With Rajeshwari Kumari securing a Paris Olympics berth, 4th generation of Patiala Royal family making waves in Indian sports

Chandigarh: The legacy of Patiala's Royal family, representing India in sports, is over 120 years old and the count is still ongoing. It started with then Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh leading the Indian cricket side that toured England in 1911 and the latest one from the erstwhile princely state to make waves in the Indian sports is trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari, who secured the Paris Olympic berth on Thursday.  

The 31-year-old trap shooter sealed an Olympics quota place in the ongoing ISSF World Shooting Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan. After breaking her own national record by scoring 120 out of the best possible 125 in the qualification round of the World Championship, she eventually finished fifth in the final to clinch India's seventh quota place for the 2024 Paris  Olympics. 

Rajeshwari will be the second Indian, after Shagun Choudhary in the 2012 London Olympics,  to represent the country at the world's highest sporting arena - the Olympics - in trap shooting. 

With this, Rajeshwari, a fashion designer by profession, has become the fourth generation of Patiala Royals, and the first woman from the family to make waves in Indian sports. 

"It’s a proud moment for everyone. Rajeshwari Kumari is keeping the Patiala's family sports legacy going," said proud father Raja Randhir Singh, a legendary shotgun shooter who represented the country at international level for a record number of 31 years (1964 and 1994) and competed at the Olympics for the five successive editions (1968 to 84). 

"Patiala family's association with sports started with Maharaja Rajinder Singh (he was the Maharaja of Patiala from 1876 to 1900). He patronaged cricket and was a great Polo player. His son (my grandfather) Maharaja Bhupinder Singh represented India in cricket in 1911 and became the first from the Patiala family to make waves in the international arena. Patiala family has a rich sports legacy,  both as an active pursuer of sports and as well as sports administration," added Randhir Singh, who is the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia. 

Randhir Singh had also won gold in the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games and now Rajeshwari is also going to represent the Indian shooting squad for the 2023 Asian Games going to be held in China next month. 

Rajeshwari's great-grandfather Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who ruled the Patiala state from 1900 to 1938, was the family's torchbearer in sports, both as a sportsperson and a sports administrator. 

He was the first from the family to represent the country and also entered the sports administration. Bhupinder Singh led the Indian side which toured England in 1911 and played for the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Club. He was also selected to lead the country’s first test tour side in 1932, but because of ill health, he couldn’t accompany the side.

A great patron of sports, the Maharaja became the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)in 1928 and held the top Indian sports administration position till 1938.

Maharaja Bhupinder’s elder son Yadavindra Singh, the last ruler of Patiala, represented India in a test cricket against England in 1934.

Bhupinder’s younger son Bhalindra Singh (Randhir’s father) played 13 first-class cricket matches between 1939 to 1954.

Both Yadavindra Singh and Bhalindra Singh remained the president of IOA. Yadvindra took the reins of IOA from his father after his demise in 1938. He remained the president till 1960. After that, Bhalindra Singh became the president from 1960 to 1976 and 1980 to 1984.

Raja Randhir was the general secretary of IOA from 1987 to 2014 and also remained a member of the International Olympic Council from 2001 to 2014. His elder daughter Sunaina Kumari is also in sports administration. She remained president of the Indian Lawn Bowls Association and is now the Deputy President of the Asian body of the sport. She also remained joint secretary of IOA for two terms and vice-president for the third term. 

"My grandfather  (Maharaja Yadavindra Singh) was the first president of the Asian Olympic body in 1951. At that time it was known as the Asian Games body. In 1982, my father (Raja Bhalindra Singh) headed the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and now I am the third one from the family to head the OCA and in IOA, the Patiala family has been contributing since 1928," says Randhir Singh. 

The others from the family, who entered the competitive sporting arena, were Yadvindra’s son Captain Amarinder Singh, who also remained the Chief Minister of Punjab. Captain Amarinder is a former national shotgun champion and his son Raninder Singh is a former international shooter and also remained the president of the National Rifle Association of India.