Bengaluru: The row over a panche (dhoti)-clad farmer being denied entry to a high-end mall in Bengaluru and the mall’s temporary closure last week has revived an old debate in Karnataka over dress codes in elite clubs, malls and other such establishments.
Legislators in the state took turns to bash the “colonial mindsets” of clubs, which continue to deny entry to prominent personalities, including politicians, based on their own rules of admission.
Basavaraj Rayareddi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s economic advisor, called these clubs “nalayak (worthless)”, while several others demanded the regulation of dress codes and rights of admission into these spaces.
“There are two issues here. One, with regard to admission and dress code, where there are several restrictions. The other is that these clubs have been given civic amenities that are provided to construct roads, parks, temples, cemeteries, etc. for the public,” V.S. Ugrappa, Congress leader and former member of Parliament told ThePrint.
“Several of these clubs have been given land for nominal fee or for free. But they charge astronomical membership fees with waiting periods spanning several years,” he added.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and incharge of Bengaluru city development, D.K. Shivakumar, has promised comprehensive dress code guidelines for public places. The call for a review of the dress code is the third such demand in the last 10 years, but with little headway towards the implementation of any proposed rules for clubs.
There have been several instances in the past of prominent figures being denied entry to elite spaces across the country over their attires. Reportedly, former prime minister V.P. Singh was once asked to change into a suit to enter the Calcutta Club.
In Karnataka, around the year 2000, Siddaramaiah, accompanied by a legislator and the then Bangalore Police commissioner, was denied entry into the Bangalore Club for wearing a panche and slippers. This had led to furore among elected representatives and the club was slapped with several notices over liquor licences, property taxes and other regulations.
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‘Memberships for elected representatives’
A journalist watching the final game of the FIFA World Cup at a private club in Karnataka’s Belagavi, a tier-2 city, in December 2022, was asked to leave or return wearing trousers.
“A person (adult male aged 18-60 years) has to come in trousers and shoes, with or without a collar. All senior citizens are exempted. They can come in any white dhoti or shirt. Children and women don’t come under the purview of dress code,” Srikanth, secretary of the Bowring Institute in Bengaluru, told ThePrint, describing the club’s rules.
The Bangalore Club did not respond to queries on the matter by ThePrint.
A 2020 report by a sub-committee headed by N. Ravikumar, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and member of the Karnataka legislative council, had recommended that entry should not be denied to anyone wearing traditional or Indian clothing. There were references to regulating membership fees and allowing anyone with appropriate clothing, irrespective of ethnicity.
One of the 23 recommendations by the committee was that those clubs, which were granted land by the government at subsidised prices or for free, should give membership to elected representatives from the respective constituencies in at least two clubs of the latter’s choice.
The demand for memberships by elected representatives, according to patrons, is a problem.
In early 2021, officials from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had arrived at the Delhi Gymkhana to take over the running of the institution over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had previously said that the land for the Golf Club — spread over 220 acres — was given by the government, and the club had just 3000 members, many of whom were members of elite families, who had passed on or granted memberships to family and friends.
Between 2010 and 2012, the issue of taking back the land granted to the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium was discussed by the Bengaluru city corporation council at length, after elected corporators were refused free tickets.
‘Shift clubs out of the city’
A. Manju, a Janata Dal (Secular) legislator, former minister and head of another old committee reviewing dress codes for clubs, said that these spaces had become increasingly “autocratic” and “arbitrary”.
“Even H.D. Deve Gowda was denied entry into a club in Mudigere. Imagine that, an ex-prime minister was denied entry into a club, because he was wearing a Panche,” Manju said, unable to recall when the incident took place, adding that it had led to protests against the club management.
However, even though legislators criticise the imposition of dress code in clubs, entry to Vidhana Soudha — the state secretariat — is denied to those wearing black shirts, especially when an assembly session is underway. This reporter was denied entry into the assembly about two years ago for wearing a black-coloured shirt, despite having all relevant entry passes.
The Karnataka Regulation of Entry to Public Places and Regulation of Clubs Bill was previously proposed to be introduced in the assembly. “There is no penalty or punishment specified for denial of entry into malls or clubs, and this bill proposes to specify these details,” said one person aware of the developments. However, it has not been tabled yet.
The Karnataka government has planned to open a ‘Constitution Club of Karnataka’ on the same lines as Delhi, aiming to create a space, where past and present elected representatives can interact at leisure, without having to follow a dress code.
Activists say that dress codes are “colonial vestiges” and should be done away with. But the bigger issue, they add, is the occupation of large tracts of land in prime localities by the clubs, while the larger public gets no benefit.
“These clubs were given land over a 100 years ago, when it was considered good to have them within the city. But now, these spaces exist at a premium. These clubs should be shifted out of the city, so that the spaces can be converted into public amenities, which can be used by all,” Vinay Sreenivasa, advocate and activist, told ThePrint.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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