Secunderabad Club

The Secunderabad Club is an elite club located in Secunderabad, India. It started as an exclusive club for the officers of the British Cantonment, but has since started accepting members from the Indian armed forces and high officials from the Government and private business.

The club has excellent recreational facilities including indoor and outdoor sports. It has facilities to organise social gatherings and is quite a popular gathering spot for the well to do in the city. Membership to the club is exclusive and difficult to obtain.

The Secunderabad Club is one of the five oldest Clubs in India, the oldest club being the Bengal Club of Kolkota. The club has gone through 2 name changes before the name Secunderabad Club finally settled. The Club was established on April 26, 1878 and was originally known as the Secunderabad Public Rooms. It was renamed the Secunderabad Garrison Club, the Secunderabad Gymkhana Club and the United Services Club.

The earliest records state that this Club was formed by the British Garrisons that were stationed in Secunderabad under an agreement with the 5th Nizam “Sikander Jah”. The Club was then known as Garrison Club.

Over a period of 15 to 20 years the British presence in Hyderabad increased and the Britishers brought in their civilian officers to look after the Nizams, Railways which were set up, as well as the Judicial system to administer the cantonment area.

The Nizam also requisitioned the British Officers to help him set up the Electrical, Water works and various Revenue reforms in the state. During this period, which was in the late 1800’s, the name of Garrison Club was changed to United Services Club representing the membership from all parts of the services. The Club was no longer an Army Club and it served all the services represented by the Britishers.

As time went by the officers later on changed the name to Secunderabad Club since it was situated in Secunderabad. This name changing coincided with the presentation by Salar Jung I the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad State to the resident at that point of time of his hunting lodge. The club came to the current location in March 1903.

The Story goes that the Club was situated in a small run down building and when the Resident’s desired to come to the Club, Salar Jung got to know of it and offered his hunting lodge as a befitting building to house the club where the Resident could come in and spend his evening.

Accordingly the rules of the Secunderabad Club mention that the Salar Jungs lineal descendants will be made members of Secunderabad Club without ballot or admission fee which is followed to this day. The Club is situated in the Tokatta village, which was Salar Jung’s Jagir.

The historical papers and documents speak of Cantonment Area which is most of Secunderabad, but when the areas were handed over for Administration purpose only to the Britishers, the farwans or law promulgated by the Nizam states that those areas, which are under the occupation of his Nawabs and Jagirdhars, will not be disturbed by the Bristishers.

Till 1947 there were only British Presidents of the Club and a few high-ranking nobility were offered membership and were members of the Secunderabad Club.

The First Indian President was Major General El Edross who was in the Hyderabad Army. After that when the Indian Armed forces over ran Hyderabad in September 1948 General Choudary under whose command the Indian Armed Forces were, became the President for a few months. Immediately thereafter the Club went into the Indian hands and Najaf Ali Khan an ICS Officer was elected as the President of the Club in 1948 and later on went on to become the receiver of Salar Jung estate when Salar Jung III died in 1950.

The Club has some of the finest facilities and used to have Bollarum Golf Course and a Sailing Club as Annexes to the Main Club which was nearly 21 acres in area. The Golf Club was eventually taken over by the army in 1983 after expiry of the lease period.

External links

* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/11/26/stories/2003112600040300.htm "Shrine of the sahib log" Article at The Hindu]
* [http://www.secunderabadclub.org Official Website]