In 19th-Century Madras, ‘British-type’ clubs were established to offer facilities for sports, dining and socialising. Over the decades, they have adapted to changing times, yet retained links to the past. We explore some of Chennai’s iconic clubs
Madras Cricket Club
Founded by Alexander Arbuthnot in 1846, the Madras Cricket Club became the first sports club in Madras. A cricket ground was proposed in 1865, and a pavilion was built and re-built after a cyclone damaged it in 1889. Milestones include the completion of the stadium in 1980. The story goes that Jawaharlal Nehru funded the stadium following a tripartite agreement among TNCA, the State Government and MCC. Dr. Indira Sambasivam became the first lady “playing-member” (tennis) of the club in 1954. Mary Clubwala Jadhav donated money to modernise a squash court and Olympian Munir Sait was the “soul of hockey” in the club. The club has run the Murugappa hockey tournament for 25 years.
Every cricketer worth his willow has sat in this area, says a member. Among its sports traditions is the oldest hockey tournament being held here, and having the first squash courts in the city. There’s history at every turn. Three original buildings still stand. The clock (still working!) that fronts the pavilion was presented by AC Hanbury in 1927, and maintained by P ORR & Sons. The first electric lights came on in 1930.
Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dhoni are honorary members. ‘Sports is a way of life’ is the club’s motto and a by-law states one has to be a sportsperson to be a member. The Secretary snack — a mix of peanut, onion, chillies, coriander, salt and vinegar that many order is named after Kumaraswamy, who introduced it when he was Secretary. The fish and chips are famous too.
The Royal Madras Yacht Club
The Club is a comparative newbie, but what are a few years either side of the century? The city grew around this club, founded in 1911 by Sir Francis Spring — credited with building the successful breakwater and, therefore, the harbour.
Post 1980, Commodore Harold Claudius ran the Club, and and “several like me joined as ‘Student Members’ in the last century”, says a sailing enthusiast. The club used to serve tea and sandwiches over the debrief of the day’s sail. A popular dish? French fries. The club banned it when parents threatened legal action because the kids weren’t eating at home!” Sunday lunch, starting with soup, is a delight after a race, say members. The club is proud of its oldest staffer Arokiadass — among the few who can restore a clinker-built hull (made by joining three-inch-wide wood strips bent to shape) using brass rivets. This is intricate work that requires an artist.
Madras Club
Cyclone Vardah’s devastation has left gaping holes on the compound, and bare patches mark the leafy view from the first-floor library, a far cry from what it once was. A long time ago, “an intimidator/crowman” was appointed to shoo birds away. This oldest surviving club in Chennai (from 1832) moved to its third home after merging with Adyar Club in 1963. The club, which proudly sports the motto ‘Concordia Vires’ on its emblem, has “British” written everywhere — on the Mowbray’s cupola, the grand octagonal dome and ancient bar. There have been attempts to lend a dash of the contemporary, though — Biswajit’s colourful cartoons hang on the library wall and the swimming pool is kept clean by a robot. The oldest private library stocks BBC’s list of 100 most-read books, and the original barber’s shop is believed to be haunted. Decorum is highly rated — smoking and cellphones are disallowed in the main area. But, no one is complaining. “Which other place is as peaceful?” asks a senior member. And, do order mulligatawny soup, supposed to have been ‘invented’ here.
Cosmopolitan Club
‘Cosmo’ was started by prominent Indians in Madras, perhaps in response to the unacceptable practices of British-dominated clubs, but was jointly managed by Indians and the British. Membership was open to women and there was no ‘strict’ dress code — you could walk in dhoti-clad, as long as your shirt had a collar.
The club boasts a swimming pool that members of other clubs envy and billiard tables bought on July 14, 1984. Tagore was here in 1913, Gandhi had tea in 1915 and 1925. Rajendra Prasad came too, and VV Giri and Rajaji were members, the latter a regular in the library.
If you were a member in the pre-70s, your dinner quite likely was served in silverware. On all days, except Saturdays, a traditional lunch cooked in a designated vegetarian kitchen is served on a plantain leaf.
The crown jewel in cuisine is Cosmo biryani , made in a wood-fired stove, and served on Sundays. From VP Singh to Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickramasinghe — the biryani has left everyone smitten. “Containers of our biryani are shipped on midnight flights to be served in Malaysia,” beams cook Sethu Manikkam.
Gymkhana Club
Interesting anecdotes crowd the coffee-table book released in 2009 to mark the 125th year of the Club. There were sub-secretaries for sports such as paper-chasing, trap-shooting and hunting. Indian sports were incorporated in the list when rajas became members of the club. Shikar became boar-hunting and pig-sticking, Sagol Kangjei metamorphosed to polo.
A strong sports culture grew, the Club held its own Gym Olympics in 2006, and even had a tug-of-war event culminating in a beer-drinking competition at midnight. Long-time members say tennis here is as old as the club itself; the first matches were played in 1885, the courts hosted major Indian tennis championships, and, in a celebrity match, a dhoti-clad MGR wielded a racquet to the delight of onlookers.
The Gymkhana specialised in baked dishes. Grills and ovens were set up, and local cooks were trained to appease the British palate. The club’s steaks became well-known, and solved the problem of entertaining meat-eating European business associates. Ice-cream came out of the kitchen in 1939. The committee meeting room was given over to the bakery for freshly-baked croissants, hot-cross buns and baked crab, among others.
The club’s festival calendar today includes Pongal and Tamil New Year, but that hasn’t dimmed Gymkhana’s F&B reputation built around The Bakery, Island Lounge, The Buttery, Rendezvous and the Mixed Bar. The Gymkhana has maintained an unspoken rule — it would be a gathering of “clubbable gentlemen”, says the book.
