In Mumbai Gymkhana today, echoes of a regressive culture from 19th-century Calcutta

The 19th-century messes of Calcutta supply immoderate clues to the civilization of clubs and gymkhanas successful modern India. An updating of the communicative whitethorn assistance successful knowing the broader discourse wrong which cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues’s rank of Mumbai’s Khar Gymkhana was revoked as a effect of allegations that her father, Ivan, organised “conversion” activities astatine its premises. That, successful an ambiance of specified sharply etched spiritual lines, a subordinate of a susceptible number assemblage should question to “convert” the “vulnerable” astatine a nationalist lawsuit seems beyond belief. However, it is possibly champion not to dignify the allegation by asking if it is really true. What is much important is that it emanates from a tract that has heavy taste and societal resonance successful Indian society.

The modern cultures of clubs and gymkhanas are portion of a peculiarly Indian process of consolidation of ideas of “decent and respectable” citizens who – arsenic successful the 19th-century messes of Calcutta – mightiness intermingle astatine ease, including sharing nutrient successful the cognition it meets the norms of caste, people and spiritual identity. What is peculiarly Indian astir nine civilization is that successful a clip of large societal and economical alteration – movements of people, changes successful enactment patterns, commercialized activities, etc. – they service to reenforce old-standing structures of hierarchy. Statements that emanate from clubs and gymkhanas service a signalling function: they found the information of a concern by drafting upon their – wide accepted – histories of “decency” and “respectability”. What Ivan Rodrigues has discovered is that “membership” of a nine is much than conscionable a substance of entree to (relatively) inexpensive food, air-conditioned ambience and recreational facilities. It is besides astir taking retired a subscription to peculiar ways of thinking.

A important unit that has shaped “club” reasoning successful India relates to the extraordinarily homogenous quality of their membership. First, portion determination are nary ceremonial prohibitions that prevent, say, Muslims and Christians from becoming members, determination are precise existent informal mechanisms that play a role. In the archetypal place, rank astatine the astir prestigious clubs is not “open” astatine each times, and those desiring rank cannot use connected a rolling basis. This tends to support the historically homogenous quality of nine membership. The quality of their rank – dominated by ascendant spiritual and societal groups – does not alteration implicit precise agelong periods, if ever.

Second, it is accustomed that an exertion to articulation requires – arsenic successful the lawsuit of the Bipin Chandra Pal’s Sylhet messiness – “certification” by 1 oregon much “responsible” persons; an existing subordinate (or two) indispensable endorse your application. Given that rank tends to beryllium “frozen” implicit agelong periods – determination is specified palpable excitement erstwhile it opens! – the astir prestigious clubs make a peculiar societal character. This comes into play erstwhile sponsoring caller members: we are much apt to cognize (and sponsor) those from precise akin backgrounds. This excessively limits the anticipation of diversity.

There is also, successful the crème de la crème institutions, the strategy of hereditary membership, wherever it is passed down successful the household enactment to children, grandchildren and spouses of these categories of relatives. This too, successful a mode that is some outrageous and contradictory successful an evident democracy, imparts a peculiarly Indian flavour to specified organisations. In particular, it means that if your household does not already beryllium to this radical – and spiritual minorities successful India thin to person negligible practice wrong it – past you are apt to proceed to stay extracurricular the charmed circle.

The Sylhet messiness that helium joined, Bipin Chandra Pal besides noted, passed a regularisation “that nary members should bring immoderate nutrient to the house…which outraged the feelings of Hindu orthodoxy”. It is not hard to spot however the clubs of our ain clip person besides – done their humanities quality and ceremonial and informal policies – maintained definite orthodoxies, including those of caste and spiritual identities (and of course, whether women tin person “full” membership). It is interesting, successful this context, to wage peculiar attraction to different of Pal’s observations with respect to the Sylhet mess. All decisions, helium mentions, were taken “by the dependable of the bulk of the members of the mess” and nary 1 ever “questioned oregon disobeyed” specified decisions. In a clip erstwhile the thought of a ‘majority’ has truthful importantly go identified with spiritual identity, it is worthy asking what the destiny of Jemimah Rodrigues’s rank to the Khar Gymkhana mightiness person been successful different circumstances. If, for example, specified institutions had much divers membership, could determination person been different voices from wrong it that whitethorn person provided a countervailing constituent of view? Mumbai of the aboriginal 20th period is not the Calcutta of the precocious 19th century. It is precisely for this crushed that the uncanny echoes of that distant past should frighten us.

The writer is British Academy Global Professor, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, SOAS University of London