Harnam Singh


Raja Sir Harnam Singh, KCIE was the second son of Raja Sir Randhar Singh Bahadur, GCSI, Raja of Kapurthala and younger brother of Raja Karak Singh Bahadur, Raja of Kapurthala, of the Kapurthala royal family.
Raja Sir Harnam Singh was the first president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians, which played an important role in the Indian independence movement, advocating for self-rule and opposing the partition of India.
He was also the president of the National Missionary Society.

Biography

Harnam Singh was made a hereditary Raja by the British Government 1907 for public service, awarded a Knighthood, KCSI, gave the administration of his Awadh properties for his lifetime, a move which was objected by Jagatjit Singh but in vain.
In 1875, he married Rani Priscilla Kaur Sahiba, and had nine children, seven sons and two daughters:
  1. Raja Ragubhir Singh, OBE
  2. Kanwar Rajendra Singh
  3. Raja Sir Maharaj Singh, CIE, CStJ, who had issue
  4. Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Kanwar Shamsher Singh, M.D., MRCS, LRCP
  5. Captain Dr. Kanwar Indrajit Singh, MC, M.D., MRCP
  6. Kanwar Sir Dalip Singh
  7. Kanwar Jasbir Singh, CIE, who had issue including:
  8. *Air Vice Marshal Kanwar Jaswant Singh, PVSM
  9. *Lieutenant Kanwar Billy Arjan Singh
  10. Rajkumari Bibiji Amrit Kaur, DStJ
  11. Bibi Raj Kaur
Raja Harnam Singh held many dignities in his life. He was a member of the Legislative Council for the Punjab from 1900–1902, a Member of the Kapurthala Council of State and an honorary Fellow of Panjab University. He was appointed a CIE in 1885 and knighted with the KCIE in 1898. In 1907, Harnam Singh was given the personal title of Raja and was made a hereditary Raja in 1911, thus enabling him to found a separate branch of the Ahluwalia dynasty.
Harnam Singh died in 1930 at the age of 78, and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son, Raghubir Singh, who himself died two years later without issue. whereupon the title devolved upon his second surviving son, Raja Maharaj Singh. The line of Maharaj Singh maintains the title to this day.

Titles