Spirit of camaraderie at Dubai India Club

Dubai: Way back in 1964 a few fun-loving Indian businessmen wanted a place to get together in the evenings.

A few dozen enthusiasts rented three or four rooms near the Ruler's Court and contributions started pouring in. A new sense of solidarity and camaraderie was born as they played tennis or squash after a hard day's work.

That was the beginning of the India Club, one of the oldest sports and recreational facilities for the expatriate Indian community in Dubai.

Currently situated near the Indian High School, the present structure was formally inaugurated in 1974 on a plot of land donated by the then Ruler, Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

The India Club, formerly known as the India Sports Club, is a non-profit organisation run by a board of trustees. The club boasts a 6,000-strong membership.

Mohan Valrani, one of the oldest members and the founding chairman of the India Club, took us on a trip down memory lane to the club's formative years and how it grew into a major platform for social interaction.

"In those days, there was no venue of any kind or entertainment. Dubai was very different from today's city of glitz and glam. There was no place to go with the family in the evenings. That is when the idea for a social club dawned on some of the merchant community," said Valrani.

He said that in the seventies, some prominent businessmen under the initiative of Utham Chand Thulsidas got the land as a gift from the Ruler. Valrani was appointed chairman in 1974, along with a board of trustees and was responsible for the construction of the facility. He was then reappointed chairman from 1998-2002.

"With contributions from leading businessmen like Mohan Kulkarni, Vishwan-athan and many others, who even guaranteed bank loans, we built an air-conditioned hall, a theatre and a club house. Gradually, the excess revenue from the club was channelled into new facilities," he noted. Some sports savvy members like Shyam Bhatiya and Sunder Chehni formed a cricket team which is still active. And that is how the India Club gained the reputation of a predominantly sports club.

It is no surprise that many sports personalities like Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan, former Indian and Pakistani cricket captains, have visited the club. Cricket matches, billiards and badminton tournaments organised by the club became so popular that they became important events in the sporting calendar of neighbouring GCC countries.

Valrani said the fine arts and recreational scene at the club was also vibrant from early on.

Almost all the names in Indian cinema have been to the club. According to Valrani, it is a matter of pride that many leading playback singers like Kumar Sanu and Suneethi Chauhan have launched their singing careers at the club as they shot into the limelight after their performances in the club's auditorium.

The India Club was also a hotspot for visiting political personalities, though the club has clearly kept away from political leanings of any kind, emphasised Valrani.

According to him, the club was predominantly a gathering place for community members, and the professionalism and excellence in which the organisation was run did create a sense of admiration for the community among UAE nationals.

"The distinctive thing about the India Club is that it has become part and parcel of our life in Dubai. Older members like me still visit the place at least twice a month. Generations have grown up at the club. We have seen love blossom here culminating in happy marriages.

"Yesterday's kids who used to run around and play in the club's premises when their parents were enjoying a drink or playing a game, are business tycoons today," Valrani said.

And the new generation of businessmen, he is confident, will take the club to new heights of fame and prestige keeping with the emerging prominence of the Indian community in the UAE's social and econ-omic scene.