K.S Digvijaysinhji
Encyclopedia
Maharaja
Jam Sri
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
(18 September 1895-3 February 1966) was Maharaja Jam Sahib
of Nawanagar
from 1933 to 1947, succeeding his uncle, the famed cricketer
Ranjitsinhji.
Jawansinhji Jivansinhji (10 November 1875-12 January 1942), who was the younger brother of the famed cricketer Maharaja K.S. Ranjitsinhji. He was educated at Rajkumar College
, Rajkot, in Gujarat, then at Malvern College
and University College London
. Digvijaysinhji enjoyed a military career before succeeding his uncle, who had adopted him as his heir, in 1933. From 1939 until his demise, he was the longest serving President Of Governing Council of The Rajkumar College
, Rajkot.
, leading it as President from 1937 to 1944. Upholding the cricketing tradition of his uncle, he served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1937-1938 and was a member of several prominent sporting clubs. During the Second World War, Sir Digvijaysinhji served on the Imperial War Cabinet
and the National Defense Council, along with the Pacific War Council
.
In 1942 he established Polish Children Camp in Jamnagar
-Balachadi for refugee
Polish children who were brought out of the USSR
during World War II
. It existed until 1945, when it was closed and the children were transferred to Valivade.The camp site today is part of 300 acre campus of the Sainik School, Balachadi
.
A strong advocate of Indian independence (unlike most Indian rulers), Sir Digvijaysinhji was among the first rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession
to the Dominion of India
on 15 August 1947. He merged Nawanagar into the United State of Kathiawad the following year, serving as its Rajpramukh
until the Government of India
abolished the post in 1956.
in 1920. He was the also Deputy Leader of the Indian delegation to the UN, and chaired both the UN Administration Tribunal and the UN Negotiating Committee on Korean Rehabilitation following the Korean War
.
, Sir Digvijaysinhji married Maharajkumari Baiji Raj Shri Kanchan Kunverba Sahiba (1910–1994), second daughter of Maharajadhiraj Maharao Sri Sir Sarup Ram Singhji Bahadur, the Maharao of Sirohi. She took the name of Her Highness Deoriji Maharani Shri Gulab Kunverba Sahiba, and the couple had one son and three daughters.
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Jam Sri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
Jadeja
Jadeja belong to the Yaduvanshi rajputs or Chandravanshi rajputs. They are one of the 36 royal dynasties of old tracing their origins to Lord Krishna...
(18 September 1895-3 February 1966) was Maharaja Jam Sahib
Jam Sahib
Jam Sahib is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar, an Indian princely state. The Jam Sahibs were from the Jam Jadeja clan , who are a branch of Samma Rajput...
of Nawanagar
Nawanagar
Navanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it succeed to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population...
from 1933 to 1947, succeeding his uncle, the famed cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
Ranjitsinhji.
Early life
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji was born at Sarodar on 18 September 1895, the third son of Maharaj SriSri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Jawansinhji Jivansinhji (10 November 1875-12 January 1942), who was the younger brother of the famed cricketer Maharaja K.S. Ranjitsinhji. He was educated at Rajkumar College
Rajkumar College, Rajkot
The Rajkumar College in Rajkot is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26 acre campus located in the heart of Rajkot city.-History:...
, Rajkot, in Gujarat, then at Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Digvijaysinhji enjoyed a military career before succeeding his uncle, who had adopted him as his heir, in 1933. From 1939 until his demise, he was the longest serving President Of Governing Council of The Rajkumar College
Rajkumar College, Rajkot
The Rajkumar College in Rajkot is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26 acre campus located in the heart of Rajkot city.-History:...
, Rajkot.
Maharaja Jam Sahib
Upon the passing of his uncle, Digvijaysinhji became Maharaja Jam Sahib in 1933, continuing his uncle's policies of development and public service. Knighted in 1935, Sir Digvijaysinhji joined the Chamber of PrincesChamber of Princes
The Chamber of Princes was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of the King-Emperor to provide a forum in which the rulers of the Indian princely states could voice their needs and aspirations to the government of British India...
, leading it as President from 1937 to 1944. Upholding the cricketing tradition of his uncle, he served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1937-1938 and was a member of several prominent sporting clubs. During the Second World War, Sir Digvijaysinhji served on the Imperial War Cabinet
Imperial War Cabinet
The Imperial War Cabinet was created by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in the spring of 1917 as a means of co-ordinating the British Empire's military policy during the First World War...
and the National Defense Council, along with the Pacific War Council
Pacific War Council
The Pacific War Council was an inter-governmental body established in 1942 and intended to control the Allied war effort in the Pacific and Asian campaigns of World War II....
.
In 1942 he established Polish Children Camp in Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
-Balachadi for refugee
Displaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
Polish children who were brought out of the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It existed until 1945, when it was closed and the children were transferred to Valivade.The camp site today is part of 300 acre campus of the Sainik School, Balachadi
Sainik School, Balachadi
Sainik school Balachadi is one of 20 Sainik Schools in India located in Gujarat. It is an English medium, residential school for boys providing public school education with a military bias up to 10+2 stage as per the Central Board of Secondary Education. The school of Gujarat was started in 1961 at...
.
A strong advocate of Indian independence (unlike most Indian rulers), Sir Digvijaysinhji was among the first rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession
Instrument of Accession
The Instrument of Accession was a legal document created in 1947 to enable each of the rulers of the princely states under British suzerainty to join one of the new dominions of India or Pakistan created by the Partition of British India.-Background:...
to the Dominion of India
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, also known as the Union of India or the Indian Union , was a predecessor to modern-day India and an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950...
on 15 August 1947. He merged Nawanagar into the United State of Kathiawad the following year, serving as its Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain of India's provinces and states....
until the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
abolished the post in 1956.
Representative at International Organisations
Divijaysinhji representated India as a delegate at the first session of the League of NationsLeague of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in 1920. He was the also Deputy Leader of the Indian delegation to the UN, and chaired both the UN Administration Tribunal and the UN Negotiating Committee on Korean Rehabilitation following the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Personal
On 7 March 1935 at SirohiSirohi
Sirohi is a city in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of the same name. Nearest railway station to Sirohi is Sirohi Road station.-Geography:...
, Sir Digvijaysinhji married Maharajkumari Baiji Raj Shri Kanchan Kunverba Sahiba (1910–1994), second daughter of Maharajadhiraj Maharao Sri Sir Sarup Ram Singhji Bahadur, the Maharao of Sirohi. She took the name of Her Highness Deoriji Maharani Shri Gulab Kunverba Sahiba, and the couple had one son and three daughters.
Death
After a reign of 33 years, Sir Digvijaysinhji died in Bombay on 3 February 1966, aged 70. He was succeeded by his only son, Y.S Shatrusalyasinhji. who was a first class cricketer playing for Jamnagar team of Gujarat.Titles
- 1895-1913: RajkumarRajkumarRajkumar , born as Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju was a popular actor and singer in the Kannada film industry...
SriSriSri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Digvijaysinhji Jawansinhji JadejaJadejaJadeja belong to the Yaduvanshi rajputs or Chandravanshi rajputs. They are one of the 36 royal dynasties of old tracing their origins to Lord Krishna... - 1913-1919: Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
- 1919-1921: 2nd Lieutenant Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
- 1921-1929: LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja - 1929-1933: Captain Yuvaraja Sri Divijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja
- 1933-1935: Captain His Highness MaharajaMaharajaMahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Jam Sri Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, MaharajaMaharajaMahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Jam SahibJam SahibJam Sahib is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar, an Indian princely state. The Jam Sahibs were from the Jam Jadeja clan , who are a branch of Samma Rajput...
of NawanagarNawanagarNavanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it succeed to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population... - 1935-1936: Captain His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSIOrder of the Star of IndiaThe Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion... - 15 February-23 September 1936: MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSI - 23 September 1936-1939: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, KCSI
- 1939-1942: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCIE, KCSI
- 1942-1947: ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCIE, KCSI - 1947-1966: Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharaja Jam Sri Sir Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, GCSI, GCIE
Honours
- India General Service MedalIndia General Service Medal (1909)The Indian General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved on 1 January 1909, for issue to officers and men of the British and Indian armies. In 1925 it was also awarded to officers and men of the Royal Air Force....
w/ Wazirstan Clasp-1924 - King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
-1935 - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
-1937 - Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1939
- 1939-1945 Star-1945
- Africa StarAfrica StarThe Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in the Second World War.The Star was awarded for a minimum of one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943...
-1945 - Pacific StarPacific StarThe Pacific Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. It was also awarded to certain foreign servicemen, such as Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States.-Entitlement:...
-1945 - British War MedalBritish War MedalThe British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
-1945 - Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1947 (KCSI-1935)
- India Service Medal-1945
- Indian Independence Medal-1947