Sir Nowroji Saklatwala, (also spelt Saklatvala; 10 September 1875 – 21 July 1938) was an Indian businessman who was the third chairman of the

Tata Group The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1868, it is India's largest conglomerate, with products and services in over 150 countries, and operations in 100 countries across six continent ...

from 1932 till his sudden death in 1938. He was born in Bombay into a

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

family, the son of Bapuji Saklatwala and Virbaiji Tata. His maternal uncle was

Jamsetji Tata Jamsetji (Jamshedji) Nusserwanji Tata (3 March 1839 – 19 May 1904) was an Indian pioneer industrialist who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company. Named the greatest philanthropist of the last century by several pol ...

, founder of the Tata Group. He completed his studies at St. Xavier College, joined the Tata Group in 1899 as a clerk in Svadeshi Mills in Bombay. Within twenty years, he rose to be the head of the firm. He worked closely with

Dorabji Tata Sir Dorabji Tata (27 August 1859 – 3 June 1932) was an Indian businessman of the British Raj, and a key figure in the history and development of the Tata Group. He was knighted in 1910 for his contributions to industry in British India. ...

, the second chairman. When Dorabji died in 1932, he became the Chairman of the Tata Group and had the task of consolidating the company during the Depression years. Closely connected with Indian cricket, Saklatwala played for the

Parsees Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

team during 1904-05, but stopped playing actively due to business pre-occupations. As a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

player he represented the Parsees against the Europeans in 1904. He was the first Chairman of the

Cricket Club of India Cricket Club of India (CCI) is a cricket club in India. It is located on Dinsha Wacha Road, in Churchgate of Mumbai, India. It was conceived as India's counterpart to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It is considered one of the most prestigiou ...

after its inception in 1933 till his death and was instrumental in the development of

Brabourne Stadium The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in Mumbai in Western India, built in the British Bombay era. It was the home ground of the Mumbai men's and women's cricket teams. It can accommodate 50,000 people for sports matches. The ground is ow ...

, for which he also donated a large sum of money.

Honours

Saklatwala was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the 1923 New Year Honours, knighted in the

1933 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1933 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King. The ...

and further knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the

1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Queen ...

Death

He died suddenly from heart failure while in France, aged 62. He was succeeded by his second cousin J.R.D. Tata as the chairman of the company. He is buried in the Parsi section of

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regi ...

in Surrey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saklatwala, Nowroji 1875 births 1938 deaths Businesspeople from Mumbai Parsi people from Mumbai Tata Group people Tata family Indian cricketers Parsees cricketers Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Bachelor Indian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Indian philanthropists Cricketers from Mumbai 19th-century Indian sportspeople Parsi people Burials at Brookwood Cemetery