Calcutta Club’s current president — Dr Amit Kumar Roy — is a longstanding and esteemed member of the club and he spoke to t2 about the club’s iconic status and expressed immense pride and privilege in being its member and president. He encourages all members to make the club their second home and strive to maintain its heritage.

How long have you been a member of Calcutta Club?

Since 1986. After I returned from England in 1985, the then-president of the club told me to become a member of the club and I blankly refused. I said ‘no’ but he insisted. It was a different time. I applied in November 1985 and I became a full-time member of Calcutta Club in January 1986. It has been almost 40 years at the club.

What changes have you seen over the years?

It’s a difficult question to answer because changes have been gradual. Time changes everything. The club has changed over the years because the whole society has changed, Bengal has changed and our values have changed. We never had lady members in the club in yesteryears, but that changed gradually over time. The club started taking in more and more lady memberships who started becoming active members of the club. With time, we changed.

How do you plan to attract younger generations to the club?

We do not especially attract the younger generation, but I’ll give you some statistics. The majority of members who now join are between ages 35 and 50. That’s been the range for the last two years. Unfortunately, if you talk about footfall of members, old members are more in number and they regularly use the club than younger members. The reason behind it is that most young members are leaving Calcutta and going outside for jobs. Previously, people like us were in Calcutta; we work here and everything is here. But you know, the young generation... they are on the trot all the time. To solve the issue, we are trying to host more energetic events and building a children’s corner to attract more and more young people to the club.

Which is your favourite zone in the club?

The wide green lawn. It looks so beautiful during monsoon. The whole club is a palatial building which adds charm to every season. If you sit on the porch you can savour every bit of it.

How do plan to balance tradition with modernity in a club as old as Calcutta Club?

I think the most important thing is like when you grow up, you look at your parents, you look at your father or mother and idealise them that one day ‘I’ll be like that’. The best way to balance modernity is to mix it up... tradition and heritage. I think it’s a tradition to maintain the heritage and give access to new thoughts. That is the best thing which I think would really enrich. We host a lot of Indian classical musical nights that many young members love to attend.

Any new updates for Calcutta Club?

I’ve got two things in mind. One I’ve already done. We have had a real structural audit by Larsen & Toubro. Also, this is a 117-year-old club where you’ll see a few cracks here and there that need reworking. We are coming up with a children’s zone in the outdoors. We are doing some interior decor changes.