The queen who reigned over hearts of people

Atul Nanda

BORN Mohinder Kaur in Ludhiana on September 14, 1922 to Harchand Singh Jaijee, a nobleman and member of the Patiala Riyasat Praja Mandal (an affiliate of the Indian National Congress), it could be said that politics ran in her blood early. Married at the age of 16, she assumed a new role. 

Her life as a wife and a queen was, in time, to become, politically tumultuous. She was ordained, in a sense, to be the wife of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, the ninth ruler of the princely State of Patiala. But we all know of how after India's Independence, on July15, 1948 Patiala became one of the States of PEPSU. And then how PEPSU itself disappeared from the map of India. Of how a Maharaja became a Rajapramukh and then a diplomatic envoy. 

But history has never (and never will) really paid heed to the lady who went from being a Maharani to a diplomat's wife. What it must have been to transcend from the life of absolute power to that of daily rife. The changes and the adjustments to reality one may have made as wife and mother. To stand by a husband whose balance of power has irrevocably changed and to explain to children why it is so. Especially when such changes were forced by reneged political promises and belligerent governments of the day.  It is known that the Maharaja, at this time, assumed nationalistic fervour and he literally gave away palaces, properties, assets and other royal items without even being asked to. Ask any wife of today, if she would approve, much less support, such a stand and the mettle that the Rajmata was made of will become more than evident. 

It is said that the Maharaja encouraged Mohinder Kaur to enter party politics in 1964, which she did. A queen then became a politician but she was no ceremonial politician either. She served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 1964 to 1967 and then from 1967 to 1971 as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Patiala.The radical abolition of the Privy Purses and the (then) anti-royalty wave saw her lose her bid for nomination in 1971, with the Maharaja instead being appointed Ambassador to the Netherlands that year. Upon the death of her husband in 1971, she assumed the title of Rajmata (Queen Mother) with her eldest son, Capt Amarinder Singh assuming the role of Maharaja. In 1977, she joined the Janata Party, became its general secretary and served another term in Rajya Sabha from 1978 to 1984.

Other than this, there is very little known about her recorded in the public domain and perhaps she would wish it to be so. While she retired from active political life, she continued to reign over the hearts of her Punjabi subjects in general and Patialvis in particular. It was a ritual to seek her audience for the blessing for a child about to embark on an education or professional life or to resolve disputes amongst angry factions. The household of the New Moti Bagh Palace under her able administration ran with clockwork precision and the flavour of her kali mirch achaar wavered not once. As a young lawyer, I, (amongst many others) had the privilege of once escorting the Rajmata to the airport when she was to travel abroad. To say that I was awestruck would be an understatement. While she awaited a delay, she struck up conversation with me, a complete nobody. She then held forth on a myriad of subjects, including politics, current affairs and life itself. She was both regal and earthly, intelligent yet unassuming, charismatic yet seemingly detached. A few minutes of conversation had such an impact on me and I can only imagine what an influence she must have had on the lives of those she was an active part of. 

On the evening of July 24, 2017, Patiala lost its Queen Mother and a son his mother. It was a journey well-travelled and a life fully lived. We pray that her soul rests in peace. 

The writer is the Advocate General,  Punjab