These are among the country’s most exclusive clubs. What is it that makes them so sought after?
DELHI GYMKHANA
Delhi Gymkhana Club is located in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi and is spread across 27.3 acres. It was founded on July 3, 1913, and was then called “Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club”. In 1947, after Independence, the word “Imperial” was dropped. The club’s site plan was made on Lutyen’s drawing board. Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, the first governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (now Uttar Pradesh), was its first president.
USP
Primarily a sporting club, it has 26 grass courts — the largest number in the country — and seven clay/synthetic courts for tennis. The grass courts have been around since 1940. The club has hosted Davis Cup matches. Besides a tennis training academy, it has three squash courts, badminton courts, billiards room and a covered swimming pool with solar heating facilities, which makes it functional throughout the year. The dining hall has three bars and the library boasts of about 31,000 books and separate reading rooms for adults and children. For members visiting from across the world, the club has 43 transit cottages.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET IN?
For those in government service, Rs 10,000 entry fee plus additional registration fee of Rs 60,000. But this does not guarantee entry. The waiting period is 20 years. For non-government aspirants, Rs 25,000 entry fee, Rs 3 lakh additional registration fee and a waiting period of 35 years. Some exceptions are, however, made under the “eminent person” and diplomatic categories. Bhutan’s then crown prince, now king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, got membership under the diplomatic category. The club currently has over 13,000 members of which 8,000 are active members. About 10,000 hopefuls are in the queue.
WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO BUMP INTO?
Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Home Minister P Chidambaram, former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, Natwar Singh and Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen (retd) J J Singh.
BANGALORE CLUB
Bangalore Club was established in 1868 as the Bangalore United Services Club in the traditions of the colonial clubs for officers of the British Empire and for Indian royalty. One of the oldest clubs in the country, it counts among its members Sir Winston Churchill (during his stint in India from 1896). In 1946, the club opened its doors to civilians and became the Bangalore Club.
USP
Tennis, squash and badminton courts, health club, Olympic-size swimming pool, a separate cards room, and a century-old library which also offers Internet access. There are also exclusive bars: “Men’s Bar”, which continues to be a male bastion in the formerly male-dominated Club, “Mixed Bar” and a youthful “Umbrella Bar” for cocktails and happy hours. The Lounge still maintains its original 19th century facade.
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET IN?
The 6,500-odd members are considered a privileged lot by those aspiring to gain access to the club. The waiting period runs into 25 years, but that too does not ensure entry. Neither does the fee of Rs 90,000 at the time of applying for a permanent membership. There’s a rigorous process, including an interview before a panel of 11 members. Of them, at least six have to give the thumbs up before one can get to enjoy the facilities offered at the 13-acre campus. “Applications for membership are frozen till June 27, 2013, because of the long waiting list,” says Brig K Satheesh (retd), chief executive and secretary, Bangalore Club. But there is some good news for existing members. The club has funds amounting to over Rs 72 crore today. “With interest from the deposits, we are financially healthy enough to consider doing away with the annual fees that the permanent member has to pay,” says Amarnath Kamath, president, Bangalore Club.
WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO BUMP INTO?
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna who comes here often in the evenings for a game of tennis, Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani and Biocon CEO Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.
BOMBAY GYMKHANA CLUB
Exclusive as this is, Bombay Gymkhana is the same club which, during British rule, had a board that read, “Indians and dogs are not allowed.” Before the club was set up, the British in Mumbai had their gymkhanas, their swimming and racing clubs and the maidans where various sports, especially cricket, were played. But there were no formal club houses. In 1872, it was decided that the various sporting clubs would be amalgamated into one. Three years later, on June 19, 1875, Bombay Gymkhana was formally established. Located on Azad Maidan in South Mumbai and listed as a heritage building in Mumbai, the club has witnessed the first ever Test match in India played between India and England. The match lasted for four days beginning December 15, 1933.
USP
Three international standard badminton courts with teakwood flooring; billiard and snooker room with six billiard/snooker tables and six professional markers available to play with members (world champions like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira, Geet Sethi, and Pankaj Advani have all played here); green turf wicket for cricket; grass turf football pitch; hockey field; one of the only two rugby grounds in India; squash courts; swimming pool; tennis courts; library; dining hall built on the lines of a Swiss chalet; and “Gym's Inn”, a bar rumoured to have the highest sale of alcohol in south Mumbai.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET IN?
Membership is by invitation. Entry fee is up to Rs 15 lakh. This is apart from the annual membership fee of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, depending on member category. “Membership has to be renewed every few years. Life memberships are rarely offered now. I think the last one was around a decade ago at a reported fees of Rs 10 lakh,” says a member. The waiting period runs into several years (some say it’s 75 years). The club also offers memberships to its sporting facilities but this doesn’t entitle a person to other recreational facilities.
WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO BUMP INTO?
Sachin Tendulkar, actor Rahul Bose, and socialite Sharmilla Khanna.
BENGAL CLUB
Established in 1827 exclusively for the Europeans in Bengal, Bengal Club stands in its archaic grandeur at Russel Street in the heart of Kolkata. The club, which once insisted on racial superiority, later opened its doors to the elites of Bengal. The club’s history shows that colonial administrator Charles Metcalfe and Sir James Outram, the General who fought in the rebellion of 1857, were among those who frequented the place.
USP
The food the club offers is its biggest draw. The club’s dining room still follows European dining traditions and offers among the finest continental menu in the city. The club has also opened a new Italian restaurant, “Trattoria 1827”, its first new restaurant in 33 years after “Oriental Room” in 1977. For young members, it has a new pub, “Sports Bar”. Personalised treatment is the buzzword, be it dining or drinking, or at “The Barber Shop”, an inhouse salon which is again a recent addition. The library and reading room offer both the old and the new. Apart from these, the club has a business centre, guest rooms and a bakery.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET IN?
The entry fee for individual membership is Rs 2.5 lakh, while corporate membership for five years for three members comes for Rs 5 lakh. There is also a “special membership” for the spouse if the member has died. The minimum age to apply for membership is 35. Besides this, the aspirant should be a member of one of the clubs listed with Bengal Club and should be a postgraduate. The club has a reciprocal arrangement with Tolly Club — members of Tolly Club can apply to Bengal club or vice-versa for Rs 50,000.
WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO BUMP INTO?
Liquor baron Vijay Mallya is here whenever he’s visiting Kolkata. So are Saurav Ganguly and Kapil Dev, Russi Mody, former chairman and managing director of Tata Steel, S B Ganguly, chairman and CEO of Exide Industries, and Subir Bose, managing director of Berger Paints.