Raj Kumari Nikhanj is an Indian woman best known as the mother of legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev.
Wiki/Biography
Raj Kumari Nikhanj was born in 1924 in Pakpattan (the town of Sufi saint Baba Farid) in Punjab, Pakistan, as Raj Kumari Lajwanti (aged 85 years; time of death). After the partition of India, Raj Kumari moved with his husband and four daughters to Fazilka in the Indian state of Punjab. She stayed there for a few years and eventually moved to Chandigarh with her family.
appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
Not much is known about her parents.
husband and children
Raj Kumari’s husband Ram Lal Nikhanj is a teak trader. The couple had seven children; three sons and four daughters. Her daughters Naresh, Manju, Neeru and Pinky Gill were born in Shah Yakka, Okara, Punjab, Pakistan. Her two sons, Ramesh Kumar Nikhanj and Bhushan Nikhanj, were born in Fazilka, Punjab, where Raj Kumari and her husband lived soon after the partition of India. Her youngest son Kapil Dev is a legendary Indian cricketer who was born in Chandigarh. After her husband’s death in 1975, Raj Kumari raised seven children alone.
Raj Kumari Nikhanj with her husband and son Kapil Dev
Raj Kumari Nikhanj’s son Kapil Dev and one of her daughters
Raj Kumari Nikhanj and her family
grandson
Raj Kumari Nikhanj is the grandmother of Amiya Dev (daughter of Kapil Dev) and was born on January 16, 1996.
Amiya Dev, granddaughter of Raj Kumari Nikhanj
Profession
Raj Kumari Nikhanj is a housewife.
die
Raj Kumari Nikhanj passed away at around 5 am on June 14, 2009, at his residence in Sector 27, Chandigarh. Apparently, she had been suffering from health issues for a long time. Her last rites were performed at Sector 25 Crematorium at around 5 pm that day. Her funeral was attended by close relatives and friends. Kapil Dev’s close friend Rakesh Jolly (former Haryana cricketer) and his former coach Dronacharya Desh Prem Azad were also present at her final ceremony.
Last rites of Raj Kumari Nikhanj
Facts/Trivia
- Raj Kumari is passionate about cooking.
- Raj Kumari Nikhanj is the biggest source of inspiration in Kapil Dev’s life.
- She once affectionately called Kapil “Cuckoo”.
- Kapil described his mother as a “pillar of strength” in his life in his autobiography, Straight from the Heart. He even mentioned that she was a major influence in shaping him during his formative years and shaping his career. Kapil wrote of his mother in his autobiography:
Mom is precious to all of us. I look forward to her love and guidance. She was the greatest cook on earth and I have great memories of how she would serve me hot, fresh food. She was my rising force as a teenager and I wanted to bowl fast for India. “
Raj Kumari Nikhanj attended Kapil Dev’s book launch
- At the time of her death, one of her relatives recalled that on June 25, 1983, when India won the World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev, Raj Kumari addressed him Laddoos were distributed among all the friends and well-wishers.
- In an interview, while talking about Raj Kumari, Kapil’s coach Dronacharya Desh Prem Azad, who is very close to the family, said :
Kapil is the apple of his mother’s eye. I remember in Kapil’s early days of playing cricket, she would insist that he drink buttermilk. Likewise, Kapil is also a doting son and is very close to her. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education