New Delhi: Marked by a weathered black sign, and accessed by a narrow flight of stairs, the India Club in London can be inconspicuous despite its location in the heart of the British capital.
But to generations of South Asians living in or visiting the UK, the seven-decade-old establishment has been the ultimate desi hangout — a home away from home — which explains the heartbreak going around since it was announced last week that the club was closing for good.
“The club is historic,” said London-based Pakistani political commentator Ayesha Siddiqa. “There was and will never be anything like it (the India Club) in the world.”
Nabanita Sircar, a journalist based out of London and an India Club regular, echoed the sentiment.
“I was very sorry to hear that it (the India Club) was shutting down. It’s almost like a personal loss, which you cannot say about many places,” she said.
The iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar will take its final orders on 17 September.
Having lost a five-year battle against Marston Properties, which owns the building where the India Club is located, on its redevelopment, lessee Yadgar Marker announced last week, “It is with a very heavy heart that we announce the closure of the India Club, with our last day open to the public on 17 September.”
The India Club was set up in 1951 by India’s first High Commissioner to the UK, V.K. Krishna Menon — a figure of suspicion for the British for decades after Independence for his alleged “communist sympathies” — along with other members of the erstwhile India League.
The India League played a crucial role in the freedom struggle in the 1920s by lobbying for Indian Independence in Britain, including in its parliament, and focusing on changing public views on colonialism by highlighting British atrocities.
The club’s founding members also include former PM Jawaharlal Nehru, Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of India’s last viceroy and Chandran Tharoor, the father of MP Shashi Tharoor and a correspondent in post-war London.
It moved to its current location in London’s Strand area in 1964.
According to its website, which describes the club as “charmingly eccentric”, the establishment was set up by the India League “to further Indo-British friendship in the post-Independence era”.
Over the years, the India Club grew into a haven for South Asian immigrants arriving on British shores, and a hub for organisations such as the Indian Journalist Association, Indian Workers Association and Indian Socialist Group of Britain, the Curry Club and more.
Yadgar and his wife Freny got the lease for the club in 1997.
Also Read: V.K. Krishna Menon, the ‘evil genius’ behind the non-aligned movement
A peek at old India
The India Club is located inside Hotel Strand Continental, minutes away from the Indian High Commission. It is also a short walk from Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and the British Parliament. It is divided across two floors in a six-storey building — the first floor being the bar and the second consisting of the restaurant.
Its main attraction for South Asians of all stripes is its delectable offerings — from dosa-sambar to butter chicken and dal and more — at moderate rates.
Entering the club is like a peek into India’s past — the formica tabletops, faded menus and ageing furniture give the place an ambience that patrons describe as bathed in nostalgia.
Sircar said the “place felt like being inside someone’s home”.
“From the old furniture, pictures of Nehru, Gandhi, it felt like walking into old India inside London,” she added.
Siddiqa said the India Club “never tried to be modern or fit in with contemporary politics”.
“Even today, it was one of the few places in London where the walls were covered with old photographs of prominent personalities like Nehru, Indira Gandhi, former President Radhakrishnan, Chandran Tharoor among others.”
Battle for existence
Despite its significance as a living piece of history, the club had been under threat since 2018, with Marston looking to build modern tourist accommodation on the property.
At the time, the Markers organised a campaign to get the property a ‘listed building’ status by Historic England, citing its role in UK-India history.
A certification from this British government body responsible for protecting the country’s heritage makes it difficult to alter buildings.
The Markers’ 2018 ‘Save India Club’ campaign, with roughly 26,000 signatures, resulted in a brief victory when the Westminster City Council rejected Marston Properties’ plea to demolish the building housing the club.
However, the club failed to get a ‘listed building’ status.
One of the reasons is the fact that the India Club was originally set up in Craven Street, near Trafalgar Square, and that building is reportedly listed.
Among those who expressed dismay at the club’s closure was Tharoor, who posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “as the son of one of its founders, I lament the passing of an institution that served so many Indians (and not only Indians) for nearly three-quarters of a century”.
“For many students, journalists and travellers, it was a home away from home, offering simple and good quality Indian food at affordable prices as well as a convivial atmosphere to meet and maintain friendships,” he added.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
Also Read: Was Krishna Menon thinking of a coup against Nehru? COAS Gen Thimayya had privately said this