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Calcutta Club Calcutta Swimming Club
Saturday Club - Heriatage Clubs
3051    Dibyendu Banerjee    01/09/2019

The Saturday Club, one of the oldest and premier social clubs of the city of Calcutta, was founded in British India by the officers of the Calcutta Light Horse Regiment in 1875. It is said that during the Nineteenth Century the British people based in Calcutta used to assemble on every Saturday to receive their mails, which were brought to Calcutta by the ships from England on the Saturdays. Probably, that congregation gave birth to the name of the club.

The entrance
The entrance

According to Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton of the Indian Civil Service, the Saturday Club was started by Louis Jackson, a civilian Judge of High Court, as early as in 1872. During that time, it was situated on Theatre Road and soon it became a centre of croquet and badminton and in the later years of Lawn Tennis.

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The club finally moved to its present premises at 7 Wood Street only in the year 1900. John Carapiet Galstaun of 234/4, Lower Circular Road, who made a mint of money on horse racing and built several palatial buildings in Calcutta, like the Queen's Mansions and the Nizam Palace, assigned the lease of the premises to Saturday Club, in exchange of a princely sum of Rupees Five. However, the original owner of the premises was the Trustees of Rajendra Mullick Bahadur of the Marble Palace, who leased the property to John Galstaun for 51 years.

The Light Horse Regiment
The Light Horse Regiment

The Calcutta Light Horse Regiment had their own club ‘Calcutta Light Horse Club’ at 24 Park Street. However, after the closure of the club in 1945, their members started frequenting the Saturday Club, which continued till 1947, when the Calcutta Light Horse Regiment was disbanded after the Independence of India in the same year.

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The memorabilia of the Calcutta Light Horse Regiment were gifted to the Saturday Club before the regiment was disbanded and the Saturday Club reciprocated this gesture by naming their Main Bar as Calcutta Light Horse Bar, which houses their Trophies and retains the same old decor and atmosphere. Amongst the collection, there are Victoria and Military Crosses, awarded to the Regiment for gallantry.

The Swimming Pool
The Swimming Pool
The Light Horse Bar
The Light Horse Bar
Inside the club house
Inside the club house

The more than a Century old Saturday Club has gone through constant changes and transition with the passing of time, retaining the aura of the old British culture mixed with the grand Indian Heritage. It carefully maintained the balance between the tradition and the trend of the new generation without diluting the original charm, flavour and heritage of the old world.

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Today, the Club offers all the facilities available in the other top grade clubs in the City, to meet the demand of the day. Apart from the usual games & leisure activities, it also provides facilities of a health club, a beauty parlor, a cyber café, along with the choice of multi cuisines, which includes the Continental, Chinese and Indian dishes. To the delight of the members and their guests, the Club houses an English Pub, open air as well as Classy Bars.

the saturday club
Calcutta Club Calcutta Swimming Club
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Author Details
Dibyendu Banerjee
Ex student of Scottish Church College. Served a Nationalised Bank for nearly 35 years. Authored novels in Bengali. Translated into Bengali novels/short stories of Leo Tolstoy, Eric Maria Remarque, D.H.Lawrence, Harold Robbins, Guy de Maupassant, Somerset Maugham and others. Also compiled collections of short stories from Africa and Third World. Interested in literature, history, music, sports and international films.
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Rabindranath Tagore
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