Chowpatty’s The Orient Club marks milestone; location, old world charm is a draw

It was raining hard when one visited The Orient Club at Chowpatty in South Mumbai on a recent evening The Divine seemed to be blessing the landmark institution as it celebrated its 125th anniversary this yearClub historyThe Club was established on May 1 1900 and was originally named lsquoVilla Marinarsquo The name changed but the impressive venue remained the same The location is part of the magic of this club Facing the NanaNani Park opposite Chowpatty Seaface the Orient Club is around the corner from Babulnath in line with Wilson College ldquoWe are hugely fortunate to have this locationrdquo said club president Anil Thakker as he walked into the threestorey structures restaurant on the first floor High ceilings oldfashioned lights and the grand sweep of the wooden staircase speak of high class and heritageOne can hear history whispering in the clubs corners The keyword is understated ldquoThis is a space which gives meaning to the catchphrase old world charmrdquo said Thakker and Vinod Dattani club secretary who was also at the restaurant ldquoThis is a heritage building with the club on the ground and first floor and tenants use the second and third floor of the buildingrdquo explained the president and secretaryThe club has two halls on the ground floor a card room a pool table table tennis chess facilities and a restaurant and bar It has eight residential rooms ldquoWe also have an affiliation with 29 other clubs across Indiardquo they saidPicturesque terraceThe firstfloor restaurant has a picturesque terrace called lsquoCover Driversquo A compact patch of green with rain glinting on the blades of grass good seating arrangements and a swing make the Cover Drive a space for some memorable meetsldquoWe have a lot of families spending significant lsquowe timersquo at this spacerdquo said the officebearers while adding ldquoOccasionally there are some young people with their friends having a good time at Cover Drive toordquo ldquoThis club is a home away from home families are so comfortable here We have many seniors as our member base but we are trying to now get in younger persons toordquo said the Orient top brassMany of the clubrsquos staffers have spent years at the space proving that they too get a homely vibe from their workplace General Manager Steevan DrsquoAlmeida for example has been at the club for 30 years rising through the ranks to his current position DrsquoAlmeida said ldquoThe staffers are extremely proud of the club and the management Not everybody can say that their workplace is 125 years oldrdquo he laughedMembership openThe club has 450plus members and membership is currently open unlike many other South Mumbai clubs ldquoWe want younger members too We are aware that the demographic is primarily seniors but we are trying to change that Our club has internationallevel bridge players We host several very competitive bridge tourneysrdquo said the president and secretary with Thakker adding ldquoIf the government can allot us land elsewhere we can look at a sister club and develop facilities like a swimming pool tennis and badminton courts maybe even a walking track which would be greatrdquo Dattani conceded this will be extremely tough in South Mumbai ldquoYet maybe something can be developed in the suburbs if we get landrdquo said the secretaryHeadtruning buildingThe Art Deco building is a head turner The club counts Bhulabhai J Desai HH Prince Aga Khan HH Sayajirao Gaikwad Sir Cowasjee Jehangir and many extremely illustrious names amongst its members Yet the Orient Club is aptly located at the lsquoChowrsquo patty the accent being on lsquochowrsquoThe club still evokes mdash ldquoooh what foodrdquo reaction from most The Orient Club committee including Jt secretary Navin Khokhani said collectively ldquoWe have a vegetarian menu which is the talk of the club circuit and is famous outside the member circle toordquo They smiled as crispy ghughras a crescentshaped savoury snack filled with French beans and peas arrived on restaurant tables along with khandavi the snack which is a small soft yellow bedroll that unfurls in the mouth ldquoIn season time there are standing orders for the Orientrsquos undhiyardquo said DattaniAs one exited the premises standing at the front porch members informed that years ago ldquoThe clubrsquos land extended till the road divider Eventually the BMC took that setback landrdquo On exiting the premises there was a crack of lightning and a clap of thunder One could not help thinking even the heavens were putting up a sound lsquonrsquolight show for The Orient Club