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 Nationa ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

Dehra Dun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter 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, ...

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

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

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 Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Narindar Saroop served as a regular officer of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

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

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1952. Upon leaving the Army Major Saroop became a management trainee at Yule Catto 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 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1982. Within British politics, Major Saroop contested the Parliamentary seat for

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate in the 1979

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

. 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 (often known by its initialism as RBKC) is an Inner London, Inner London borough with Royal borough, royal status. It is the List of English districts by area, smallest borough in London and the secon ...

(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 inco ...

, Founding member of the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Asians for Representation Group, the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

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 c ...

, the

Cavalry and Guards Club The Cavalry and Guards Club is a Private members' club, located in London at 127 Piccadilly, Its membership consists of current and former officers of Guards and Cavalry regiments of the British Army. It is situated next door to the Royal A ...

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

, the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, the

Royal Bombay Yacht Club The Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC) is one of the premier gentlemen's clubs which was founded in 1846 in Colaba (formerly Wellington Pier (Bombay), Wellington Pier), an area of Mumbai in India. The building was designed by John Adams, who also d ...

and the

Royal Calcutta Golf Club Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) in Kolkata, India was established in 1829 and is the oldest golf club in India and the first outside Great Britain. RCGC has an 18-hole golf course with the following detail: *Yardage: 7195/6871 *Par: 72 *Rating ...

. 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