The magic of jazz wafted around the aroma of continental food even as the city’s gentry gathered for an evening of polite conversation and sipped the finest Scotch served by an army of liveried bearers. In the afternoons, members lazed on sunloungers by the pool, taking swigs from beer mugs or watched a game of cricket on the lawns. Others played billiards, watched by graceful ladies playing cards. Some immersed themselves in books and magazines at the well-stocked libraries.
That was Kolkata’s social club ambience in the colonial ’40s, fashionable ’50s and swinging ’60s. It was the best of times for the clubs, which were established by the British and radiated the city’s colonial past, wearing its legacy that was being hurriedly discarded outside the premises. At most clubs, like the 128-year-old Tollygunge Club, Calcutta Club, Bengal Club or Royal Calcutta Golf Club, men had to wear dinner jackets and women formals. M any still hold on to the dress code in certain areas of their premises despite being scoffed at for being elitist and colonial, while some have partially relaxed their rules. Many new clubs have joined in; though they lack the history and heritage of their more famous peers, they pull in youngsters who love the casual air, innovative food and no bar on dressing.
Clubs like Tolly, RCGC and CCFC have a strong sporting tradition and continue to host golf, football, cricket and tennis events. Tolly Club had a racecourse till the late-’70s. It still boasts of a stable of horses and riding remains popular among members and kids. While CCFC, the oldest sporting club in India, has hosted first-class cricket matches, RCGC golf course is the oldest in Asia. Calcutta Club was established in 1907 after industrialist Rajendra Nath Mookerjee was refused entry into the main dining room of Bengal Club, then reserved for the British. He launched Calcutta Club with a few others, including some Europeans. The club had equal representation of Indians and Europeans in its administration. “With 3,800 members, we are now one of the largest in India. Unlike many others, Calcutta Club is purely a social club. Some of our events, like the annual debate, are talked about across the country,” said club president Abhijit Ghosh. The club i s known for its library and the delicacies at the bakery festival.
Club (in pic), founded in 1827, is one of the oldest social clubs; while most old clubs in Kolkata had a colonial and formal ambience, many are now embracing a more casual approach
The culture across Kolkata’s clubs has changed over the past three decades, say officials. While most would be domina ted by the elite Bengalis in the post-Independence period, industry leaders, doctors, lawyers, corporate executives, engineers and CAs, IT professionals and entrepreneurs now fo rm a significant percentage of the membership.
While most had a formal, a very British stiffupper lipambience, many are now embracing a more casual approach. Calcutta Club allows casual wear till 7pm and the dress code is relaxed in the ‘outsourced’ dining areas. “We have been taking in woman members since 1998. Sporting activities have been introduced to attract youngsters, helping to bring down the average age of members,” said Ghosh.
Calcutta Rowing Club (CRC), established in 1858, had no Indian member till 1970. It had its first Indian president in 1978 and most members were expatriates till then. From the early ’80s, CRC started transforming into a social club from a purely rowing one. Now, the club has 1,200 members with a string of social activities. The social wing of the club funds its sporting activities. “The average age of members is 45-50, mostly professionals and entr epreneurs,” said Chandan Roy Chowdhury, secretary of CRC. The expansive Tollygunge Club—easily the most picturesque with its vast, idyllic lawns, gardens, a rolling golf course and multiple te nnis courts—sits royally in the midst of the bustling southern edge of the city. Established in 1895, the club has witnessed over a century of changes around it, though the interiors of the club remain largely unaffected, despite the Metro railway coming up along its boundary. It spreads across 100 acres with a Club House, which is 220 years old.
Tolly was formed as a meeting ground for British merchants and bankers who wanted a getaway country club, ‘a refuge from the encounters of a sweltering city’, says its website. Like the others, Tolly, too, gradually embraced Indians but held on to its country club culture. It offers golf, tennis, squash, indoor and outdoor swimming, riding and amateur equestrian sports. There is a well-equipped gym with professional instructors. The club has a bridge room, a billiards room, a pro-shop, a well-stocked library, a unisex salon and a herbal ayurvedic centre. Tolly hosts a range of entertainment activities, from open-air theatre to music and dance. The Tolly cuisine is a famed one, with members swearing by the shepherd’s pie and chilli beef. “We have added social and sporting activities and introduced more restaurants and bars. Tolly is the only club, where you can ride a horse,” said club president Sanjeev Dhir.
Barely a kilometre away, Princeton Club on Prince Anwar Shah Ro ad is a new kid on the block. Here, members are young, a mix of young professionals and entrepreneurs which, the club claims, has brought about “a paradigm shift in the club culture of Kolkat a”. ‘First-generation clubbers’ love the relaxed ambience. Princeton has a card room, pool, squash court and billiards. “We offer Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Vietnamese, Arabian and Thai spread. Princeton is a combination of a club with good hospitality. We run it like a five-star hotel,” said Sanjay Karmakar, manager operations, Princeton Club.
(From Top) Calcutta Club; Tolly Club; CRC, Princeton Club and (right) Eastern Metropolitan Club
Eastern Metropoli tan Club, too, offers an option to socialize away from the city centre bustle without having to toe a strict club code. “Our target is the middle category with those who don’t have easy access to old clubs. Sports is a major activity, along with cultural activities. We have 1,350 members and the average age is below 50, ” said Sanjib Ghosh, secretary of the club.
