The exclusive Delhi Gymkhana Club, the favourite resort of Anglo-Indian society, has been closed down and its members are forbidden to use the premises any more. The order was issued by the government of India, which has taken over the club buildings for official purposes. The members are furious, for the Gymkhana was their principal means of recreation in the long, hot evenings of the summer, and they had looked forward to pleasant times again this year. The cause of the closure is said to be financial stringency. Delhi society is in a state of great indignation over the closure of the favourite social club, and the members are loud in their protests against what they regard as an act of unnecessary harshness on the part of the authorities. The club was in no sense a political organisation, and its members included men of all shades of opinion. The Anglo-Indian community had looked forward to passing the summer months agreeably, in social intercourse, and in healthy exercise, and the sudden stoppage of these pleasant habits has come upon them like a blow. The buildings will be utilised for official purposes.
Original dispatch: India’s government orders handover of exclusive Delhi Gymkhana Club