A Life Sketch of Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak

Gulchain Singh Charak was a reputed Dogra leader, politician, social worker, philanthropist and above all a good and gentle human being who was always fighting for the cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in general and Dogra community in particular. He was a former minister and president of Dogra Sadhar Sabha and throughout his long life he worked for the Dogra and Dogra cause and he was proud of belonging to Dogra community and served the community till his last breath. Charak, was associated with the Congress party for a long time and was a cabinet minister in the Congress-PDP coalition headed by G.N Azad. Charak Sahib was a household name in the Jammu region and he was a respectable leader and politician and his honesty, selfless service and contribution to society cannot be exaggerated. He always cared and fought for the rights of the poor people and Dogra community. 

Gulchain Charak was the chairman of Dogra Group of Educational Institutions such as Dogra Bed Collage, Dogra Law collage and he always strived for the educational excellence of the students and promoted social and moral values. Honesty, was the characteristic feature of his personality. He, was held in high esteem by the people of all walks. Charak was the MLA from Bishna constituency and strived a lot for the welfare of his constituency. Charak hailed from Samba district of Jammu and started his political innings from Congress party. Charak was also member of CWC and was also in charge of various states. Charak, was associated with Congress for a long time. As a minister in J&K government, he held the portfolio of PWD, Higher Education and ARI &Trainings. He also served as the leader of upper house in J&K.  He was the darling of Dogra community. Charak spearheaded the struggle/campaign for preservation of the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex Charak was a senior political leader known for his long association with the Congress. He was a Veteran politician of Jammu and Kashmir and his contribution to the welfare of Jammu region is great and cannot be overlooked. Charak was honest to the core and was a true patriot and son of the soil who throughout his life and political career worked for the betterment of the people in general and Jammuties in particular. 

He was a person who led Rajput Sabha and brought Rajput communities together from other religions too to the Sabha’s fold. He served in various position in Dogra Sadhar Sabha. Charak was one of the great leaders of the Rajput community who with his sheer hard work, vision and dedication rose to great heights in personal and social life. He was a great personality of Jammu and Kashmir and was the firm believer in secularism and communal harmony. He, had passed B.A from Jammu university and Bed from the same university. Charak, was born at Bishna Jammu and his father’s name is Late.Sh.Maluk Singh. He passed Bed in 1966 from Jammu university. He was born in 1942 in a martial Kshatriya Charak clan of Jammu. Charak belonged to a reputed Rajput family which was deeply associated with the social and community life and he had acquired the qualities of social service from his community. Gulchin singh Charak passed away on October 17,2025 Friday after a prolonged illness at the age of 83 years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters and their families. His death was widely mourned and condoled by political leaders, religious leaders and the Dogra community. He hailed from a family with a long tradition of service to the nation -his father, Thakur Maluk Singh Charak, had a distinguished career in the Indian Army. From his school days, he displayed  secular outlook, deep rooted belief in communal harmony ,brotherhood ,and compassion for the underprivileged. From his student life when he was a student leader, he often represented the genuine aspirations of the students before the authorities. He excelled in sports and NCC and he got recognition for his deep interest in sports and NCC. Punctuality, discipline and selfless service were the distinguished characteristics of his personality.

He was a staunch patriot and nationalist and was courageous and he has once captured a Pakistani paratrooper unarmed which exhibited his quality of courage. He was a good and able administrator. His, innovation and dynamism are well known. He at times worked round the clock and toiled a lot for the welfare of the downtrodden and underprivileged classes. The death of Gulchain Singh Charak was mourned by chief minister Omar Abdullah, Former chief ministers Dr. Farooq Abdullah and G.N.Azad. His death is a big loss to Jammu and Kashmir as the people have lost a great leader who was always trying to help the people. His demise was widely mourned in the political, social and religious circles of the society in Jammu and Kashmir. In brief his death is an irreparable loss which is hard to fill. The people of Jammu and Kashmir will remember this man of principles and an honest leader for many years. May God grant him place in the heaven.

(Author: Vivek Koul, Owner of this blogger site)