Calcutta International Club hosted its 14th Inter-Club Sports Carnival 2023 from September 1-10, in association with The Telegraph. The ten-day carnival saw participation from 11 prominent social clubs of Calcutta, including Bengal Rowing Club, Calcutta Club, Calcutta Punjab Club, Calcutta Rowing Club, Dakshin Kalikata Sansad, Dalhousie Institute, Indian Life Saving Society, Lake Club, Outram Club, Tollygunge Club and Calcutta International Club. Former cricketers Arun Lal and Sambaran Banerjee, who is also a member of Calcutta International Club, gave away the prizes. Snapshots from the prize distribution ceremony that took place on September 10.
(Clockwise from left) Tollygunje Club was the Darts winner; Bengal Rowing Club was the winner in cricket; Calcutta Rowing Club was the runner-up in Cricket and Darts runner-up was Dalhousie Institute
(Clockwise from left) Calcutta Club finished as runner-up in Antakshari; Calcutta International Club was declared the winner in Antakshari; Dakshin Kalikata Sansad was the runner-up in Bridge and Bengal Rowing Club was the Bridge winner. Vivek Maloo received the award on behalf of the club.
(Clockwise from left) Air Rifle Shooting winner was Dakshin Kalikata Sansad; Dakshin Kalikata Sansad 1 was the tennis winner ; Bengal Rowing Club was the winner in table tennis and Dakshin Kalikata Sansad 2 was the runner-up in tennis.
(Top left) Table Tennis runnerup was Dalhousie Institute
(Bottom left) Dalhousie Institute was the quiz winner. “We look forward to inter-club sports carnivals like this one. It helps build friendship between members of different clubs. Post-work, one can play and relax a bit. The way the carnival has been handled is wonderful,” said Samir Doshi, council member, sports, Dalhousie Institute.
(Right) Rahul Kedia of Bengal Rowing Club won the player of the tournament (cricket) award
(Clockwise from left) “It’s such a celebratory time to get to know members of other clubs. Win or lose, you play hard on the ground and you come off the field, and then you share good vibes and friendship that lasts a lifetime. The happiest moments of my life have been spent more at interclub and intra-club finals. I really enjoy my stay in Bengal and the club culture of Bengal is what makes it (special)... whether it is a para club or a larger club, this is where you meet people and that’s the best part of it,” said former cricketer Arun Lal.
Dr Bimal Kumar Khetawat, president, Calcutta International Club, said: “This is the 14th time we are having this inter-club carnival. The idea is to mingle with the members of different clubs. Many people are experts in different sports, but unless we have a competitive feeling, that won’t come out. After Covid, people stopped going to clubs. So it was important that club members come, play and have that competitive feeling. This time 11 clubs competed and we have had a gala competitive feeling for the last 10 days.”
Jayajit Biswas, president, Dalhousie Institute, said: “I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation for the outstanding efforts of CIC in organising the inter-club sports carnival. The event was a remarkable showcase of sportsmanship, unity and community spirit. It is through events like these that we can forgelasting friendships and create a sense of belonging.”
“It’s a great way to connect with other social clubs of Calcutta and welcome them to our club. It was fun having around 300 participants from the other clubs, this time around. We are privileged to have Arun Lal as the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony. The 15th edition is going to be more fun,” said Arnab Raha, committee member in charge of sports, Calcutta International Club.
Sambaran Banerjee
“This sports carnival has fostered the spirit of friendship and camaraderie among various club members. We all work together towards increasing the cultural and sporting heritage of our city,” said Abhijit Ghosh, Calcutta Club president.
