Gymkhana

This article is about Indian subcontinent culture. For other uses, see Gymkhana (disambiguation). For the equestrian competition, see gymkhana (equestrian).

Gymkhana (/ˈdʒɪmˈkɑːnə/) (Urdu: جِم خانہ, Sindhi: جمخانه, Hindi: जिमख़ाना, Assamese: জিমখানা, Bengali: জিমখানা) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Persian word "Jamat-khana".^[1] Most gymkhanas have a Gymkhana Club associated with them, a term coined during the British Raj for gentlemen's club.

Karachi Gymkhana Club in 1890

More generally, gymkhana refers to a social and sporting club in the Indian subcontinent, and in other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore, as well as in East Africa.

Etymology

Bombay Gymkhana or Bombay Gym

The first element of Gymkhana comes from gend meaning ball in Urdu/Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli.^[2] This element is distinct from the English word gym, short for gymnasium and gymnastics which has Greek and Latin roots.^[3] The second element, khānā has a Persian origin, meaning a home or a compartment. In Persian, (خانه) is a term for dwelling, house.^[4] The court language of the Mughal Empire was Persian.

See also

• List of India's gentlemen's clubs
• Hindu Gymkhana
• Bombay Gymkhana, Mumbai
• Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
• Delhi Gymkhana, Delhi
• Golaghat Gymkhana, Assam
• Madras Gymkhana Club, Chennai
• Gymkhana Ground, Rangoon, Myanmar
• Jamalpur Gymkhana, Bihar
• Jorhat Gymkhana Club, Assam
• Karachi Gymkhana Club, Pakistan
• Lahore Gymkhana Club, Pakistan
• Nairobi Gymkhana Club, Kenya