Patiala bids farewell to last queen

Patiala : Patiala’s last queen and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s mother Rajmata Mohinder Kaur (95) was cremated at Shahi Samadhan here today. Capt Amarinder Singh lit the pyre. The gathering included royals, politicians, bureaucrats, Armymen, police officers and the who’s who of the state and the country.
The mortal remains were taken to the cremation ground in a specially designed vehicle that passed through various parts of the city, with people paying their respects to the departed soul.
Capt Amarinder, joined by his brother and other family members and relatives, shouldered the bier to the cremation site where Sikh and Hindu priests recited hymns.
Mohinder Kaur, who died on Monday evening, was instrumental in establishing the clout of the Patiala family even after titles and privy purses were abolished by the government, at a time when other royal families struggled to win people’s trust.
She is survived by two sons and two daughters. Malwinder Singh is her younger son; elder daughter Heminder Kaur is married to former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, while the younger daughter is Rupinder Kaur. Among those who paid their last respects to the Rajmata were Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh, Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal, Rana Gurjit Singh, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, MP Santokh Chaudhary, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and PPCC president Sunil Jakhar.