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Lord Dolar Popat Dolar Popat
has been nominated to the House of Lords and will be
known as Lord Popat of Stanmore
After practising as an accountant in the 1970s, Dolar
specialised in business and corporate finance. Dolar
is Chief Executive and founder of TLC Group, an organisation
that has specialised in care of the elderly and hospitality
since the early 1990s. Dolar, is a perfect example of
a self-made entrepreneur who came to this country with
little money and has succeeded in a number of businesses.
Passionately proud to be both British and a Hindu,
Dolar Popat is well known and respected within the Indian
community and is a Strategic Planning Advisor to the
Hindu Forum of Great Britain. He is one of the UK Asian
community’s leading political thinkers, in addition
to being highly regarded as a business and community
leader. Dolar has served two Conservative Party Prime
Ministers – Margaret Thatcher and John Major –
as well as working closely with David Cameron. He will
be the first Gujarati to represent the Conservative
Party in the Upper House.
Dolar was blessed by his Guru, the revered spiritual
leader Morari Bapu, who continues to be a major source
of inspiration and guidance for Dolar and has been introduced
to David Cameron. Morari Bapu was instrumental in supporting
Dolar to accepting a life commitment to serve both the
country and the community as a member of the House of
Lords.
On learning of his Peerage, Dolar said that “With
the blessing of my beloved Guru, Morari Bapu, I am delighted
to represent the British Indians in the UK at the highest
level. As endorsed by David Cameron, we are a key part
of British society and our contribution has not been
fully recognised. I shall continue to work tirelessly
to redress this situation.”
Dolar has achieved a significant amount in his life
from humble beginnings and is certainly not, as the
UK press would have us believe a Conservative that had
the assistance of a privileged background. Although
his parents originated from Gujarat, India, Dolar was
born and brought up in Uganda and arrived in Britain
in 1971, a year before the expulsion of many Indians
from Uganda. Dolar worked tirelessly at the time to
assist fellow Ugandans to settle in Britain. “I
came to England when I was 18 years old and was moved
by the way Ugandan Asians were received at Stansted
Airport by the then Conservative government with Edward
Heath as Prime Minister. I was touched by the welcome
and compassion the British government and British people
had shown to the refugees arriving from Uganda due to
the expulsion by the dictator, Idi Amin.”
In addition to his business career, Dolar has also
been involved with a number of Hindu community organisations.
He is a founding Director of St Luke’s Hospice
and, more recently, Dolar has been an advisor to Nightingale
House Trust (A charitable organisation that provides
care to the Jewish community). Dolar founded and funds
a registered charity, The Dolar Popat Foundation, which
makes contributions to medical and educational institutions.
A leading advocate of community cohesion and the importance
of reconciling and uniting different cultures under
the UK’s central democratic process, Dolar has
been actively involved with the Conservative Party for
over 30 years. During that time he has helped the Party’s
engagement with minority communities and groups. Among
his Party positions, Dolar has acted as Secretary to
the Anglo Asian Conservative Association; been an Advisor
to the British Asian Conservative Link; a Member of
the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council; Chairman
of the Stanmore Park Ward for four years; and is currently
President of Harrow East Conservative Association.
As well as taking an active role in John Major’s
election campaign, Dolar was also the Chairman of the
One Nation Forum in Barnet and Harrow and has been Vice
Chairman, and subsequently Chairman, of the Strangers
Gallery – a Private Parliamentary Club for the
business community of Harrow.
In 2009 Dolar was honoured with an award at the Asian
Political and Public Life Awards at the House of Commons
by the Conservative Party’s then Chairman, Eric
Pickles MP, for promoting the Conservative Party in
the community.
Because of his background, knowledge of the Asian community
and time that he has spent in the UK Dolar believes
that he is best place and is looking forward to assisting
the Conservative Government in building trade and cultural
links with India which will help both economies. India’s
economy is expanding quickly and the UK’s historical
relationship help us to build economic links –
Dolar is keen to be involved in this relationship and
is key to taking this relationship to the next level.
“I am honoured to be given the opportunity to
serve as part of Her Majesty’s Government under
the leadership of David Cameron. I would like to remember
three well known members of my community that mentored
me through my early career in politics 30 years ago
- Sir Jay Gohil, Manubhai Madhvani, & Mr Shantoo
Ruparel MBE. More importantly I owe so much to this
country and its people and I will do my utmost to serve
my community, my party and my country to the best of
my ability and in line with the upbringing my parents
gave me.” |
