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Elite clubs serve a networking purpose. But not when what it means to be elite doesn’t change with times

There are dozens of Raj-era exclusive clubs in India. That, by itself, isn’t a problem. It is human nature to draw lines. Home, neighbourhood, nation are all lines with different degrees of exclusion. So, Delhi Gymkhana Club’s picky and pricey policies should ordinarily not be held against it. What makes them problematic, though, is the fact that the club has been perpetuating private privilege while standing on state largesse. When the British leased the club 27 acres, they did so not only to create space for their officers’ recreation, but also to enable networking, which is, let’s be real here, often key to getting work done.

So, it’s surprising that, over all these years, when India has changed, and so has the composition of its elite, the structure of Gymkhana’s membership hasn’t. It’s still 80% civil servants and defence officials – the iron frame of a colonial power. Where are the captains of industry, and young founders of startups, the new culture vultures, who need space to connect informally with officials? They aren’t there because, for far too long, Gymkhana has been run as a family fiefdom. Membership is tightly controlled, and mostly passed down generations. The club says membership is not a matter of inheritance. But that’s just hiding behind words. Everyone and their uncle – even if they are the kind Gymkhana members never meet, or if they do, dearly wish they hadn’t – know what preferential treatment means. It’s the equivalent of saying, son, we can’t quite say you’ll get it after me, that’s terribly bad form, but don’t you worry my boy, you will, now let’s have a drink, shall we.

This wouldn’t have mattered if Gymkhana, like Kolkata’s Tolly Club, stood on private land – private space, private rules. Nobody would have grudged its 14,000-odd members, and their progeny, their leisurely evenings. But since that’s not the case, Gymkhana should change. World over, networking is a fact of life. That quiet word, put in someone’s ears, while waiting for lunch to be served – this kind of thing greases many wheels. New Delhi, as the capital of a fast-growing large economy and the seat of a large govt setup, is a natural venue for high-value networking, by high-powered people. An elite club in the heart of such a city has its usefulness. But only when the elite is not just bara-saabs and babalogs.