Delhi Gymkhana was built by service, not privilege

Delhi Gymkhana has suddenly become the perfect political symbol.

- SHIVAM BHAGAT

In a country battling rising fuel prices, inflation, unemployment and declining middle-class purchasing power, nothing serves the optics of “pro-poor versus elite” politics better than targeting a private club in Lutyens’ Delhi. It is easy to create outrage around words like “exclusive”, “legacy membership” and “privilege”. It is far harder to explain the truth.

The truth is that Delhi Gymkhana is not some playground of flashy billionaires disconnected from the country. Nearly 40 percent of its members are former armed forces personnel. Another large section consists of retired bureaucrats, judges and public servants who spent decades serving the Indian state. Many live today on pensions, not corporate fortunes.

Walk into the club on any evening and you are unlikely to see supercars or champagne excess. What you will see are elderly men reading newspapers, retired couples having simple meals, old friends meeting after years of government service, and senior citizens finding companionship in the last phase of life.

For many of them, the club is not a luxury. It is routine, community and emotional support.