->Adamsamuelwilson at 17:02, 15 December 2021

2021-12-15T17:02:31Z

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{{morefootnotes|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Anand Chand
| image =
| caption =
| succession = 44th Raja of [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]]
| reign = {{nowrap|9 January 1933 – 12 October 1983}}
| predecessor = Bijai Chand
| successor = Gopal Chand
| spouses = {{plainlist|Umawati Kumari
* Sudarshana Kumari
}}
| house = [[Chandel (Rajput clan)|Chandel]]
| father = Bijai Chand
| mother = Suraj Devi
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|1|26|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh|Bilaspur]], [[Kahlur|Bilaspur State]] (in present-day [[Himachal Pradesh]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|10|12|1913|1|26|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[London]], England, United Kingdom
| module = {{Infobox politician
| embed = yes
| office = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha|Member of the Rajya Sabha]]
| constituency = [[Bihar]]
| term_start = 1965
| term_end = 1970
| constituency1 = [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| term_start1 = 1958
| term_end1 = 1964
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of the Lok Sabha]]
| constituency2 = Bilaspur
| term_start2 = 1952
| term_end2 = 1957
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| office3 = [[Bilaspur State (1950–54)#Commissioners of Bilaspur State|Chief Commissioner of Bilaspur]]
| term_start3 = 12 October 1948
| term_end3 = 26 January 1950
| predecessor3 = ''Post established''
| successor3 = Himmatsinhji
}}
}}

[[His Highness]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayYbAvECXQwC&pg=PA50 |title=The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh |author=Mark Brentnall |publisher=Indus |year=2005 |isbn=9788173871634 |page=52 }}</ref> [[Raja]] Sir '''Anand Chand''' {{post-nominals|list=[[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0SIMAQAAMAAJ|title = Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage|year = 1973}}</ref> (26 January 1913 – 12 October 1983) was the 44th Raja of [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]]. He was a [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[Bihar]] in the [[Rajya Sabha]], the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament of India|India's Parliament]] as a member of the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/pre_member/1952_2003/a.pdf| title=RAJYA SABHA MEMBERS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 1952 - 2003 | publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] | accessdate=30 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="Brentnall2004">{{cite book|author=Mark Brentnall|title=The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayYbAvECXQwC&pg=PA60|accessdate=31 December 2017|year=2004|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-163-4|pages=60–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Lok Sabha Debates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-m9PAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=31 December 2017|year=1983|publisher=Lok Sabha Secretariat|page=5}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Anand Chand was born on 26 January 1913 to Raja Bijai Chand (1873–1931), of the [[Rajput]] clan of [[Chandel (Rajput clan)|Chandel]], and Suraj Devi (1886–1939) in [[Kahlur|Bilaspur]], an erstwhile [[princely state]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Ruling Family of Bilaspur|url=http://www.bilaspur.info/images/bilaspurfamilytree1.jpg|publisher=bilaspur.info|accessdate=7 March 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912021339/http://www.bilaspur.info/images/bilaspurfamilytree1.jpg|archivedate=12 September 2016}}</ref> He studied at the [[Mayo College]] in [[Ajmer]], before heading to [[Delhi]] to engage in civil and judicial training that preceded him being invested with full ruling powers of Bilaspur, 9 January 1933. While the Raja, he abolished ''[[Unfree labour|begar]]'' (heavy labour) in 1936, also passing a legislation abolishing [[child marriage]].Gandhiji’s ideas on Panchayati Raj were followed. In 1938, Education and Health Committees (Panchayats) were elected in all parganas on the basis of adult franchise. A representative Constitutional Advisory Committee was formed. The Committee prepared a constitution on the most egalitarian principles. It provided for a decentralised state on the principle that local issues must be resolved locally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060122/society.htm|title = The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Education Tribune}}</ref>
In the middle of the year 1939 Raja Anand Chand separated judiciary from executive making [[Bilaspur State]] one of the first state in India to do so.Before 1934 Courts of the State were governed by an established code and procedure. After retirement of Diwan in the year 1934, the post of revenue and judicial secretary had been created which also became the joint head of the Revenue and Judicial Department and also supervised a number of other departments. The Court of Collector and District Magistrate was temporarily suspended but was revived in 1935.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://districts.ecourts.gov.in/bilaspurhp|title = Bilaspur HP/District Court in India | Official Website of District Court of India}}</ref> In 1942, he introduced the Bilaspur Prohibition Act. Schools, health centres, and roads linking Suket and [[Mandi, Himachal Pradesh|Mandi]] to Delhi were constructed during his reign. In recognition of the role he played during [[World War II]], Chand was awarded the [[George Cross]], [[Victoria Cross]] and in 1945, the [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]].

Between 1947 and 1948, Chand became a member of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]] that was established to draft a [[Constitution of India|constitution for India]]. In October 1948, he was appointed the chief commissioner of the hitherto [[Bilaspur State (1950–54)|Bilaspur Province]] of independent India, a position that he held until 1950, when it became a State, before merging with what is today the State of [[Himachal Pradesh]]. Chand was elected to the [[1st Lok Sabha]] from Bilaspur. He was later elected to the [[Rajya Sabha]], first from Himachal Pradesh (1958–1964) and then from [[Bihar]] (1965–1970). In 1976, Chand moved to [[London]], England, with his family after government-given privileges and allowances to princely states [[Privy Purse in India#Abolition|were abolished]] in 1971. Chand was elected to the [[Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly]] in 1977 and would travel to Bilaspur and [[Shimla]] during the legislature was in [[Legislative session|session]]. He remained a member until his term ended in 1982, a year in which he also suffered a [[stroke]]. He died on 12 October 1983 in London, and was cremated at the banks of the [[Sutlej River]].

=== Family ===
Anand Chand first married Umawati Devi (1916–1961), the daughter of Raja Rana Bhagat Singh of [[Jubbal]], in May 1931.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jubbal (Princely State)|url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/j/jubbal.html|publisher=members.iinet.net.au|accessdate=7 March 2018}}</ref> They had two sons and two daughters together:

#Rajendra Chand (1935–1971)
#Ambika Devi (1933–1981)
#Rajeshwari Devi (1937–2004)
#Kirti Chand (1941–2013)

Following Umawati Devi's death, he married Sudarshana Kumari (b. 1940), the daughter of Mr. Mehar Aggarwal resident of Bhojpur Mohala [[Sundernagar]] in District [[Mandi district|Mandi]], in 1969. They had two children, a son and a daughter:

#Gopal Chand (b. 1969).
#Sunanda Chand (b. 1973)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chand, Anand}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian royalty]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Bihar]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Bihar]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:1st Lok Sabha members]]

Anand Chand - Revision history

->Adamsamuelwilson at 17:02, 15 December 2021