Marwar's Renaissance Man

"Sir P -- A Hundred Years On" is a book that celebrates the extraordinary but hitherto unsung life of Sir Pratap Singh of Jodhpur (1845-1922).

- PRIYA SAHGAL

Better known as Sir P, he was the third son of Sir Takhat Singh, the then Maharaja of Jodhpur and carved a legacy for himself as an able administrator and an ace reformist, as a keen sportsman and a courageous soldier.

Within the Marwar region, much is known about the legendary Sir P as his life is woven into the region's folklore; and yet little has been written about this modern Rajputana's greatest son. That task was left to his great-great grandson and author, Dhananajaya Singh to pen down his definitive biography. It is a tale well told, woven with rich anecdotes and all the little nuggets that bring to life an entire era. But having read the book, what will stay with you is the author's trademark wry humor and his eye for detail. (The St Stephen's educated Cambridge Graduate, Dhananajaya Singh is also the author of the best-selling "The House of Marwar", which came out in 1994)

The foreword has been written by Gaj Singh II, the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur who notes that Sir P was a "Soldier, statesman, social reformer, sportsman - an administrator in synchrony with both the Arya Samaj and Raj- we have all grown up with Sir P in Jodhpur. We owe him a debt and are still, in many ways, defined by his legacy."