Venkatapathy Raju

Personal information
Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling style	Slow left-arm orthodox
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	ODIs
Matches	28	53
Runs scored	240	32
Batting average	10.00	4.00
100s/50s	–/–	–/–
Top score	31	8
Balls bowled	7602	2770
Wickets	93	63
Bowling average	30.72	31.96
5 wickets in innings	5	–
10 wickets in match	1	n/a
Best bowling	6/12	4/46
Catches/stumpings	6/–	8/–
Source: [1], 4 February 2006

Venkatapathy Raju (born 9 July 1969) is a former Indian cricketer. He came into the Indian side in 1989–90 after capturing 32 wickets in the domestic season. He made his Test and One Day International debut in the tour of New Zealand. When sent in as a night-watchman in his first Test innings, he batted for more than two hours for 31 runs while six wickets fell at the other end. He was part of the Indian team in England in 1990, but the knuckle of his left hand was broken by Courtney Walsh in the match against Gloucestershire which ended his tour.

Back home in India, he helped India win the one-off Test against Sri Lanka in the only Test match played at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh. Raju was a last minute selection on a wicket that afforded turn and kept low. On the second day, he ran through the Lankan middle order with a spell for 5 wickets for two runs in 39 balls. He took one more wicket on the next day to finish with 6 for 12 in 17.5 overs, four of the batsmen failed to score. His match figures of 8 for 37 in 53 overs won him the only man of the match award of his international career.^[1]

He last played a Test match against Australia in Chennai, where he captured the wicket of Mark Waugh. Anil Kumble, on the eve of his 100th Test remarked that Raju was the best Indian spinner among his contemporaries.^{[citation needed]}

He continued playing for Hyderabad for many years, making the final of the 1999–2000 Ranji Trophy. He retired from first-class cricket in December 2004, after a domestic match against Uttar Pradesh.

Early life[link]

Venkatapathy Raju grew up in Hyderabad and attended a catholic convent boys school All Saints High School in Hyderabad. Indian cricketers such as Azharuddin and Noel David have also attended the same school.

Present role[link]

Raju is currently the selector for Indian Cricket Team from south zone. Left arm orthodox spinner Pragyan Ojha claimed in an interview that it was Raju that inspired him to play for India.^[2]

References[link]

1. ^ Wisden reports of Sri Lanka's tour of India, 1990-91
2. ^ Raju inspires Pragyan Ojha

External links[link]

• Interview of Venkatapathy Raju in CricketFundas.com
• Muscles of Might

v t e India squad – 1992 Cricket World Cup 1 Azharuddin (c) 2 Kapil Dev 3 Srikkanth 4 Shastri 5 Manjrekar 6 Tendulkar 7 Jadeja 8 Kambli 9 Amre 10 Prabhakar 11 Srinath 12 More (wk) 13 Raju 14 Banerjee

v t e India squad – 1996 Cricket World Cup Semi-Finalists 1 Azharuddin (c) 2 Tendulkar 3 Jadeja 4 Sidhu 5 Kambli 6 Manjrekar 7 Mongia (wk) 8 Srinath 9 Prasad 10 Kumble 11 Prabhakar 12 Raju 13 Ankola 14 Kapoor Coach: Wadekar (Coach cum Manager)

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Raju Srivastav (Hindi: राजू श्रीवास्तव ; born Dev Srivastava on December 25, 1963) often credited as Raju Shrivastav or Raju Srivastava, is an Indian comedian, and more popularly, an observational comedian. He is known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various aspects of Indian life.

Early life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Raju Srivastava was born on 25 December 1963, in Kanpur, India. His father is poet Rameshchandra Srivastava, otherwise known as Balai Kaka. Balai Kaka had his base in village Magrair, Unnao before he shifted to Kanpur.

Being a good mimic, Srivastava pursued the dream of becoming a comedian since childhood. In his school time he used to imitate his teachers. He gained initial stardom as an Amitabh Bachchan impressionist. He landed in Mumbai, and started doing live stage shows with the renowned Orchestra 'Melody Makers' before getting a break in the film industry where he did a small role in the superhit Rajshri movie Maine Pyar Kiya. He did many other small roles in a number of movies. Srivastava was a participant on Bigg Boss (Season 3).

He has two children, Antra and Aayushmaan, by his wife, Shikha.

Career[link]

Srivastav has done stage shows in India and abroad.

His big break, however, was the comedy talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. He finished as second runner-up and then took part in the spin-off, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions, in which he won the title of “The King of Comedy”. He was noticed by many filmmakers and got regular assignments in movies with bigger roles. Srivastav is considered as one the best comedians in India.

Srivastav received threatening calls from Pakistan warning him not to crack jokes on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan during his shows in Mumbai. The police had tightened security around him.^[1]

He has also recently participated in the comedy show "Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla".

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Television[link]

• The Great Indian Laughter Challenge
• Bigg Boss
• Shaktiman
• Tea Time Manoranjan
• Masti TV
• Raju Hazir Ho
• Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala
• Comedy Circus
• Dekh Bhai Dekh (Cameo Role)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Fansite
• Raju Srivastav on IMDb

[[Category:In5265

Hira Singh
Born	18 December 1843
Died	24 December 1911 (age 68)

Sir Hira Singh (18 December 1843 – 24 December 1911) was the ruler of Nabha State, one of the Phulkian states in the Punjab.^[1]

Early life[link]

Hira Singh was born at Badrukhan, Jind, on 18 December 1843, the second son of Sardar Sukha Singh (died 1852), from a distant branch of the royal Sikh Phulkian dynasty of Patiala, Jind and Nabha. Little is known about his early life.

The throne of Nabha[link]

In 1871, the line of the Phulkian dynasty which had ruled Nabha, a small 11-gun state, since 1718 became extinct upon the death from tuberculosis of the young Raja, Bhagwan Singh (1842–1871). The remaining two lines of the dynasty-the rulers of Patiala and Jind-in conjunction with the British government fixed upon Hira Singh as the successor to the Nabha gadi. Hira Singh ascended the throne of Nabha on 9 June 1871 and began a long and successful reign that would usher Nabha into the modern era. Great monuments and public buildings were erected, roads, railways, hospitals, schools and palaces were constructed and an efficient modern army was established that saw service during the Second Afghan War and the Tirah Expedition. As well, agriculture flourished with the construction of an irrigation canal at Sirhind, and Nabha soon produced bountiful harvests of wheat, sugar, pulses, millet and cotton, thus enabling the state to increase the value of its land revenue assessments.

As a result of Hira Singh's improvements, in 1877 Nabha was raised to a salute of 13-guns and Hira Singh himself was decorated with the Kaiser-i-Hind gold medal and knighted two years later with the GCSI.

Later years[link]

Photograph of Sir Hira Singh, the Raja of Nabha, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1890s.

In 1894, Hira Singh was granted the title of Raja-i-Rajagan and in 1898 was granted a 15-gun personal salute. He was appointed a GCIE in 1903 and the following year was made a Colonel of the 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs in the British Indian Army. Only a fortnight before his death, Hira Singh was raised to the rank of Maharaja of Nabha. Hira Singh died at the Hira Mahal on Christmas Eve 1911, aged 68 after a four-decade reign. He was succeeded by his only son, Ripudaman Singh.

Family[link]

Hira Singh married four times and had two children, a son and a daughter

• 1. Her Highness Karangarhwalia Maharani Sahib; married in 1858. No issue.
• 2. Aonanliwali Rani Sahiba; no issue.
• 3. Her Highness Longwalia Maharani Sri Jasmir Kaur Sahiba (d 1921). Married in 1880 and had one son and one daughter:
  • Sri Tikka Sahib Ripaduman Singh, who succeeded to the Nabha throne as Maharaja Ripudaman Singh (1883–1942); r. 1911-1928.
  • Sidh Sri Nabhawala Maharani Ripudaman Devi Sahiba (1881–1911); married Maharaja Ram Singh of Dholpur
• 4. unknown wife; no issue

Titles[link]

• 1843-1871: Sardar Sri Hira Singh
• 1871-1877: His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja Sri Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha
• 1877-1879: His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja Sri Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha, KIH
• 1879-1894: His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja Sri Sir Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha, GCSI, KIH
• 1894-1903: His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja-i-Rajagan, Raja Sri Sir Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha, GCSI, KIH
• 1903-1904: His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja-i-Rajagan, Raja Sri Sir Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha, GCSI, GCIE, KIH
• 1904-1911: Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja-i-Rajagan, Raja Sri Sir Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Raja of Nabha, GCSI, GCIE, KIH
• 1911: Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Arjumand, Aqidat-Paiwand-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Barar Bans Sarmur, Raja-i-Rajagan, Maharaja Sri Sir Hira Singh Malvendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Nabha, GCSI, GCIE, KIH

Honours[link]

• Prince of Wales gold medal-1876
• Kaiser-i-Hind medal (KIH)-1877
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1879
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1903
• Delhi Durbar gold medal-1903
• Delhi Durbar gold medal-1911

References[link]