Udaipur bids farewell to Arvind Singh Mewar, descendant of Maharana Pratap

Arvind Singh Mewar, a descendant of Maharana Pratap, passed away early Sunday in Udaipur after a prolonged illness. His funeral will take place on Monday, and the City Palace, his residence, will remain closed to tourists for the day.

He is survived by his wife, Vijayraj Kumari, son Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, and daughters Bhargavi Kumari Mewar and Padmaja Kumari Parmar. As a member of the erstwhile royal family of Mewar, he also served as chairman of the HRH Group of Hotels.

Born to Bhagwant Singh Mewar and Sushila Kumari, Arvind Singh was the younger son in the family. His elder brother, Mahendra Singh Mewar, passed away in November last year. He studied at Mayo College in Ajmer before pursuing hotel management courses in the UK and the US. After training with international hotels, he lived and worked in Chicago for several years before transforming HRH Group of Hotels into a professional corporate organization.

Beyond business, he had a strong passion for sports. In 1945-46, he captained Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and played cricket for two decades. In the 1970s, he took up polo but had to quit due to medical reasons. To support the sport, he founded The Udaipur Cup at the Cambridge and Newmarket Polo Club. His commitment to polo continued with the formation of Mewar Polo, a team of professional players. The team won the prestigious President’s Cup in 1991.

Arvind Singh also held a pilot’s license and completed solo flights across India in a microlight aircraft. His diverse interests and contributions left a lasting impact on multiple fields.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma praised him for preserving Mewar’s rich heritage. Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje acknowledged his efforts in boosting Udaipur’s tourism industry and said his contributions would always be remembered.