• That enigmatic Lata-Dungarpur’s love story; both remained unmarried in honour of their love 

Who was Raj Singh Dungarpur? Full name: Raj Singh Laxmansinhji Other names: Maharajkumar of Dungarpur Born: 19 December 1935 in Dungarpur, Rajasthan Died: 12 September 2009 in Mumbai, Maharashtra (age 73) Education: Daly College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh Details: #Raj Singh Dungarpur was former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) #He became BCCI President during 1996-99 as the successor to I.S. Bindra #He had been in and out of the BCCI for more than 20 years #He played first-class cricket for 16 years, from 1955/56 to 1970/71 for Madhya Bharat, Rajasthan, and Central Zone #He played mainly for Rajasthan, as a fast-medium bowler, and was at his peak from the late 1950s to the late 1960s #He took a total of 206 first-class wickets at an average of 28.84 while scoring 1,292 runs at 15.20 #He had taken 21 wickets thrice in a season, with the best being 1967/68 when they came at 15.95  #He was a selector of the Indo national team for two terms #He also managed the Indian cricket team four times on overseas tours, including the one to Pakistan in 2005-06 #He is credited for introducing Sachin Tendulkar to the world as he was the selection committee Chairman when the prodigious 16-year-old was picked for the Indo national team to tour Pakistan in 1989 #He is also credited for establishing the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore #For over 13 years, he was also President of the Cricket Club of India (CCI), India’s counterpart to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), located near Churchgate in Mumbai Former BCCI President Dungarpur dies  From IANS of 12 September 2009:  Mumbai: Former Indian cricket board President Raj Singh Dungarpur died here today after a prolonged illness. Hailing from the royal family of Dungarpur in Rajasthan, he was the youngest son of Lakshman Singhji, the erstwhile ruler of Dungarpur. (He) was also suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. We all know about the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar’s illustrious singing career, her professionalism, and her devotion to singing. But not many know about her personal life and why she chose to remain unmarried for the rest of her life. Before we dive into this aspect of her life, reported India’s DNA on 8 February, it is important to mention that Mangeshkar was a diehard cricket fan. Mangeshkar died on 6 February 2022 due to complications of Covid-19, aged 92. Lata’s family  And this was the main reason for her to come close to the fast-medium bowler from Rajasthan – Raj Singh Dungarpur – who later became the Manager of the Indian cricket team.  Raj Singh Dungarpur was the youngest son of Maharawal Lakshman Singhji, the ruler of Dungarpur. Mangeshkar loved cricket and Raj Singh Dungarpur loved music, and this brought the duo close to one another. Mangeshkar, who was born in 1929 in Indore was the eldest daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a Marathi musician and a theatre actor. How the love story began The Princess of Bikaner, Rajyashree Kumari, who is the niece of Raj Singh Dungarpur, wrote about the relationship between her maternal uncle and Lata Mangeshkar in her autobiography Palace of Clouds: A Memoir. In her memoir, she wrote that the two met through Hridaynath Mangeshkar, who is the younger brother of Lata Mangeshkar.  The prince of the royal family of Dungarpur, Raj Singh went to Mumbai in 1959 to study law. He was a good player of cricket. Lata Mangeshkar’s brother Hridaynath also used to play cricket. Because of this, Hridaynath and Raj Singh became friends.  Royal family rejects marriage Raj Singh used to often visit Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s house. During his visit to the Mangeshkar household, he first met Lata there. After mutual interaction, Raj Singh and Lata Mangeshkar became friends. It is written in the book that their initial friendship later transformed into love. After completing his studies, Raj Singh returned to Dungarpur and discussed his intentions to marry Lata Mangeshkar with his family. Rajyashree wrote that the royal family did not want Raj Singh to marry someone from a non-royal family. Raj Singh Dungarpur had to succumb to family pressures and finally did not go ahead with the marriage plans.  Raj Singh passed away 12 years ago However, they made their love story immortal by staying single for life. Rajyashree’s autobiography also mentioned that Raj Singh Dungarpur used to call Lata Mangeshkar “Mithu” affectionately. It is said that on the death of Raj Singh in 2009, Lata Mangeshkar came to Dungarpur secretly to have one last “darshan” of him.