New Delhi: Arvind Singh Mewar, the distinguished chairman of the HRH group of hotels and a descendant of the legendary Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap, passed away early Sunday in Udaipur at the age of 81. He succumbed to a prolonged illness while under medical care at his residence in the City Palace.Mewar, a prominent figure in Udaipur’s erstwhile royal family, leaves behind his wife Vijayraj Kumari, son Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, and daughters Bhargavi Kumari Mewar and Padmaja Kumari Parmar. He was the younger son of Bhagwant Singh Mewar and Sushila Kumari, and his elder brother, Mahendra Singh Mewar, had predeceased him in November last year. In a mark of respect, the mortal remains of Arvind Singh Mewar will be kept at the City Palace from 7 am on Monday for the public to pay their last respects. This will be followed by a funeral procession starting from Shambhu Palace and moving through prominent local landmarks including Badi Pol, Jagdish Chowk, Ghantaghar, Bada Bazaar, and Delhi Gate, before reaching Mahasatiya. In observance of the event, the Udaipur City Palace will remain closed for tourists on Sunday and Monday. Arvind Singh Mewar’s illustrious career spanned multiple fields. After completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature, economics, and political science at Maharana Bhupal College, and receiving his early education at Mayo College in Ajmer, he pursued hotel management courses in the UK and US. His international training paved the way for a successful career in hospitality, notably during his years in Chicago, before he established the HRH group of hotels as a professionally managed enterprise. Beyond hospitality, Mewar was a passionate sportsman. A keen polo player in the 1970s, he founded the ‘Udaipur Cup’ at the Cambridge and Newmarket Polo Club in the UK and played an instrumental role in forming the Mewar Polo team, which won the prestigious President’s Cup in 1991. He also had an active cricket career, debuting as Rajasthan’s skipper in the Ranji Trophy in 1945-46 and playing for nearly two decades, and was an aviation enthusiast known for his solo microlite flights across India. Mewar’s contributions to hospitality and tourism were recognised with numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th Annual Readers’ Travel Awards by Conde Nast Traveller in 2015, the VIII Annual Gala WT Institution Award for ‘Contribution to Universal Culture’ at the UN headquarters in 2012, and the ‘Royal of the Year’ award by Hello Magazine in 2011. He also served as the chairman and managing trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur, and led several other trusts dedicated to cultural and philanthropic endeavours.
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