Sobha Singh | |
|---|---|
| Member of Council of States | |
| Nominated by | Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow |
| Swatantra Party Chairman, Delhi Unit | |
| Preceded by | Sardar Bahadur Lal Singh |
| Succeeded by | Dr. Hans Raj Pasricha |
| Nominated by | Minoo Masani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1888 Hadali, Khushab, Sargodha, British Raj (now Pakistan) |
| Died | 18 April 1978 (aged 90) New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Nationality | British Indian (1888-1947) Indian (1947-1978) |
| Political party | Swatantra Party |
| Relations | Sardar Inder Singh (grandfather) Sujan Singh Hadaliwale (father) Lakshmi Devi (mother) Sardar Ujjal Singh (brother) Lady Sobha Singh (spouse) Sir Teja Singh Malik (brother-in-law) Bhagwant Singh (son) Khushwant Singh (son) Brigadier Gurbux Singh (son) Daljit Singh (son) Mohinder Kaur (daughter) Rukhsana Sultana (relative) |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Building most of Lutyens' Delhi |
| Awards | Order of the British Empire Sardar Bahadur Knighthood |
Honorary Magistrate, Sardar Bahadur, Sir Sobha Singh Kt, O.B.E., M.L.C., M.P. (March 5, 1888 – 18 April 1978) was an Indian civil contractor, prominent builder and real estate developer of the modern day Delhi.[1]
Not only a builder, but he was also a subordinate architect and part of the Council of States laying the foundation of development schemes across cities and running various businesses.[1] He came to be described as "Adhi Dilli ka Malik" (the owner of half of Delhi) as he virtually owned half of Lutyens' Delhi.[1] He played the largest part in early industrial construction in Delhi in the 1920s and 1930s along with being a main participant in the Westernization and modernist collective Indian identity.[1] He was a proficient real estate developer and a Sikh business icon.[1]
He also became the first Indian president of the New Delhi Municipal Council and held the post four times, in 1938, 1942, and 1945-46.[2] Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) in the 1938 Birthday Honours, he was subsequently appointed a member of the Council of States.[3] He was knighted in the 1944 Birthday Honours. He also built Sujan Singh Park, named after his father, New Delhi's first apartment complex, which only had bungalows till then, in 1945, designed by Walter Sykes George.[4] He became a member of the Central Legislative Assembly, but opposed and desisted from any sort of politics.
- ^ a b c d e "SOBHA SINGH, SIR - The Sikh Encyclopedia". 19 December 2000. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Ex-Presidents New Delhi Municipal Council.
- ^ "No. 34518". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1938. p. 3703.
- ^ "No. 36544". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1944. p. 2566.