Sobha Singh (builder)
Magistrate, MP, Sardar Bahadur, Sir Sobha Singh, OBE (1890 – 18 April 1978) was an Indian civil contractor, prominent builder and real estate developer of the modern day Delhi.
Sardar Bahadur, Sir Sobha Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1888 |
| Died | 18 April 1978 |
| Nationality | British Indian, Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Contractor, real estate developer |
| Organization(s) | Council of States New Delhi Municipal Council |
| Known for | Building most of Lutyens' Delhi. |
| Title | Sardar Bahadur, Sir. |
| 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) Amrita Singh (relative) |
| Honours | Order of the British Empire |
Not only a builder, but he was also a subordinate architect and the first Indian President of the New Delhi Municipal Council and was a part of the Council of States laying the foundation of development schemes in Lyallpur, Kalka, Kasauli, Nagpur and most of all Delhi. He came to be described as "Adhi Dilli ka Malik" (the God of half of Delhi) as he virtually owned half of Lutyens' Delhi. 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. He was a proficient developer and a Sikh business icon.