Soldier, Sportsman, Statesman, Social Reformer – Nationalist before there was a Nation, Gandhian before Gandhi – Prince, Prime Minister, Paladin – Sir Pratap Singh (1845-1922), Musahib Ala of Marwar, Regent of Jodhpur, Maharaja of Idar, Knight of the Empire, Pillar of the Arya Samaj, Jodhpur Lancer, Designer of the Jodhpur Breeches, Pig-Sticker Extraordinaire, Father of Indian Polo – simply Sarkar in Marwar, and Sir P beyond – was a man of many parts.

Sir P’s great-great grandson looks back on this remarkable figure, his extraordinary career and eventful life, in his Death Centenary Year. A surprisingly relevant history lesson culled largely from the family archive and library.

A warm tale of an informally educated, but profoundly enlightened man. With an uncomplicated understanding of life, together with a rare zest for it, making the most of the interesting times he found himself in…

In the Age, and adorning a facet of Modern Indian History too long ignored; indeed, scorned in our insecure, narrow-minded and short-sighted times. The relationship between India’s Princes and the British Raj may have been complicated, unequal, often uncomfortable, sometimes humiliating – but it was also a wonderful, nuanced, multi-dimensional, subtle and mutually-productive partnership in so many other ways.

Best of all exemplified by Sir Pratap; who – despite being described as a “beau ideal” of Empire – an icon of the Raj – personally anticipated, activated and assisted several incipient National Movements – Samaj to Swadeshi to Swabhasha to Sena to Sport – long before Gandhiji returned to India.