Md Omar Faruq at 17:41, 5 October 2025

2025-10-05T17:41:32Z

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{{Fanpov|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Colonel]]
| name = H. S. Sodhi, VSM
| image = HS Sodhi receiving an award from Pandit Nehru.webp
| caption = Col. HS Sodhi with the Indian Prime Minister, Pandit [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| birth_name = Harinder Singh Sodhi
| nickname = Billy
| birth_date = c. 1938
| birth_place = [[Rawalpindi]], [[British India]] (now in [[Pakistan]])
| death_date = 9 November 2024 (aged 86)
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| allegiance = {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{flagicon|India}} Indian Army
| serviceyears = 1950s–1980s
| rank = [[Colonel]]
| unit = [[61st Cavalry (India)]]<br />[[President's Bodyguard (India)]]
| commands = 61st Cavalry<br />President’s Bodyguard
| awards = [[Arjuna Award]] (1976)<br />[[Vishisht Seva Medal]]
}}

'''Colonel Harinder Singh "Billy" Sodhi, VSM''' (c. 1938 – 9 November 2024) was an Indian Army officer and one of India’s leading polo and equestrian sportspersons of the post-Independence era. He served in and later commanded the [[61st Cavalry (India)|61st Cavalry]] and the [[President's Bodyguard (India)|President’s Bodyguard]] and achieved a peak polo handicap of +5. He received the [[Arjuna Award]] in 1976 for equestrian sport, and later remained an influential advocate of India’s cavalry and equestrian traditions.<ref name="The Tribune-2024">{{cite news |title=Former top polo player HS Sodhi dies |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sports/former-top-polo-player-hs-sodhi-dies/ |work=The Tribune |agency=PTI |date=10 November 2024 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="MapsofIndia-2012">{{cite web |title=List of Arjuna Award winners in Equestrian |url=https://sports.mapsofindia.com/awards/arjuna/equestrian.html |website=MapsofIndia |date=10 September 2012 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="Outlook India-2024">{{cite news |title=Former Indian Polo Player Harinder Singh Sodhi Passes Away at 86 |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/sports/others/former-indian-polo-player-harinder-singh-sodhi-passes-away-at-86 |work=Outlook India |agency=PTI |date=10 November 2024 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Sodhi was born in Rawalpindi into a family closely associated with horses; his father, Brigadier Ajit Singh, owned a farm where Sodhi and his younger brother, [[R. S. Sodhi|Ravinder Singh “Pickles” Sodhi]], learned to ride. After Partition the family resettled in India. Both brothers attended the [[Lawrence School, Sanawar]], noted for its equestrian tradition, and later trained at the [[National Defence Academy]] (NDA).<ref name="Bhandari-2024">{{cite web |last=Bhandari |first=Prakash |title=The King of Polo Rides Off Into The Ages |url=https://www.rediff.com/sports/special/the-king-of-polo-rides-off-into-the-ages/20241116.htm |website=Rediff Sports |date=16 November 2024 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

== Military career ==
Sodhi was commissioned into the [[61st Cavalry (India)|61st Cavalry]], India’s mounted cavalry regiment, where he combined military service with equestrian competition. He later held leadership roles in both the 61st Cavalry and the [[President's Bodyguard (India)|President’s Bodyguard]], ultimately serving as Commandant of the latter.<ref name="Bhandari-2024"/> As a mentor within the Army’s riding ecosystem he helped sustain competitive equestrian sport; among those he encouraged were riders who later became Arjuna awardees.<ref name="Bhandari-2024"/>

In May 2022, Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] wrote to Colonel (retd.) H. S. Sodhi lauding the service of cavalry horses, a correspondence that drew national attention to Sodhi’s role as a custodian of equestrian traditions.<ref name="ThePrint-2022">{{cite news |title=PM lauds services of horses in armed forces |url=https://theprint.in/india/pm-lauds-services-of-horses-in-armed-forces/966784/ |work=ThePrint |agency=PTI |date=22 May 2022 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Integral part of our culture': PM hails service of horses in the armed forces |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/integral-part-of-our-culture-pm-hails-service-of-horses-in-the-armed-forces-101653244561456.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=23 May 2022 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

== Polo and equestrian career ==
[[File:Col. HS Sodhi with Queen Elizabeth II.jpg|thumb|Col, H. S. Sodhi with [[Elizabeth II|HRH Queen Elizabeth II]]]]
Sodhi combined Army service with an elite polo career, reaching a handicap of +5 at his peak.<ref name="Deccan Herald-2024">{{cite news |title=Former top polo player H S Sodhi dead at 86 |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/other-sports/former-top-polo-player-h-s-sodhi-dead-at-86-3270208 |work=Deccan Herald |agency=PTI |date=10 November 2024 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref> Known popularly as “Billy”, he played alongside stalwarts such as [[Hanut Singh|Rao Raja Hanut Singh]], [[Maharaj Prem Singh]], [[Kishen Singh]] and [[Sawai Man Singh II]] and later with [[Bhawani Singh|Bhawani Singh of Jaipur]].<ref name="Outlook India-2024"/><ref name="The Tribune-2024"/>

Beyond polo, Sodhi was active across equestrian disciplines including show jumping, dressage and eventing, and contributed to the organisation of horse shows in Delhi.<ref name="Bhandari-2024"/> He was associated with India’s first Olympic equestrian effort in 1980, serving as manager of the equestrian team for the [[1980 Summer Olympics|Moscow Olympics]].<ref name="Outlook India-2024"/>

== Awards and honours ==
* Arjuna Award (1976) – Equestrian.<ref name="MapsofIndia-2012"/>
* Peak polo handicap: +5 (1970s–80s).<ref name="Deccan Herald-2024"/>

''Related:'' Sodhi’s younger brother [[R. S. Sodhi|Ravinder Singh "Pickles" Sodhi]] received the Arjuna Award in 1983 (polo).<ref>{{cite web |title=Arjuna Award for Polo |url=https://ipa.co.in/user/arjun_awards.php |website=Indian Polo Association |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Arjuna Award – Col R. S. Sodhi (1983) |url=https://ipa.co.in/user/arjun_awards_1983.php |website=Indian Polo Association |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Sodhi married Roshan Kumaramangalam, daughter of General [[P. P. Kumaramangalam]], and the couple were active in Delhi’s equestrian scene. Their elder daughter, Anesha Sodhi, became a national show-jumping champion and later served as a judge and selector. His extended family includes sports awardees and public figures; his sister-in-law is [[Nafisa Ali]].<ref name="Bhandari-2024"/>

== Death ==
Sodhi died in New Delhi on 9 November 2024 at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.<ref name="The Tribune-2024"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Legendary Polo Player HS Sodhi Passes Away at 86 |url=https://thebridge.in/polo/legendary-polo-player-hs-sodhi-passes-away-at-86-50591 |work=The Bridge |date=10 November 2024 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="Outlook India-2024"/>

== Legacy ==
Sodhi is remembered within the Army and Indian polo for sustaining cavalry sport after the decline of princely patronage and for mentoring subsequent generations of riders. His correspondence with the Prime Minister over cavalry horses underscored his role as a public advocate for equestrian heritage.<ref name="Bhandari-2024"/><ref name="ThePrint-2022"/>

== See also ==
* [[Polo in India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sodhi, H. S.}}
[[Category:1930s births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Indian polo players]]
[[Category:Indian male equestrians]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]
[[Category:61st Cavalry (India)]]

H. S. Sodhi - Revision history

Md Omar Faruq at 17:41, 5 October 2025