Major Narindar Saroop (14 August 1929 – 19 December 2020) was an Indian-born British businessman. He was the eldest son of Chaudhri Ram Saroop, Ismaila,

Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9(old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the National ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and the late Shyam Devi. He was educated at the Aitchison College for Punjab Chiefs in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

and the Indian Military Academy,

Dehra Dun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...

. In 1952 he first married Ravi Gill, the only surviving child of the

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...

and Sardarni of Premgarh, India. This marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1967. By this marriage he had two daughters and one son (deceased). His second marriage took place in 1969 to Stephanie Denise, the youngest daughter of Alexander and Cynthia Amie Cronopulo of Zakynthos,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Narindar Saroop served as a regular officer of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

, the 2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner's Horse) and Queen Victoria's Own The Poona Horse retiring at the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1952. Upon leaving the Army Major Saroop became a management trainee at

Yule Catto Synthomer plc, formerly known as Yule Catto & Co, is a British-based chemicals business. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company traces its roots back to 1863, when Andrew Yule founded a trading house known as '' Andrew Yule ...

in 1954. He became a senior executive and director of subsidiaries of various multinationals until 1976. Later directorships and advisory positions were with

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

Relief Project (1964), Devi Grays Insurance Ltd (1981–84), Capital Plant International Ltd (1982–86), Develt, Clarkson Puckle Group (1976–87), Banque Belge (1987–91), Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund (1992–95),

National Grid plc National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks ...

(1993), Coutts & Co. (1995–98) and the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Advisory Council on Asian Programmes (1977–81). He was created a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1982. Within British politics, Major Saroop contested the Parliamentary seat for Greenwich as a Conservative candidate in the 1979

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. He became the first Asian Tory Parliamentary candidate. He became the founder and first chairman of the UK Anglo Asian Conservative Society (1976–79; 1985–86) and vice-chairman of the Conservative Party International Office (1990–92). He was a Councillor for the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

(1974–82) and initiated the Borough Community Relations Committee (1975–77; 1980–82). He was also Chairman of the Working Party on Employment (1978). Other memberships included: The

Institute of Directors The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a British professional organisation for company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is the UK's longest running organisation for professional leaders, having been founded in 1903 and incor ...

, Founding member of the

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

Asians for Representation Group, the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Appeal Committee. Major Saroop founded and was the Chairman of the Durbar Club (since 1981). He was a member of the

Beefsteak Club Beefsteak Club is the name or nickname of several 18th- and 19th-century male dining clubs in Britain and Australia that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity. The first beefsteak clu ...

, the Cavalry and Guards Club,

Pratt's Pratt's is a gentlemen's club in London. It was established in 1857, with premises in a house in Park Place, off St James's Street, and close to the Ritz London. History The club takes its name from William Nathaniel Pratt, who lived ther ...

, the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, the Royal Bombay Yacht Club and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. He died on 19 December 2020 at the age of 91.Saroop
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saroop, Narinder 1929 births 2020 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from British India British Indian Army officers Conservative Party (UK) councillors Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Councillors in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Aitchison College alumni Indian emigrants to England