The new president of The Saturday Club has a lot of plans for his “second home”. Kaustuv Bose wants the club to be an “enigma”, and this, he believes, can happen only when new ideas enter the system. He speaks passionately about opening the membership of the 150-year-old club. “Somewhere in the ’90s, we shut permanent membership, except for members’ children. So, what happened was, only the people who became members and their children applied; no new people were coming in,” said Bose as we sat on the lawns on a winter evening. The club was already buzzing with activities — a floodlit tournament in full swing, sound check of an upcoming show, and the digital art of two big nights — 24th and 31st — teasing everyone.
Bose continued: “The club will die unless there is fresh blood of members. Once we take in fresh blood, we will be able to improve the fortunes of the club both financially as well as in terms of usage. So, there will be new activities, new events, new ideas, new programmes.... Successive committees have tried to open it but, somehow, they have not got the model right. I am trying it too.”
Bose has been coming to the club as a kid with his parents, and started a more serious journey in the club’s ballot committee in 2017. “I have seen during pandemic how the club was shut.... From 2021, I became a part of the general committee, which is essentially the board of directors. And then, for three years, I worked in different departments. I handled the food and catering, our house building and maintenance, and projects, and human resources. Later, I spent a year as vice-president, which is essentially an understudy to the president, understanding how things are. Finally, this year, on September 18, I won the elections, and I became the president,” shared Bose as music filled the air, reminding us that Christmas and New Year are just weeks away.
Bose is a man of reforms. Full of energy and a vision for the club, he shares with us the letter he wrote to the members of the club when he assumed office. It not just laid out the work that he has taken up but also established that he is someone who believes in reforms. From adopting e-voting to revising corporate membership fees and appointing professionals to strengthen and enhance the management of the club, Bose has already ticked off a lot from his to-do list. Also, while there are cost-cutting measures that have been adopted, the children’s play area is being given priority. The coming year will see a lot of new additions to the club, including a Pickleball court, EV charging stations, and an indoor sports room.
Bose is forward-thinking and his list also includes making the club environment friendly.
“Today, we are having an electric vehicle charging point. It may not make too much of an impact, but it certainly will reduce our carbon footprint. Going forward, one should look at having solar cells, panels, and so on, so as to reduce electricity cost,” said Bose, who believes clubs need to reinvent themselves.
“Clubs have to reinvent themselves, make themselves more relevant today. Today, people should not only come to this club because one can get cheap liquor and food. There has to be an exclusivity; there has to be a little bit of an enigma,” he added, before listing out the many events that they have started planning, including Barge Party and Valentine’s Day.