Poona’s genial gymkhana

The entrance to the Poona Parsi Gymkhana (PPG) gives the impression of an English cottage. The original English Palladian wooden doors and windows are still there. A life size oil painting of Sir Dinshaw Maneckjee Petit (after whom the Gymkhana is named) still adorns the high wall of the indoor lobby. The old architecture and original structure has been maintained. The renovated look, completed after six months of laborious planning renders a special touch to the Gymkhana in need of a new look. "The place has only been given a facelift to look better,” mentions the honorary secretary of the Gymkhana Framroze Irani who is also an architect.

Divided into three sections, a small set of stairs leads to the open portico in the front. A central room houses the billiard table as well as the lobby. The third room is for table tennis and is spacious enough for get-togethers. There is also an a/c and non-a/c card room. A gymnasium of 1,200-1,400 sq feet well equipped for cardio, weights and overall fitness is the latest facility offered by the Gymkhana. After its facelift in early 2004, 35 new members have joined the Gymkhana. The entrance fee is Rs 30,000 and the annual dues Rs 1,200.

At present Marazban Dorabjee is the president and there are around 380 members including life and permanent members. Membership for the club is open only to Parsi Zoroastrians and a family membership includes the husband, wife and children (girls, until they get married and boys, till they attain 18 years of age). After that they have to apply for independent membership.

When you enter the Gymkhana you can hear the chattering of children trying to keep their heads above water under the watchful eyes of their instructor Meher Irani. On May 20, 1929, Lady Dhunjibai Bomanjee inaugurated the swimming pool. At that time it was a plain tank without any filtration or drainage facilities. It continued in this fashion till 1986 after which it was closed down for a decade. It was in 1996 that Meher Irani took over and renovated it.

Above: Entrance to the Gymkhana; (below) swimming pool and the volleyball team

"Right from the drainage to the cracked walls, we changed it all. The changing rooms were modified, new tiles were fitted, a new filtration system was set up, and more than 2,000 trees were planted to provide shade. These mostly comprise of varieties that do not shed their leaves which would normally fall in the water,” explains Meher Irani.

The pool has a pure vegetarian snack bar and coaching is provided from three-and-a-half years to 70 years by professional lifeguards. It is three-and-a-half feet shallow and nine-and-a-half feet deep and measures 20 meters x 12.5 meters. For revenue generation the pool is open to all communities. Since floodlights surround it, the pool is open from six in the morning to 9.30 at night.

The PPG has snoo­ker, table tennis, volleyball, badminton and basketball courts. There is also a children’s play area with swings and slides and a skating rink where they can learn skating by holding the bars at the outer circumference. "In the ’80s we were the Poona inter-club snooker and billiard champions and won consecutively for five years. But a lack of interest and no youth participation led to our downfall,” says Framroze Irani.

The Gymkhana also has regular dinners and on special occasions like Navroz, there are live shows where local music bands are called to play. Every Saturday there is Tambola and the PPG had a super-duper bumper tambola with prize money of two-and-half lakhs two years back when then Member of Parliament Suresh Kalmadi was the chief guest. "It was the first time a club had such a big amount as prize money,” adds Framroze Irani. On regular Saturdays the prize money totals Rs 16,000 while once every quarterly or six monthly there is a bumper tambola for Rs 40,000 followed by dinner.

The club has also introduced the all India Zoroastrian volleyball tournament since the last two years. This year they got affiliated to the District Volleyball Association. The club is also affiliated to the Elphistone Cricket Club (Zoroastrian club) in Bombay. "There is a lot of interaction between the two clubs. Zoroastrians have started to know each other and have taken an interest in utilizing the facilities and infrastructure available to them through these clubs. This month we got affiliated to the Bombay Parsi Gymkhana,” mentions Framroze Irani.

Early this year, a first of its kind gahambar was held at the PPG. This was a contributed effort. There was a jashan performed by 12 priests and it was attended by a crowd of 1,200-1,400 (only men). Entry was given only if the attendees had their prayer caps on. After the rains the club has plans to start cricket net practice to utilize the Zoroastrian potential and capability.

Established in 1894 the Gymkhana has come a long way since its foundation by Petit to promote sports among the Parsi youth. It was built at a cost of Rs 9,000. "The Poona Parsi Gymkhana is one of the four founder members of the Maharashtra Cricket Association. In the early days our team played with the English. Then we had two tennis courts and a cricket ground where the members would also play hockey. But the military establishment took much of this land away and never returned it. Even today we have our voting rights for the Maha­rashtra Cricket Association and our team participates in various championships,” says Framroze Irani.

For Parsis looking forward to a pleasant ambience within the limits of the city the PPG on Kahun Road is a perfect place.