Details

Denis Giles

08 July 2014

Hits: 1800

It gives me immense pleasure to wish our Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Lt. Gen. (Retd) A.K. Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM  on the occasion of his first anniversary as the Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. You have been a great source of inspiration to the people of these islands, especially the Nicobarese tribal community, who are touched by your humble nature and spirit to move ahead. I wish you all the very best and sincerely hope that our Islands would prosper under your able guidance.

Rani Fathima

Queen of Nancowrie

Details

Denis Giles

08 July 2014

Hits: 8084

Lt. Gen (Retd) Ak Singh: Family Memorabilia

Lt General A K Singh, The Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the only son of the late Chowdhry Jai Narain Singh and the late Shrimati Tripti Devi. Born into an old and illustrious family with two generations of Rai Bahadur his Great Grandfather was Rai Bahadur Chowdhry Nihal Singh. In memory, and as a sign of respect, there also is a street named after him in Old Delhi which used to be their old family home. His Grandfather was Rai Bahadur Chowdhry Raghunath Singh.

He has three sisters Meera Shankar, Late Dr Geeta Chowdhry and Sudha Sarin with whom he shares a very close filial bond. He is married to Mrs Suneeti Singh who is a housewife and a universally recognized animal lover.

Mrs Suneeti Singh an army officer’s daughter, has been a constant source of support to her husband and the invisible force which goaded him forward in aiming high and also achieving all aimed. An inveterate animal lover she enjoys taking care of her dogs and horses personally and her most cherished moments are spent in their company. She has also been a teacher and was instrumental in developing some interesting Montessori formats for creative teaching. Extremely concerned about the Jawan wives Mrs Singh has taken time to understand their problems and difficulties and always worked towards easing them. Clearly, service before self is a motto she lives by. 

They are blessed with two sons, Vishal Singh, a mariner who has excelled and made a name for himself in this field and Udai Singh, a Nationally acclaimed Equestrian, who has been encouraged to pursue his passion for horse riding since his childhood. Udai has excelled and won several championships over the years and is now focused to make a mark for himself at the forthcoming Asian Games and the Olympics.

His elder sister Meera Shankar served as India’s Ambassador to the United States of America from 2009 to 2011. She was India’s second female ambassador to the United States of America, Vijaya Lakshmi Nehru Pandit being the first. Prior to 2009, she served as India’s Ambassador in Berlin, Germany.

Meera is married to Ajay Shankar, an IAS officer, who retired as Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. They are blessed with a daughter - Priya.

His second sister Dr Geeta Chowdhry, a professor of the Department of Politics and International Affairs at Northern Arizona University (NAU), died while in India with her family early this year. She was preceded in death by her parents. She had been at Northern Arizona University since 1989.

Previously she taught at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Florida and her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from St. John’s College in Agra, India, where she grew up.

Geeta is survived by her husband, Dr Mark Beeman, a professor of Sociology and Social Work at NAU and son Jai.

The LG’s youngest sister - Sudha Sarin joined corporate India and is a Communications Professional with over 2 decades of experience. Sudha has worked with CEO’s and Industry leaders, of several Multi National & Indian Companies as a very successful entrepreneurs. She recently left her role as Managing Director – IPAN Hill & Knowlton India to work independently with companies and entrepreneurs to lend them her expertise, gained over the last two decades. 

Sudha is married to Ajay Sarin, a businessman and resides in New Delhi with her husband and sons Raghav and Pranav. 

The Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an ex student of Sainik School Rewa and former Commander in Chief of Southern Command, of the Indian Army. Lt Gen (Retd) A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, the Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ex-General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, alumnus of National Defence Academy was commissioned into one of the oldest Regiments, the 7th Light Cavalry on 17 June 1973 and has had an illustrious career with the Indian Army.

Born into a liberal family, his earliest influences were his father’s deep intellect, and large heartedness along with his mother’s grounded view of life and selfless service to friends and family. He imbibed his father’s intellect and many close to the family have been witness to his large heartedness.

His father the late Chowdhry Jai Narain Singh had completed his Masters in History from St Stephens College, New Delhi and was deeply interested in the social political fabric of the country.  His deep interest towards the social fabric of our country reflected itself in his efforts to helping highly intelligent yet under privileged boys and girls to achieve a sound educational grounding which would stand them and the society in good stead.

The Lt Governor was also deeply influenced by his mother, Shrimati Tripti Devi who despite not having a formal education was an astute, compassionate and wise woman whose focus was to ensure a sound education for her children that would provide them a place in the world. Her focus and dedication paid off and her children have all done her and their father proud.  She played a pivotal role in steering the life of her children and was a source of constant support and encouragement for them with her guiding force and deep wisdom.

Overall, the family reflects a very nationalistic fervour and is guided by the family ethos as imbibed from their parents – ‘to give more than you receive’, and ‘share and care’.

The Lt Governor has led a life which is deeply rooted in the early learning’s of his life ‘Good Thought, Good Words and Good Deed’ seems to be truly committed to making a difference in the lives of the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Details

Denis Giles

08 July 2014

Hits: 1916

- Definitely a woman who seems to have the Most and needs the Least.

Mrs Suneeti Singh, The First Lady of ANI, born in the army and married within the army, is a pure thoroughbred of the Army. And as such, reflects a very high moral integrity which also reflects her rigid sense of ‘right’  or ‘wrong’.  A person - truly apolitical, completely dedicated to all close to her heart, THE woman behind the success of all the three Men in her life, and still standing proudly as an individual - with no highlighted achievements to her credit.  All who know her, are still unable to comprehend her ability to squeeze in the work of four days into one. Her persona exudes a certain kind of energy rarely found!

As a universally acclaimed animal lover, she devotes herself to numerous Dogs at home and the Horses in the stables. Yet, she manages to do justice to the multifarious roles she plays in her life. Being herself empowered, Suneeti Singh has always stood for Women Empowerment, and has rightly regarded it as the true essence of a woman’s being. It has been her main focus through the years. She has relentlessly advocated Education, Health Care and done all she could for them who could manage to reach out to her.

The Islands and the Islanders do have a special place in her heart. During her visits to Andamans, she has been visiting various social welfare institutions like the Working Women’s Hostels, Orphanages/Homes and has inspired many initiatives.

It was at her behest that a lot of activities were introduced at the Balika Niketan, a home for orphan and destitute girls. With the desire to make available a window to the world, she has got them introduced to yoga, classical music and dance, development of communication skills, art and craft. Talking to her, clearly reflects the pain she feels for all that needs to be done.

Various new facilities were added in the Old Age Home and the Working Women’s Hostel following her visits.

A unique initiative, exemplifying the largesse of her heart, was the introduction of regular visits by school children to the Raj Niwas providing them a unique opportunity for this kind of interface.

Details

Denis Giles

08 July 2014

Hits: 1565

By Rasheed Yusoof

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”. 

“With great power comes, great responsibility”; but there are only a few who manage to live upto it. The new buzz in the islands is about our Hon’ble Lt. Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM. You must have seen him cycling, taking a walk or might be around you and you wouldn’t have even realized. Yes, he is just one of us, who thinks and understands the problems of the common man. From what we have seen and heard until now, our new Hon’ble Lt. Governor is a responsible leader for the masses, which becomes possible through effective Administration.

We have seen him interacting and discussing problems right from the young to the elderly. What we see here is democratic or in other words participative leadership, which was practiced by some of the great leaders of their time like Mahatma Gandhi. Our Hon’ble Lt. Governor takes suggestions & advices from all sections of the society and then acts upon it.

The logical and practical approach towards problem solving, and the apparent endeavour to make the islands a better place to live, has created a positive wave in the islands, and hence a sense of security and comfort among the Islanders. The Islanders have started envisioning the long awaited development of the Islands, and trust that Their new Leader is the gift of Their long awaited prayers. The Lt. Governor has a very strong Positive and ‘Never Give Up’ Attitude and  His warmth, approachable attitude, personal visits and time bound problem solving acumen reflects his interest for the Rise of the Islands. Moreover, he has been able to identify the key areas where he wants to focus on, namely Education, Health, Fisheries and Tourism, which are truly also the need of the hour.

Andaman having been bestowed with all natural beauty needs to be showcased on the global map, and only with a visionary like our current Hon’ble Lt. Governor, this dream is possible. Our Hopes are high and fingers crossed and the goal is common to make the islands a part of the global economy and have world-class infrastructure. In this day and age, it’s a boon for the society to be led by a true leader motivated both socially and morally for unparalleled public service.

It feels great to have a Lt. Governor who is kind, encouraging and strives for development of the islands in all fields. His valuable guidance, inspiring words and above all, his encompassing physical presence amidst us itself shows his greatness. We will always remain grateful to you, Honorable Sir!

We look forward for bright and prosperous future  under your Strong & Positive leadership as the Administrator of A & N Islands.