Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday released the book 'Prince, Patron and Patriarch Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala', co-authored by the Maharaja’s grandson, Brigadier (Retd) Jagjit Singh, and Cynthia Frederick.
Besides the authors, Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore was also present on the occasion, which saw the Chief Minister hail the Maharaja as one of the scripters of modernization of Kapurthala. He recalled how his own grandfather Bhupinder Singh, along with Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, brought Patiala and Kapurthala on the world map through modernization.
Describing the book as a candid tribute by a grandson to the erstwhile exceptional royal king of Kapurthala, the CM regaled the audience with anecdotes showcasing the far-sightedness of the Maharaja, whom he recalled meeting once as a 6-year-old, and the valour of his grandson, Brigadier Jagjit Singh.
The 1920s and the 1930s were Europe’s golden years, and some of the Indian rulers visited the region to see what they could bring back to Punjab for the state’s betterment, he added. His family association with Maharaja Jagatjit Singh went back 12 generations, said the Chief Minister, adding that the book went beyond a narration of historical facts to give a new perspective to the golden era.
Capt Amarinder complemented both the authors for the extensive research which they had undertaken to explore and bring out various dimensions of the most epochal events, both within India and abroad, which Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was witness to. Speaking on the occasion, Cynthia Meera Frederick, a conservation architect who was intrigued by the Maharaja's love for French architecture, thanked the CM for launching the book.