Once again, the Chairman of the so-called prestigious Mysore Race Club (MRC) has been forced to resign in the face of a coup by the Committee. This reminds us all that club culture has eroded and clubs are now like mini-Assembly Constituencies.

One usually joins a club to pursue a passion or interest — be it a Book Club, a Social Service Club or any Sports Club. But of late, one can’t help but notice most clubs have become a place for wannabe politicians and people with a fetish for ‘designations’ — Chairman, President, etc.

Worse, service clubs have mutated into ‘self-service’ clubs where members join solely to boost their businesses or inflate their status in society.

When this is the mindset of members, there is bound to be corruption and violence as there have been cases of assault in prestigious clubs like Mysore Sports Club, Golf Club and Mysore Race Club.  

No wonder, these days when a youngster says they’re ‘going clubbing,’ it’s met with a casual “Have fun!” But when a husband announces his plans to visit the club, the wife asks in panic: “For what? With whom? Do you really have to go? And what time will you be back?”

It’s clear that whatever charm and class these places once had, it’s long gone.

In fact, Mysuru’s elite clubs are almost a parody of Indian democracy. The members might be well-heeled, supposedly educated elites, but the politics within is as murky as anything you’d find in real-world governance.

The elections held at these clubs bear a striking resemblance to our Assembly elections. As the joke goes, “Different, but same-same.”

In club elections, candidates aren’t judged on their competence or character. Instead, caste equations, cash deals and free-flowing alcohol are the key factors.

It’s basically like Assembly elections, but with fewer castes, smaller amounts of money and more expensive alcohol —  instead of whiskey in sachets, it’s Scotch whiskey in bottles.

The most striking similarity of course is – NO RETIREMENT AGE. 

There are those who want to be ‘Forever’ Committee Members,’ or as I call them FCMs. These are the kind of people who always remain in club committees because without that, they have no identity.

One may notice in some of Mysuru’s prestigious clubs, the same people have been in the Committee for decades!

Recently, I met a person who was running for the committee of a club. I had met him as a committee member of a club when I was 12 years old. Today, I am a man in my late 40s and still that man is in the Committee and                      wants to continue!

There seems to be no concept of shame or embarrassment among such FCMs, the lack of which is a sign that they have no club culture.

Club culture is not about wearing a suit and tie or speaking polished English. It is about knowing the significance of mutual respect, purpose of rules and maintaining decorum. It’s about being a ‘gentleman.’ And knowing when to leave gracefully is part of it.

But today, in Mysuru’s top clubs, the behaviour of many members is anything but gentlemanly. Petty, ego-driven and entitled, they cling to their positions like toddlers clutching their  favourite toy.

And like unthinking political followers, the so-called educated members blindly support their chosen Chairman or President, no matter how absurd.

Take for example, the time Mysuru Golf Club spent a whopping Rs. 13.5 lakh of club funds on legal fees, all to save face for its President. There was no significant protest by members!

Imagine what that money could have done for a promising young golfer instead. But no, vanity must be served first.

Clubs were once serene sanctuaries — places for camaraderie, calm and, dare I say, class. Now, they’re glorified canteens where cheap liquor flows, where politicking and gossip is the order of the day.

Once, clubs were sanctuaries where friendships blossomed into lifelong bonds. They were places where you didn’t just meet friends, but grew alongside them — watching each other’s families evolve, offering support through life’s ups and downs. These relationships became a second family, a network of trust and loyalty.

But today, club politics has poisoned those once-meaningful connections. What were once genuine friendships have been reduced to fragile alliances, tainted by insecurity and opportunism.

Most clubs, both social and service clubs of Mysuru have lost their way, and what’s left is an ugly reflection of the very worst aspects of society.

In the end, just as democracy is a reflection of its voters, the state of these prestigious clubs reflects the quality of its members. And, sadly the reflection is ugly.

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