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Karan Singh (1931- ) is an Indian politician, author and diplomat. He is the son of the erstwhile ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh and his wife Tara Devi. He was educated at Doon School and Pratap College, receiving a PhD from Delhi University.

In 1949, he was appointed as the regent of Jammu and Kashmir state after his father stepped downas the king, following the state's accession to India. He served successively as regent, Sardar-i-Riyasat and governor of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1965-1967. He was then, successively, Union Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation from 1967-1973, Minister of Health and Family Planning from 1973-1977 and Minister of Education and Culture in 1979-1980. In 1990-1991, he served as Indian Ambassador to the US. From 1967-1980, and in 1990, Karan Singh served as an MP in the Lok Sabha;since 1996, he has been an MP in the Rajya Sabha. He served as Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, Jammu and Kashmir University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is an active member of several boards, organizations, and foundations, including the Author's Guild of India, the ICCR, the Auroville Foundation, the Indian Board of Wildlife, and several others. He is an author whose books include: "Towards A New India"(1974), "One Man's World" (1986), "Essays on Hinduism" (1987),"Autobiography" (1989), and "Brief Sojourn" (1991). He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005.

In 1956, Karan Singh married Yasho Rajya Lakshmi (1937-) from Nepal. The couple have two sons, Vikramaditya Singh (1964-) and Ajatshatru Singh(1966-), one daughter, Jyotsna Devi (1957-), and six grandchildren, three grandsons and three granddaughters.

Contents 1 Possible candidacy for President 2 See also 3 Cited references 4 External Links

• It is speculated by the press to be in the fray for the office of President of India, as he was before the last presidential election. ^[1]

• List of Rajputs
• Hari Singh
• Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir) to the Country / Dominion of India
• List of topics on the land and the people of Jammu and Kashmir

• Dr Karan Singh’s official website
• Article on Shri Dr. Karan Singh, by Indian Princely States website
• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Jammu and Kashmir
• Article on Dr. Karan Singh by The Doon School
• Proclamation of May 1, 1951 on Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly by Karan Singh from the Official website of Government of Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Conflict in Kashmir: Selected Internet Resources by the Library, University of California, Berkeley, USA; University of California at Berkeley Library Bibliographies and Web-Bibliographies list
• "The Times of India" (Newspaper) - India's 'Rajput diplomacy' in Nepal: Karan Singh is heir to the throne of India's former princely state of Kashmir and his wife is from Nepal's royal family.