Maharana Pratap's Descendant, Arvind Singh Mewar Dies

Arvind Singh Mewar, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Mewar and the chairman of the HRH group of hotels died early Sunday in Udaipur after prolonged illness, family sources said.

Mewar (81), a descendant of Rajput king Maharana Pratap, was ill for a long time and under treatment at his residence in City Palace in Udaipur. He is survived by his wife Vijayraj Kumari, son Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, and daughters Bhargavi Kumari Mewar and Padmaja Kumari Parmar.

The funeral will take place on Monday. As a mark of respect, the Udaipur City Palace will be closed to tourists on Sunday and Monday.

Arvind Singh was the younger son of Bhagwant Singh Mewar and Sushila Kumari. His elder brother Mahendra Singh Mewar died in November last year. Arvind Mewar was educated at the prestigious Mayo College, Ajmer and pursued hotel management courses in the UK and US. He received training in various international hotels.

He lived and worked in Chicago for many years before building the HRH group of hotels as a professionally-managed corporate organisation. An avid cricketer, Mewar made his debut in Ranji Trophy as Rajasthan's skipper in 1945-46 and had an eventful career for almost two decades.

He was also a polo player in the 1970s before he gave up the sport due to medical reasons.

To showcase his commitment to professional polo in the UK, he instituted 'The Udaipur Cup' at the Cambridge and Newmarket Polo Club. In Udaipur, Mewar Polo was formed as a polo team with professional players who had been handpicked and specially trained for Indian tournaments. The Mewar Polo team lifted the prestigious President's Cup defeating the 61st Cavalry players in 1991.

Mewar was also an avid pilot and has done solo flights across India in a Microlite aircraft. He was the Chairman and Managing Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur. He also headed other trusts.