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Born heir apparent (Yuvaraj) to Maharaja Hari Singh and Maharani Tara Devi of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Karan Singh was catapulted into political life at the early age of eighteen when, in 1949, he was appointed Regent by his father on the intervention of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Thereafter he was head of the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir for the next eighteen years as Regent, as elected Sadar-i-Riyasat and lastly as Governor. Dr Karan Singh is an author of distinction, having written a number of books on political science, religion, philosophical essays, travelogues and poems in English. His fascinating Autobiography, his book on Sri Aurobindo entitled Prophet of Indian Nationalism, important collections of his writings entitled One Man's World and India and the World and his Essays on Hinduism have been widely acclaimed.

In 1967, Dr Karan Singh was inducted as a member of the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. At 36, he was the youngest person ever to become a Central Cabinet Minister in India.  He is now a member of the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) from Jammu & Kashmir. He has been Chancellor of Jammu and Kashmir University and Benaras Hindu University, He was President of the India International Centre, Chairman of the Auroville Foundation and member of the UNESCO International Commission on Education for the 21st Century.  He is Co-Chairman of the  World Commission on Global Consciousness & Spirituality and set up the India Forum.

Dr Karan Singh is recognised as an outstanding thinker and leader in India and abroad. He is a renowned orator, and has lectured in five continents on philosophy and culture, politics and the environment. He has composed and recited devotional songs in his mother tongue, Dogri, and is a connoisseur of Indian classical music. His tenure as Indian Ambassador to the United States, though brief, received extensive and extremely favourable media coverage in both countries and won many friends for the country.

For more details visit: www.karansingh.com