Jaisalmer: A member of erstwhile Jaisalmer royal family, Maharaj Hukam Singh, died owing to illness at his Mandir Palace residence on Sunday. He was 97.
He was the younger son of Maharawal Jawahir Singh. His son, Jitendra Singh is a former MLA while his grandson, Shivendra Singh is a leading businessman in the tourism sector. Hukam Singh's maternal grandmother hailed from the former Bundi royal family.
Born on February 14, 1927, Hukam Singh had bachelor's degree in Sanskrit from Agra University. He served as MLA of Jaisalmer for two consecutive terms from 1957 to 1967. Also, he had held the position of the first district chief from 1959 to 1969 during which, he laid the foundation for quick resolution of problems and development of Jaisalmer.
People close to him say he had a keen interest in politics and public welfare since the beginning. He also had a lot of interest in academics and knew many languages. While holding the post of district chief, he set up a collection of unique books in the District Council Library with his honorarium and drew praise from the then District Collector Rajat Mishra for his initiative.
Hukam Singh had also made an important contribution in the merger of Jaisalmer with 'Rajasthan Union' to form 'Greater Rajasthan' on March 30, 1949. He was only 22 years old at that time and along with his elder brother, Maharawal Girdhar Singh, he studied the geographical and political characteristics of Jaisalmer before giving consent to the merger. Not only that, he used to participate in the talks with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first home minister, along with his elder brother.
His relatives said that even after retiring from politics, Hukam Singh was always eager to help people. There was no restriction for anyone on meeting him at his residence. Despite being a member of the royal family, he always remained approachable by the common people, relatives said.
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