From the vast meticulously maintained archives of the City Palace, Udaipur, are presented glimpses from the life and times of Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, 76th Custodian of the House of Mewar. Shriji passed away on 16 March 2025, aged 81, having spent 40 long years in positioning the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan and India on the world map of heritage tourism, hospitality, education, sports and spirituality.

Here is how the global and India media covered his era: “Perhaps the most successful hotelier is Udaipur’s Arvind Singh whose chain of nine inns grossed $8.5 million last year,” profiled Time (11 August 1997) in its edition ‘India 50 Years of Independence’. “He recalls how his family opposed his father’s decision to convert one of the Udaipur palaces into the ethereal Lake Palace Hotel in 1962. Now Singh knows better. ‘Our generation has no excuses for not getting ahead,’ he says. ‘How much of a head start do you want? We had assets, good education, and contacts. What was lacking was the ability to manage money. It was like sitting on a gold mine with a begging bowl.’ ” Time magazine’s feature was titled, ‘The Royals’ Blues’. “Arvind Singh, scion of the 1,400-year-old Udaipur dynasty has replaced the scepter with the computer to run his hotel empire.”

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“The Maharana (a unique title, more senior than a Maharajah) has a reputation for not standing on ceremony,” reported Country Life (24 February 2000), “however when he does arrive, his bearing and his presence betray his status. He is attired entirely in white with a beret perched on his head, and the simplicity of his appearance contrasts with the opulence of his private rooms… There are numerous portraits of his forebears and signed photographs from the British royal family… The 56-year-old Maharana is a modern champion of his heritage…he is still the focal point of this charming city and its palace complex, a series of different palaces built at different times. ‘We are developing every facility,’ he explains in his deep mellifluous tones.

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This includes the commercial and non-commercial aspects as well as the religious and non-religious charities that are run by the Mewar foundation.” The Country Life feature carried an evocative title, ‘The very model of a modern Maharana.’ “ ‘So one is no longer a sovereign ~ so what?’ fifty-two year-old Arvind Singh Mewar says in impeccable English,” wrote Architectural Digest (January 1997) in a feature titled,........

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