kaur, followed in March 1942 by the birth of the much awaited heir,
759:
719:
504:
324:
263:
340:
101:
714:
565:
644:
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473:
352:
282:
312:(nÊe Mohinder Kaur; 14 September 1922 â 24 July 2017) was the second wife of the ninth and the last ruling
764:
734:
538:
The family returned to India, and the two dowager
Maharanis took up residence in their family home, the
485:
background. For these reasons, and at her husband's behest, Mehtab Kaur entered party politics in 1964.
410:(Patiala and East Punjab States' Union), a state within the union of India. Yadvinder Singh was named
729:
724:
351:
and a member of the
Patiala Riyasat Prajya Mandal (Patiala State Peoples' Forum, an affiliate of the
222:
363:
313:
549:
419:
378:
170:
30:
539:
359:
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143:
41:
532:
512:
392:
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192:
631:
399:
492:, the indirectly elected upper house of the Indian Parliament, from 1964 to 1967 as a
708:
576:
508:
497:
403:
348:
125:
572:. She served a full 6-year term (1978â84) there and then withdrew from public life.
561:
482:
388:
68:
607:"Obituary | A sister, a guardian, the royal mother: Rajmata of Patiala is no more"
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489:
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held shortly thereafter, and in 1978, Mehtab Kaur was elected a member of the
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411:
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party). In August 1938, a month before her 16th birthday, she was married to
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684:
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423:
356:
344:
336:
136:
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688:
580:
293:
121:
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503:(1967â71), the directly elected lower house of Parliament, from the
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whom she doted. However, in 1977, outraged by the excesses of the
465:
461:
427:
407:
377:
129:
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and was named one of its general secretaries. That party won the
382:
Residence of Maharani Mehtab Kaur, New Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala.
544:
431:
343:
as Mohinder Kaur, the daughter of Sardar Harchand Singh Jaijee (
583:, before her death from age related ailments on 24 July 2017.
398:
India gained its independence in 1947. On 15 July 1948, the
395:. He was followed in 1944 by a second son, Malvinder Singh.
176:
755:
Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India
288:
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273:
259:
249:
239:
221:
205:
169:
135:
111:
82:
78:
64:
56:
48:
37:
23:
464:(1959 onwards). He also served as ambassador to
418:India received its independence at the price of
443:At the time when his state was merged into the
515:that year, and the family again moved abroad.
447:, the Maharaja had been given the position of
8:
527:while serving as India's ambassador to the
665:
29:
20:
750:Rajya Sabha members from Himachal Pradesh
496:member. In 1967, she was elected to the
591:
745:Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India
560:of healthy young men, she joined the
523:In 1974, the former Maharaja died at
7:
740:Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India
601:
599:
597:
595:
445:Patiala and East Punjab States Union
159:
634:Its development vs Panth in Patiala
319:(1913â1974). She was the mother of
488:Mehtab Kaur served as a member of
14:
426:, received tens of thousands of
645:"Rajmata Mohinder Kaur no more"
341:Punjab Province (British India)
155:
158: 1938; died
1:
209:Sardar Harchand Singh Jaijee
531:. Mehtab Kaur's elder son,
781:
695:
682:
673:
668:
303:
299:
269:
228:
217:
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28:
760:Janata Party politicians
387:diplomat and politician
353:Indian National Congress
335:Mehtab Kaur was born in
325:Chief Minister of Punjab
283:Indian National Congress
189:Rupinder Kaur (daughter)
186:Heminder Kaur (daughter)
383:
381:
292:New Motibagh Palace,
198:Malvinder Singh (son)
554:forced sterilization
552:, in particular the
505:Patiala constituency
223:Member of Parliament
38:Maharani of Patiala
720:India MPs 1967â1970
715:People from Patiala
364:Maharaja of Patiala
314:Maharaja of Patiala
693:1938 – 1971
468:(1965â66) and the
384:
245:Sardar Hukam Singh
703:
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696:Succeeded by
566:general elections
420:being partitioned
347:), a nobleman of
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95:14 September 1922
73:Royalty abolished
16:Indian politician
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674:Preceded by
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641:
635:
632:Tribune of India
629:
623:
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540:Moti Bagh Palace
439:Political career
360:Yadavindra Singh
317:Yadavindra Singh
274:Personal details
252:
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144:Yadavindra Singh
118:
94:
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42:Yadavindra Singh
33:
21:
780:
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698:State abolished
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680:
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616:
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611:Hindustan Times
605:
604:
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533:Amarinder Singh
521:
513:the Netherlands
441:
393:Amarinder Singh
376:
333:
321:Amarinder Singh
279:Political party
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193:Amarinder Singh
174:
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102:Punjab Province
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17:
12:
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679:Bakhtawar Kaur
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669:Regnal titles
663:
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651:. 25 July 2017
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624:
613:. 24 July 2017
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494:Congress party
474:Congress party
460:(1957â58) and
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119:(aged 94)
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84:
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66:
62:
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60:Bakhtawar Kaur
58:
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35:
34:
26:
25:
15:
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10:
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765:Patiala State
763:
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735:Queen mothers
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577:Patiala State
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509:Indira Gandhi
506:
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362:, the ruling
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349:Patiala State
346:
342:
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328:
326:
323:, the former
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86:Mohinder Kaur
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59:
55:
51:
47:
43:
36:
32:
27:
22:
19:
683:
653:. Retrieved
648:
639:
627:
615:. Retrieved
610:
574:
562:Janata Party
537:
522:
487:
483:Praja Mandal
455:
448:
442:
417:
397:
389:Natwar Singh
385:
367:
334:
309:
308:
289:Residence(s)
260:Constituency
251:Succeeded by
230:
175:
117:(2017-07-24)
115:24 July 2017
72:
69:Preneet Kaur
40:2nd wife of
18:
730:2017 deaths
725:1922 births
649:The Tribune
570:Rajya Sabha
529:Netherlands
490:Rajya Sabha
470:Netherlands
374:As Maharani
368:Mehtab Kaur
331:Early years
310:Mehtab Kaur
241:Preceded by
57:Predecessor
52:1938 â 1947
24:Mehtab Kaur
709:Categories
617:28 October
587:References
519:Later life
450:Rajpramukh
412:Rajpramukh
91:1922-09-14
71:(titular)
558:vasectomy
550:Emergency
525:the Hague
501:Lok Sabha
235:1967â1971
231:In office
65:Successor
685:Maharani
677:Maharani
424:Pakistan
357:Maharaja
345:Shergill
337:Ludhiana
137:Maharaja
98:Ludhiana
689:Patiala
655:25 July
581:Patiala
404:Patiala
294:Patiala
264:Patiala
164:
152:
148:
122:Patiala
479:Punjab
458:UNESCO
206:Father
177:Detail
126:Punjab
49:Tenure
466:Italy
462:UNFAO
428:Hindu
408:PEPSU
195:(son)
171:Issue
162:)
154:(
150:
130:India
657:2017
619:2023
545:Sikh
432:Sikh
430:and
160:1974
112:Died
83:Born
687:of
556:by
498:4th
402:of
711::
647:.
609:.
594:^
370:.
339:,
156:m.
128:,
124:,
104:,
100:,
659:.
621:.
93:)
89:(
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