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{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
'''Raja Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia ''', [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]] (15 November 1851 – 20 May 1930) was a member of the [[Kapurthala royal family]] in the direct line founded by [[Jassa Singh Ahluwalia]].

A converted Christian, he was the first president of the [[All India Conference of Indian Christians]], which played an important role in the [[Indian independence movement]], advocating for [[swaraj|self-rule]] and [[opposition to the partition of India|opposing the partition of India]].<ref name="Thomas1974">{{cite book|last1=Thomas|first1=Abraham Vazhayil|title=Christians in Secular India|date=1974|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press|isbn=978-0-8386-1021-3|pages=106–110|language=English}}</ref> He was also a member of the Kapurthala Council of State and one of the founder trustees of the [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|Tribune]] Newspaper. He also was one of the patrons of the New India Insurance company founded in 1906 in Calcutta under the [[Swaraj]] movement. It was later nationalised to become India's 4th largest Insurance Company [[National Insurance Company]].

== Biography ==
Harnam Singh was the second son of Raja Sir [[Randhir Singh of Kapurthala|Randhir Singh Ahluwalia]] , [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]], Raja of [[Kapurthala]], and younger brother of Raja [[Karak Singh Bahadur]]. He left Kapurthala in 1878 after the premature death of his elder brother led to a struggle for the succession to the Kapurthala throne. Under the influence of his English Tutor Rev. Woodside and aided by a Bengali Missionary Golaknath Chatterji, Harnam Singh converted to Christianity thus renouncing his rights for good.

Raja Harnam Singh held many dignities in his life. He was a member of the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly|Legislative Council for the Punjab]] from 1900 to 1902, a Member of the Kapurthala Council of State and an honorary Fellow of [[Panjab University]]. In 1902 he and his wife were in London to attend the [[Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra]], as representatives of the Christian community in India.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Court News |date=26 November 1902 |page=12 |issue=36935}}</ref>

He was appointed a Companion of the [[Order of the Indian Empire]] (CIE) in 1885 and knighted as a Knight Commander of the order (KCIE) in 1898.<ref name=List>Great Britain. India Office {{google books|b2NPAAAAMAAJ|The India List and India Office List for 1905|page=145}}</ref> In 1907, Harnam Singh was given the personal title of [[Raja]] (roughly equivalent to the modern British [[life peerage]]), and he was made a hereditary [[Raja]] in 1911, thus enabling him to found a separate branch of the [[Ahluwalia (misl)|Ahluwalia]] dynasty.
He was given the administration of his Awadh properties for his lifetime, a move which was objected by [[Jagatjit Singh]] but in vain.

Harnam Singh died in 1930 at the age of 78, and was succeeded in his title by his eldest son, Raghubir Singh, who himself died two years later without issue. whereupon the title devolved upon his second surviving son, [[Raja Maharaj Singh]]. The line of Maharaj Singh maintains the title to this day.

==Family==
In 1875, he married Rani Priscilla Kaur Sahiba (née Priscilla Golaknath), and had nine children, seven sons and two daughters:
# [[Raja]] Raghbhir Singh, [[OBE]] (3 May 1876 – 17 November 1932)
# Kanwar Rajendra Singh (1877–1883)
# [[Raja]] [[Sir]] [[Raja Maharaj Singh|Maharaj Singh]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]], [[CStJ]] (17 May 1878 – 6 June 1959), who had issue (see article)
# [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Dr.]] Kanwar Shamsher Singh, [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]], [[Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons|MRCS]], [[LRCP]] (21 June 1879–?)
# [[Captain (land and air)|Captain]] [[Dr.]] Kanwar Indrajit Singh, [[Military Cross|MC]], [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]], [[Membership of the Royal College of Physicians|MRCP]] (27 December 1883 – 23 November 1914) ([[Killed in action|KIA]])
# Kanwar [[Sir]] Dalip Singh (2 June 1885 – 13 January 1971)
# Kanwar Jasbir Singh, [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (16 June 1887 – 15 October 1942), who had issue including:
#*[[Air Vice Marshal]] Kanwar Jaswant Singh, PVSM (1915–1963)
#*[[Lieutenant]] Kanwar [[Billy Arjan Singh]] (1917–2010)
# Rajkumari Bibiji [[Amrit Kaur]], [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|DStJ]] (2 February 1889 – 9 February 1964){{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
# Bibi Raj Kaur (29 May 1882 – 29 May 1882){{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==Titles==
*1852–1885: [[Kunwar (title)|Kanwar]] Harnam Singh
*1885–1898: [[Kunwar (title)|Kanwar]] Harnam Singh, Ahluwalia, [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]]
*1898–1900: [[Kunwar (title)|Kanwar]] Sir Harnam Singh Bahadur, [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]]
*1900–1907: [[The Hon Kanwar]] Sir Harnam Singh Bahadur, [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]]
*1907–1930: [[The Hon Raja]] Shri Sir Harnam Singh, KCIE

==Honours==
* [[Order of the Indian Empire|Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]] (KCIE – 1898) (CIE – 1885)
* Prince of Wales's Medal in silver – 1876
* [[Empress of India Medal|KIH Silver Medal]] – 1877
* [[Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal]] – 1887
* [[King Edward VII Coronation Medal]] in silver – 1902
* [[Delhi Durbar Medal (1903)|Delhi Durbar Medal]] in silver – 1903
* Personal title of [[Raja]] – 1907
* [[Delhi Durbar Medal (1911)|Delhi Durbar Medal]] in silver – 1911
* Hereditary title of [[Raja]] – 1911

== See also==
* [[The Kapurthala Royal Collateral Families]]
* [[Amrit Kaur|''Rajkumari Bibiji'' Amrit Kaur]]
* [[Billy Arjan Singh]]
* [[Bikrama Singh]]
* [[Vishvjit Singh]]
* [[Pratap Singh of Kapurthala|Pratap Singh]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Harnam}}
[[Category:Indian Christians]]
[[Category:Indian royalty]]
[[Category:1851 births]]
[[Category:1930 deaths]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:People from Kapurthala]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Converts to Christianity from Sikhism]]

Harnam Singh - Revision history

>Trappist the monk at 00:57, 5 January 2022