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3 min readPatnaMay 9, 2026 06:38 AM IST
T P Singh (left) was one of the patrons of KSG Son; the new rose variety (right) will be part of its 2027-28 catalogue. (Express photos)
INDIA’S FIRST full-time secretary of Planning Commission and 1936-batch ICS officer Tribhuvan Prasad Singh, better known as TP Singh, has a new variety of rose named after him.
“Tribhuvan”, as it is called, has been developed by South Asia’s leading nursery and rose breeder, K S Gopalaswamiengar Son, popularly known as KSG Son, at Chamarajpet, Bengaluru, over four and a half years. Though named in 2025, the rose would be part of KSG roses catalogue 2027-28, and available for sale and exhibition only in 2027.
T P Singh (1913-1975), who later served as the country’s finance and agriculture secretary, is often recalled as one of leading policymakers post Independence.
KSG Son chief executive officer Sarvesh Sarvesh Sriram told The Indian Express: “We decided to name a rose variety after T P Singh to honour his invaluable contribution to the formation of the country’s policies in its nascent years since Independence as secretary with Planning Commission and later finance and agriculture secretary. Second, he and his family have been big promoters of a great variety of roses for the last five decades. TP Singh was also among one of our patrons.”
Sriram said they chose to develop a hybrid of ‘Black Prince and Corrida’ to be named after TP Singh as he had great admiration for roses of deep crimson colour.
“Tribhuvan is a prized possession of our garden at present. Its classic high-centred form and exhibition-grade character make it a rose of distinction. The rich tradition of rose breeding started gaining national and international fame from the days of my grandfather G Kasturirangan and carried on to my father K Sriram (current proprietor) and me now,” said its CEO.
KSG Son was founded in 1925-26. It is known for maintaining one of South Asia’s largest collections of garden roses, boasting over 4,500 varieties. They have cataloged over 2,000 varieties of roses, supplied many of them to the Rashtrapati Bhavan Gardens and created green spaces for the Indian Railways.
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TP Singh’s son and 15th Finance Commission chairman and ex-MP N K Singh said: “As I commemorate my father on his birthday (May 9), KSG Son honouring my father through a rose is to honour more than an administrator and policymaker. It is also to remember a man who rose from modest beginnings to great national responsibility. ‘Tribhuvan’ is therefore not merely a new rose variety, but a living remembrance of a public servant of distinction and a rosarian of great refinement.”
Recalling his father’s passion for gardening, Singh said: “His interest in roses gradually deepened into the work of a serious rosarian. At our family’s Sheikhpura residence in Patna, he maintained a remarkable garden with more than two thousand rose plants, each carefully labelled with its pedigree and characteristics. This was not the casual enthusiasm of a hobbyist. It reflected patience, study and sustained care.”
He said his father would personally take visitors through the garden, explaining the varieties, their biology and their genetic significance.
“It is therefore especially appropriate that ‘Tribhuvan’ should be associated with Patna. Patna was not merely a place where he lived and served. It was where his passion for roses found its fullest expression,” said Singh.
Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
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