Hanut Singh

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Rao Raja Hanut Singh (1900–1982) was a British Indian Army officer and a famous polo player from Jodhpur.

Born on 20 March 1900 in Jodhpur, he was the third son of Sir Pratap Singh of Idar. He studied at Mayo College in Ajmer, Eastbourne College in Sussex, and the Saumur Cavalry School in France. As a boy, he was a Page of Honour to King George V at the 1911 Delhi Durbar.

Military and royal service
- Joined the Jodhpur State Forces as a Second Lieutenant in 1914 and became a temporary honorary Second Lieutenant in the British Army in 1916.
- Served in World War I with the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade in France, Palestine, and Syria as part of the Jodhpur Lancers. Took part in Haifa and Aleppo in 1918.
- Fought in the Egyptian Rebellion of 1919. In 1921 he received an honorary Captaincy in the British Army.
- Worked as private secretary to his father until 1922. From 1923 to 1925 he was Comptroller of the Royal Household of Jodhpur, then Officer of the Royal Stables, and in 1933 became Comptroller of the Royal Stables.
- Promoted Major in 1934, and awarded the title Rao Bahadur in 1937.
- In 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and served as Military Secretary for Jodhpur until 1948. He rose to Colonel in 1946 and Brigadier in 1947.

Polo and family
- An outstanding polo player, he played for Jodhpur and later formed his own team, Ratanada, with his sons Bijai Singh and Hari Singh. The team won many tournaments in India.
- He married twice. First, Rani Sirey Kanwar of Jaipur, with whom he had four children: Rajkumari Kalyan Kumari, and three sons—Bijai Singh, Hari Singh, and Daljeet Singh. His second wife was Rani Priya Devi of Sirmur, with whom he had one son, Daljeet Singh.

Later life and honors
- From 1949 to 1951 he served as Rajasthan’s Minister for Health, Medical and Jails.
- He received the Padma Bhushan in 1958 for his polo achievements and the Arjuna Award in 1964.

Death
- Hanut Singh died on 12 October 1982 in Jodhpur at the age of 82. He left behind three sons and one daughter.