India evicts century-old Gymkhana Club in colonial legacy purge

India's Housing Ministry notified the Delhi Gymkhana Club in May that its lease had been terminated and the government would take over the land, escalating a campaign to erase the physical legacy of British rule from the capital's most exclusive addresses. The century-old club sits on prime real estate adjacent to Modi's official residence in Lutyens' Delhi, an area the government says is needed for public use in a "highly sensitive and strategic" zone.

"The club's colonial-era lease terms no longer serve the public interest," a government lawyer told the Delhi High Court during a May hearing, according to court records. The government argued that the club has been poorly managed and failed to pay all its taxes, claims lawyers for the club deny.

The eviction follows the government's takeover of the Jaipur Polo Ground last month, another institution once linked to the Gymkhana Club where Indian royalty and British colonial administrators competed. The club — which quietly dropped "Imperial" from its name after India gained independence in 1947 — occupies sprawling lawns and white-porticoed colonial buildings that have remained largely unchanged as the capital transformed around them.

Modi's government has moved aggressively to rebrand the capital's colonial geography. Rajpath, or King's Way — the ceremonial avenue designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens — was renamed Kartavya Path, or Duty's Way. A new Parliament building has risen, and key ministries are being relocated into new administrative complexes. Supporters say the changes shed the physical legacy of British rule, which Modi has said left India with a "slave mentality."

A Symbol of Elite Privilege

Founded as the British shifted their colonial capital to Delhi in 1911, the Gymkhana Club was originally reserved for colonial administrators and military officers. After independence in 1947, India's governing establishment largely preserved the club's traditions and strict entry requirements. Membership became one of the clearest markers that someone had joined the country's post-independence elite, with waiting lists stretching for more than a generation.

Today, only about 100 spots open each year, many passed down through generations of the same families. Members flock to the club for bridge, tennis in mandatory whites, and subsidized meals — a perk for bureaucrats and military officers whose government salaries lag behind private-sector pay.

"Taxpayers are no longer willing to subsidize to the tune of thousands of crores, your stale cutlets and evening swims," author Anand Ranganathan wrote on X in May. A crore equals 10 million rupees.

Colonial Clubs Under Scrutiny

Across India, club culture flourished under British rule, with many institutions excluding Indians entirely or admitting only a handful of princes and magnates. The Bengal Club in Kolkata admitted almost exclusively Europeans for much of its history. In response, Indian elites established the Calcutta Club in 1907, a rare experiment in shared membership before independence.

The Gymkhana's members and staff have filed multiple legal petitions arguing the government must follow the statutory eviction process. The government's lawyer said in the May hearing that proceedings would follow the law.

For younger generations, the allure of these colonial-era clubs is fading. "There isn't much left of that old snobbery," said Vir Sanghvi, a journalist and commentator who said he rarely visits the Gymkhana. "What it says is not that you're a powerful man who is a member of an exclusive club. It says that you don't want to splash out on a hotel or a proper restaurant."

Still, legacy clubs that have modernized retain their appeal. Sumit Vaswani, a Mumbai-based consultant who advises new private members' clubs, said the Willingdon Sports Club — founded in 1917 by Lord Willingdon, then governor of Bombay — remains a status symbol. "Gymkhanas are timeless," he said.

The last time the Indian government reclaimed colonial-era club land at this scale was during the 1970s land reform push, when several exclusive institutions lost their subsidized leases. The current dispute, however, carries broader political weight: it tests how far Modi's government will go in reshaping the capital's colonial identity, and whether the courts will protect institutions that have defined elite social life for more than a century.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.