Mix of silence and celebration for exclusive clubs for Xmas, New Year's Eve

Celebration. Or silence. The country’s exclusive clubs are choosing between these two for Christmas and New Year’s Eve this time round. Compared to the December of 2020, the mood appears upbeat at least in a few places.

Turn to Kolkata and maple glazed ham, roast stuffed turkey and pot roast mutton are beckoning at the Bengal Club’s famed Christmas lunch, and patrons are not disappointing.

“We have had a great response to the Christmas lunch, and so far bookings are at par with any normal year, if not better,” says Ambarish Dasgupta, president, Bengal Club.

Kolkata is home to some of the oldest and most exclusive clubs in the country — remnants of the Raj — and the Christmas lunch is an important event on the club’s calendar. Last year, most of the prominent clubs had a scaled-down version, and some even gave it a miss. But this year, it’s back on a bigger scale even as clubs are treading cautiously.

The Bengal Club is taking care of the last detail to make sure it’s safe for its members and guests in Covid times. So, apart from maintaining a safe distance between tables, those waiting for a serving at the buffet table will have to wear masks. Of course, the entire staff at the club is fully vaccinated.

The West Bengal government has allowed 70 per cent capacity for closed spaces like cinema halls, shopping malls, theatres, auditoriums, among others. But Dasgupta says since the Christmas lunch at Bengal Club is hosted out in the open, there is no restriction on capacity.

The Tollygunge Club — popular as Tolly Club — plans to keep the capacity at 50-55 per cent. “We want to play safe,” says Anil R Mukerji, its chief executive and managing member. And, patrons are required to carry their vaccination certificates.

Mukerji says while the numbers are not as exciting as 2019, people do want to come out to the club. “It’s still far more stilted than 2019.”

In the national capital, the Delhi Gymkhana Club (DGC), however, will see no celebrations. Christmas and New Year might be a season for sharing and giving, but at DGC all that was shared was charges and insults. The DGC is involved in a bitter, and very public, spat with the administrator, Om Pathak, appointed by the government after it found itself in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The Omicron scare prompted the administrator to order the cancellation of the Christmas and New Year dinner and dance. So there will be no live band, and the highly polished wooden dance floor will remain unused.

At Delhi’s India International Centre (IIC), on the other hand, the story is totally different. Its current director, K N Shri­vastava, says the IIC took a bad hit because its main source of revenue — the income from functions and its guest rooms — simply dried up. For a brief while, the staff took a pay cut. But Shrivastava says the centre’s backbone, its service staff, stayed through the bad times. Relief came in the form of a ruling by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) that IIC’s income from accommodation, food and beverage sales was not taxable.

In 2012-13 and 2013-14, the IIC’s standing as a “trust” (it was set up in 1961, has 7,000 members and hosts national and international conferences, cultural events, etc that are open to the public) was questioned by the Income Tax Department and it was ordered to pay income tax for these two assessment years when it had declared tax as “nil”. The ITAT rejected the IT department’s contention. The refund made up for the loss of income, enabling the IIC even in times of pandemic to host its free, public annual festival with offerings of music and dance. Shrivastava says membership fee has been raised but membership is also being expanded.

The IIC hosts a special lunch for Christmas and New Year, and this will be on course, with, unaccountably, carrot halwa on the menu along with fish cardinal, mushroom timbale and cream of broccoli soup.

Like IIC, the Quorum Club, a members-only lifestyle club that got a Mumbai address in August this year, has planned special events for Christmas and New Year’s Eve for its members, says Vivek Narain, founder and CEO. “The events will strictly adhere to the Covid-19 protocols, and we would be doing a rapid antigen testing for all our guests,” he adds.

Carols, turkey, mulled wine, other winter cocktails and an elaborate spread will mark the Christmas celebrations. While Quorum members in Mumbai will ring in the New Year with a “007 No Time to Die”-themed party, those in Gurugram can revel in the “Duality” theme (Sufi and contemporary western culture).

With a one-time fee of Rs 250,000 and annual fee of Rs 100,000, The Quorum has been one of the key beneficiaries of the post-pandemic world, says Narain, with preference for more “predictable spaces” gaining prominence among those looking to hang out or work.

In a changed world, owing to the pandemic, while people are no longer going to traditional places of work, they are looking for a third space — a home away from home. The Quorum’s design and amenities are well suited for that, claims Narain. Encouraged by the surge in business in Gurugram and Mumbai, he plans to launch The Quorum in Hyderabad and Bengaluru next year. While the four-month-old club in Mumbai has 550 members, the Gurugram address, which is three years old, has 1,150 members.

Bombay Gymkhana club, one of Ind­ia’s oldest, is, however, unlikely to see any action this holiday season.

“Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the concerns around Omicron and in keeping with government guidelines, Bombay Gymkhana is not hosting any festivities, other than its normal sporting and allied F&B operations,” says Saurabh Ratan, CEO, Bombay Gymkhana. “We are being fully supportive of the breaking-the-chain efforts and are not actively encouraging events or functions that attract large gatherings,” he adds. The club has a member base exceeding 5,000 and “a long waiting list of applicants for membership, which we are in the process of clearing”, says Ratan.