Martand Singh

For the textile conservator, see Martand Singh (textile conservator).

Martand Singh
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1971–1977
Preceded byS.N.Shukla
Succeeded byYamuna Prasad Shastri
ConstituencyRewa
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1980–1989
Preceded byYamuna Prasad Shastri
Succeeded byYamuna Prasad Shastri
ConstituencyRewa
Personal details
Born15 March 1923
Rewa, Bagelkhand Agency, British India
Died20 November 1995(1995-11-20) (aged 72)
India
Spouse(s)Maharani Pravina Kumari
ChildrenPushpraj Singh
ParentMaharaja Gulab Singh
OccupationConservationist
Parliamentarian
Maharaja of Rewa
AwardsPadma Bhushan

Martand Singh (15 March 1923 – 20 November 1995) was an Indian wildlife conservationist, parliamentarian and the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Rewa.[1] Born in 1923 to Gulab Singh at Fort of Govindgarh, then the Maharajah of Rewa, he did his college studies at Daly College, Indore and continued at Mayo College, Ajmer from where he graduated in 1941.[2] After the imprisonment of his father in 1946, he became the Maharajah of Rewa and retained the title, but not the power, until the government abolished royalty in 1970.[1]

Fascinated by the rare breed of white tiger which was native to Rewa, he worked to protect the species and making the region poacher-free.[3] He also reared a white tiger which he found as a cub. After the abolition of royalty, Singh represented Rewa in the 5th Lok Sabha (1971), 7th Lok Sabha (1980) and the 8th Lok Sabha (1984).[1] The Government of India awarded him the third-highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1986, for his contributions to society.[4]

Singh was married to Princess Pravina of Kutch and the couple had one son.[2] He died on 20 November 1995, at the age of 72.[1] He was again in the news in 2013 when his son filed a lawsuit regarding the allegedly illegal sale of Rewa Kothi, their Mumbai bungalow with a reported value of ₹2 billion, using a fake power of attorney. Martand Singh's property is controlled by His Highness Maharaja Martand Singh Charitable Trust.[5]

Singh committed to nature conservation and the fight against poaching. The foundation of the Bandhavgarh National Park in the Vindhya Mountains was his initiative.

In particular, the preservation of the rare species of the white tiger (a half albino), which is native to Rewa, was close to his heart. Martand Singh even succeeded in breeding this breed in captivity for the first time with the male tiger Mohan, who was captured in the jungle in 1951. All white Bengal tigers living in zoological gardens or shown in shows worldwide today ultimately trace their pedigree back to this specimen.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d Kuldip Singh (1 December 1995). "Obituary: Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa". News report. Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Last Maharaja of Rewa". The Rewa City Info. 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  3. ^ R. C. Sharma (1 January 2008). The Wildlife Memoirs: A Forester Recollects. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-81-8069-517-9.
  4. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Fraud deal: Maharaja's Rs 200 cr bungalow sold for Rs 20 cr". Economic Times. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  6. ^ "The White Tigers of Rewa". Outlook Traveller. Retrieved 24 October 2022.