Gaj Singh, Crown Prince of Marwar

Gaj Singh II (born 13 January 1948), known as 'Bapji' (meaning 'father'), is the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur since 1952, as well as an Indian politician and diplomat.

Early years and accession Gaj Singh was born on 13 January 1948 to Hanwant Singh and his first wife, Krishna Kumari, in the Zenana (women's quarters) of Umaid Bhawan Palace. When his father, Hanwant Singh, lost his life in an air accident in 1952, the throne and titles were passed to him at the age of four. To mark his accession, a safa of five colors—pink, white, red, saffron, and green, which are also the colors of the Jodhpur State flag—was designed and is called Gaj Shahi. He received a privy purse of 10 lakh rupees

Education He received his early education at home.

Derecognition On 28 December 1971, following the assent of the then President of India, V. V. Giri, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India was enacted by Parliament. This amendment abolished the official recognition of titles, privileges, and special rights that had been granted to the rulers of the former princely states.

Family

On 19 February 1973, in a simple ceremony at Dehradun, he married Hemlata Rajye, the daughter of Shiv Rattan Dev Singh, Raja of Poonch, and his wife, Nalini Rajya Lakshmi Devi, the daughter of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

They have two children: a daughter, Shivranjani Rajye (born 22 August 1974), and a son, Shivraj Singh (born 30 September 1975).

He has two sisters, Chandresh Kumari and Shailesh Kumari, and a paternal half-brother, Hukum Singh, who was murdered.

Career He served from June 1978 to July 1980 as High Commissioner of India, with accreditation spanning the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. At the same time, he also served as Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Cayman Islands.

On 20 July 1992, he established Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls' Public School, a day and residential school for girls, named in honor of his mother.

Philanthropy Singh heads a number of philanthropic institutions and religious charitable trusts. he saw that only a few private hospitals in India could handle such cases. To address this, he started the Indian Head Injury Foundation to quickly treat traumatic brain injuries, especially for those in India with limited resources.