Sobha Singh (builder)
Indian contractor and real estate developer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sardar Bahadur, Sir Sobha Singh CBE (1888 – 18 April 1978) was an Indian civil contractor, prominent builder and real estate developer of the modern day Delhi.[1]
Sobha Singh | |
---|---|
Born | 1888 |
Died | 18 April 1978 |
Nationality | British Indian (1888-1947) Indian (1947-1978) |
Occupation(s) | Contractor, real estate developer |
Organization(s) | Council of States New Delhi Municipal Council |
Known for | Building most of Lutyens' Delhi. |
Relatives | Sardar Inder Singh (grandfather) Sardar Sujan Singh (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) |
Honours | Order of the British Empire Sardar Bahadur |
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.[2] He came to be described as "Adhi Dilli ka Malik" (the owner of half of Delhi) as he virtually owned half of Lutyens' Delhi.[2][3] 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.[3] He was a proficient developer and a Sikh business icon.[3]
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.[4] Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1938 Birthday Honours, he was subsequently appointed a member of the Council of State[5] He was knighted in the 1944 Birthday Honours.[6] 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.[7] He became a member of the Central Legislative Assembly, but opposed and desisted from any sort of politics.