Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 21: Chairman Trustee, Dharmarth Trust, Dr Karan Singh visited Raghunath Mandir this morning and paid obeisance in the temple complex. He also performed the Puranhauti of the Yagya being held in the memory of Maharaja Gulab Singh Ji on his birth anniversary.
On the occasion, he announced that the Trustees have decided to give 20 percent Diwali bonus to Dharmarth Trust employees.
In the evening a function was held at Amar Mahal where the annual Maharaja Gulab Singh Award was presented by Dr Karan Singh to the renowned sculptor Ravinder Jamwal who has made numerous statutes of historic Dogra personalities including Maharaja Hari Singh in Jammu. He is now working on a sculpture of Maharaja Gulab Singh.
The award carries a sum of Rs two lakh and a plaque. Dr Karan Singh also released book of articles on Maharja Hari Singh to which he has written the foreword based on the proceedings of a seminar held by the Maharaja Gulab Singh Research Institute , Jammu , which has published the book.
He also released a book written by Gen. (retd) G S Jamwal for which he has too written the foreword which recounts the important role played by the J&K State Forces in the crucial months after Accession and before the arrival of the Indian Army.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Karan Singh said that the Dogras in general and the rulers in particular have received their due place in history. Recalling that it was Maharaja Gulab Singh and his Dogra troops from Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, who conquered Gilgit and Ladakh at great cost sacrificing thousands of lives thus founding the State of Jammu and Kashmir which, at 84,000 sq miles was the largest Indian State during the British period.
He lamented that it lost huge area such as Gigit –Baltistan and PoJK in 1947, Aksai Chin 1952 and now in 2019 it has been reduced to a small Union territory of a few thousand square miles. Despite this the Dogras will continue to make their contribution towards defending the nation in various army formations, such as the JAK Regiment, Dogra Regiment and other formations. He stressed the necessity of maintaining the long tradition of Inter-faith harmony in entire Jammu region.
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