Ripon’s rethink

"Space can never be in excess of one’s needs,” said noted lawyer Rusi N. Sethna, president of the Ripon Club, addressing the annual general meeting (AGM) held on April 21, 2008 at the Club’s Fort premises.

Sethna successfully led the opposition to a proposal to forgo a portion of the Club’s premises on the fourth floor to the noted solicitors’ firm of Wadia Ghandy and Company. The legal firm had offered Rs 6,75,00,000 as compensation which would be shared 50-50 with the Club’s landlords, N. M. Wadia Charities (see "Ripon’s realms,” Parsiana, April 21, 2008). Several members of the managing committee resigned prior to the meeting, informed Sethna.

Realizing the shaky legal position the Club occupied vis-à-vis protection under the Bombay Rent Act, Sethna pleaded "in all humility” with the Wadia trustees, three of whom were present that day, "to spare us… we are the last surviving Parsi (only) institutions… we don’t want to go on legalities. We want Parsipanu to prevail… The Parsi Gymkhana (at Marine Drive) and the Elphinstone Club (near Victoria Terminus) admit non-Parsis” as members. The secretary of the Dadar Parsee Colony Gymkhana present at the meeting qualified that his club "does not have non-Parsi” members.

Noshir Sethna of Wadia Ghandy addressed the gathering inquiring "what is wrong” with the proposal? "How does this conflict with the Club’s” interests? Sethna reiterated that he would like to see the Club once again "as an institute to be proud of.” He recalled that he was a member of 30 years’ standing but stopped frequenting the Club when the standard fell. "The toast was stale… This Club is past its prime.” He complained that the newspaper reports implied the entire fourth floor was to be taken over by his firm while in fact 1,500 square feet would remain with the Club.

Normally the AGMs of the Club are a tame affair scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and kept in abeyance till 5.30 for want of a quorum, noted Rusi Sethna. At the 121st meet over a 100 members were present of whom 11favored the resolution alienating the property and over 90 opposed. One voter abstained.

Of the nine managing committee members, all resigned save lawyer and columnist Bapoo M. Malcolm. Jamshed Lentin who opposed the sale resigned as his view clashed with the rest of the committee but in light of the proposal being turned down was willing to continue on the committee.

Rusi Sethna said a "pro-tem” managing committee be appointed. Committee chair Sorab Davar who resigned from the committee as well as trusteeship of the Club was informed by Sethna that trusteeship "is for life” and so he would have to continue holding that office. The other trustees are Sethna, Mehli Cama (who also opposed the sale) and Rohinton Dhalla.

"No instructions in writing have been received from Dhalla (on his) willingness to stand for reelection,” said Sethna. Committee members Dhalla, Rohinton Dhanjibhoy and Dr Soli Adrianwala were due to "retire by rotation… being eligible (to) offer themselves for reelection,” noted the AGM report.

Sethna asked Wadia Charities trustee Burjor Antia who was present at the meet, and who is a member of the Club, if he would join the managing committee. "There may be a conflict of interest,” replied Antia. "I will let you know.”

Sethna also informed the gathering that noted businessman Viraf Chiniwala "has kindly consented to be on the committee.” He further proposed that reputed publisher Maneck Daver should be co-opted on a subcommittee to help the Club find ways to generate income. The Club incurred a loss last year and cited monetary reasons as the need for the sale of property.

Amongst other issues raised at the AGM was the written down value of the marble bust of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta. As the depreciated value would be nil, some members urged it should be assigned some value and thereby kept on the balance sheet. Another member wanted to know if the loss of Rs 75,823 reported in the balance sheet was due to the fees paid to realtors Knight Frank for valuing the fourth floor premises. He was informed that the amount was spent in the current financial year, not the previous one.

Another member inquired about the high figure of Rs 1,78,000 for "cheques in hand.” Why was this so? Somebody else asked if the managing committee had actually seen the municipal water bills as the figure was high. Another member who was a former president of the Willingdon Sports Club asked why the income from catering was less than a lakh while the amount paid for waiter’s salary was almost four lakh rupees? He was told the Club keeps 10 percent of the income earned from catering, passing on 90 percent to the caterer. (The present caterer Rattan Elavia has put in his papers effective April 30, 2008. A new caterer is to be appointed.) He urged the committee "to do marketing… call event managers… (remember) Rolls Royce also folded up.”

Sethna noted he had been a member for 50 years and a trustee since 1986. He said he and Cama "did not know about” the sale proposal even though "innumerable meetings” had been held.

Lawyer K. R. Zaiwalla had also written to Sethna in a letter dated April 3, 2008 which was made available to members at the AGM stating "the trustees are planning to commit a blatant breach of trust… your proposed illegal action has shocked the conscience of the members who had reposed faith and trust in you.” He warned that if the trustees persisted with the sale, legal action would be sought in the courts of law.

Sethna replied in a letter dated April 10, 2008: "I deny all responsibility for the managing committee’s actions in this regard” and will "appeal to members to reject it” at the AGM.