Rao Raja Hanut Singh was an Indian polo player and the former British soldier. He was also an eminent polo player.

Early Life of Rao Raja Hanut Singh
Rao Raja Hanut Singh, born on 20th March in the year 1900 was a British Indian Army soldier and polo player. Rao Raja Hanut Singh was the third son of Sir Pratap Singh of Idar.

Early Career of Rao Raja Hanut Singh
Rao Raja Hanut Singh was educated at Mayo College in Ajmer, Rajasthan and at Eastbourne College in Sussex, as well as at L`Ecole de Cavalerie in France. Rao Raja Hanut Singh served as a Page of Honour to George V at the 1911 Delhi Durbar. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Jodhpur State Forces in the year 1914 and commissioned a temporary Honorary Second Lieutenant in the British Army in July 1916.

Rao Raja Hanut Singh in First World War
During the First World War, Rao Raja Hanut Singh served with his father, who was one of the seven commanding officers of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade that was formed from the Imperial Service Troops provided by various Indian Princely States to aid the British Empire during wartime. Rao Raja Hanut Singh served in France, Palestine and Syria and was a part of the Jodhpur Lancers. He was present at the taking of Haifa and at the fall of Aleppo in 1918. He served in the Egyptian Rebellion of 1919 and was appointed to an honorary Captaincy in the British Army in 1921.

Rao Raja Hanut Singh in different royal position
Until his father, Sir Pratap Singh`s death in 1922, Hanut Singh served as his Private Secretary. From the year 1923 to 1925, Rao Raja Hanut Singh served as Comptroller of the Royal Household of Jodhpur, then as Officer of the Royal Stables until 1933, when he was promoted to Comptroller of the Royal Stables. In 1934, Rao Raja Hanut Singh was promoted to the rank of Major in the Jodhpur State Forces. He was awarded the title of Rao Bahadur in the year 1937. In 1941, Rao Raja Hanut Singh was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and became the Military Secretary for Jodhpur, serving until 1948. Hanut Singh was promoted to Colonel in 1946 and to Brigadier General in the year 1947.

Sports Career of Rao Raja Hanut Singh
Rao Raja Hanut Singh was an outstanding polo player. He played and won many games for Jodhpur. Later he fielded his own team, Ratanada, with two of his sons, Rao Raja Bijai Singh and Rao Raja Hari Singh. Team Ratanada, won almost every tournament in India for many years. They were finally beaten in the sixties by the Indian Army; the victorious quartet led by another Jodhpur player, Colonel Thakur Kishen Singh.

Rao Raja Hanut Singh in Indian Services
From 1949 to 1951, Rao Raja Hanut Singh served as the Minister for Health, Medical and Jails Departments for Rajasthan. In the year 1958, Rao Raja Hanut Singh was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award for his achievements and contributions to the game of polo, also receiving the prestigious Arjuna Award in the year 1964.

Personal Life of Rao Raja Hanut Singh
Rao Raja Hanut Singh married twice. His first wife was Rani Sirey Kanwar. She was the daughter of HH Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur.

Rao Raja Hanut Singh died at Jodhpur on 12th October 1982 at the very ripe age of 82. He was survived by his three sons.