1st July 2025
Dear Members,
Hope this mail finds all of you and your families well.
As I come to the end of my Presidential year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for your continued support and good wishes which made my tenure as President memorable and worth every moment.
The last three months have seen the commencement and completion of a lot of repair and maintenance work of your club that was necessary and critical. The renovation of the next four rooms of The Chambers has begun and in line with our thematic idea (first four rooms were themed on Tea, Rice, Jute and Indigo – commodities that Bengal is famous for. For the next four rooms we have decided to refurbish them as a tribute to the four legends of Bengal Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Jamini Roy and Uday & Ravi Shankar. These rooms will be unique in their design but not compromise on the comfort and convenience and allow each of our guests to take back with them some information on these legends who have shaped the unique dimensions of art and culture of Bengal.
Our current main Club House is over 114 years old and was never built to withstand the current spate and wrath of the cyclones that have increased over time. To combat that and the problems of flooding, the entire drainage and leakage systems have been overhauled. We have also renovated the General Office, the F&B Office, the President’s and CEO’s rooms and all our Staff & Security Quarters. The renovation of the Main reception is underway. Once the reception is ready we will launch the BC Boutique that will allow our Members and their Guests to buy/gift unique souvenirs of The Bengal Club that have been designed and branded for our institution. The physical print copy of the Member’s Directory is also underway.
On 2nd April 2025, your General Committee felicitated 17 of our oldest members who have completed more than 50 years in the club in the august presence of our former President’s and former First Ladies. We hope that this tradition continues over time. The 3rd edition of the Pub Quiz at The Huddle on 11th May saw a crowded venue and a very enjoyable evening. Poila Boisakh was celebrated with a very interesting food festival on 13th April aptly named ‘Opar Bangla Epar Bangla’ that was very well attended. 19th Apr witnessed an interesting Dialogues session with Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Darshan Shah on ‘Past Challenges and Future Possibilities of India’s shared Textile Heritage with Bangladesh.’ Our new Oriental Menu was launched in April 2025 and our regular Bridge Tournaments continue at the club.
On 10th June our Library SC held a very special evening where our Former Governor of West Bengal Shri Gopal Krishna Gandhi spoke about his latest book ‘The Undying Light’ – A Personal History of Independent India. He was in conversation with our very own senior member Prof. Rudrangshu Mukherjee. The very sought-after event of our Club, the Members Night was held on 28th June 2025. Curated and directed by our very own Mrs. Suchita Raychaudhury (she has been doing this for the club for the past 21 years) saw a galaxy of talented Members singing, dancing, reciting and play reading to a packed house. And finally, on Saturday 12th July we will be hosting the very talented and celebrated singer Iman Chakraborty.
As I end my tenure, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Management and Union Staff for their hard work and commitment to this club. They are truly the backbone of our institution and their dedication and service makes your experience very special each time you walk in. I also wish the new President and his General Committee who will be elected at our Annual General Meeting (to be held on Friday 18th July 2025 at 1730hrs) the very best and am sure that they will take this great institution to newer heights.
As we approach our Bi-Centenary Year in 2027, I hope that all of you come forward and support all the initiatives and participate in earnest fervour to make this milestone year a truly memorable one.
With my very best wishes,
Sumit Ray
