BBC: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In India’s capital Delhi, power has long circulated through ministries, embassies and the parliament – but also through the shaded verandas of the Gymkhana Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For generations, the cream-coloured clubhouse located on Safdarjung Road has functioned as a discreet world of retired generals, senior bureaucrats and old business families conducting negotiations over whisky sodas and kebabs. Even those who have never entered its gates – which is most Delhi residents – have heard stories about its grandeur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, that world faces an uncertain future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, the federal government, which owns the 27.3 acres on which the 113-year-old club stands, ordered it to vacate by 5 June, saying the land is needed for “defence infrastructure and other vital public security purposes”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its notice, the government called the area a “highly sensitive and strategic” zone near the prime minister’s residence and said the lease stood terminated with “immediate effect”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Members have challenged the order in court, with a hearing due on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The notice, following years of scrutiny of elite institutions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, has reignited debates about privilege, heritage and public space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it has also triggered an unexpected wave of nostalgia, with some Delhi residents expressing affection for a place they often claimed to despise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gymkhana is expensive to join, but access has long been controlled more by gatekeeping than price. Applicants must be proposed and seconded by members, after which a managing committee approves them. The process has traditionally favoured senior civil servants and defence officers, with a smaller share for others. Critics say this has helped sustain inequality, even as it has made the Gymkhana one of Delhi’s most sought-after memberships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many recall how the place kept alive a fragment of Delhi’s elite past through small rituals: liveried waiters at dusk, gin and lime on shaded verandas, retired generals and diplomats lingering under neem trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Delhi-based senior journalist who never had a membership told the BBC the club always felt “distant”. “But now I feel like stepping in once. It is one of the few structures in Delhi that has remained untouched while the city outside changed completely,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BBC: In India’s capital Delhi, power has long circulated through ministries, embassies and the parliament – but also through the shaded verandas of the Gymkhana Club. For generations, the cream-coloured clubhouse located on Safdarjung Road has functioned as a discreet world of retired generals, senior bureaucrats and old business families conducting negotiations over whisky sodas and kebabs. Even those who have never entered its gates – which is most Delhi residents – have heard stories about its grandeur. Now, that world faces an uncertain future. Last week, the federal government, which owns the 27.3 acres on which the 113-year-old club… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-in-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57958"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57960,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57958\/revisions\/57960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/57959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gyalchisarshog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}