Dhaka Club
| Formation | 19 August 1911 |
|---|---|
| Type | Social club, sports and recreation |
| Headquarters | Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Location |
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Membership
|
1500 |
|
Official language
|
English |
|
President
|
Syed Shahed Reza |
| Website | http://www.dhakaclubltd.com/ |
The Dhaka Club (formerly spelled as Dacca Club) is the oldest recreation organisation and the largest of elite clubs in Dhaka. Originally it was an all-white association and it now is the premier elite association in Bangladesh.
Dhaka club has been described as "an oasis of calm in a frantic city, a colonial relic with several acres of lawns, tennis courts, reading rooms." It has been noted that "the real old-school Dhaka wealth and political power calls this recreation club home." According to journalist M. J. Akbar, "In times of ferment the city is ruled by Dhaka University; in times of peace the city is controlled by Dhaka Club."
The club is located near Shahbag Intersection. It is surrounded by Dhaka University, Bangladesh National Museum, Hotel Sheraton, BIRDEM Hospital, Ramna Park and the Suhrawardy Udyan.
The club has facilities for meetings and seminars, as well as hall rooms, guest-rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, playing courts and rooms for table tennis, billiards, cards, squash, and lawn tennis, and a swimming pool. The wood-paneled club house is one of the few surviving British Raj era buildings in Dhaka. The Dhaka Club has three clay tennis courts and two squash courts. In former times, indoor and outdoor games were dominant features of the club. At present, it gives considerable attention to cultural activities.
The origins of the club date back to 1825 when European residents in Old Dhaka established a Gentleman's club in Victoria Park (now known as Bahadur Shah Park) by that name. It was established in place of an older club known as the Armenian Club or the Antagar (a corruption of Addagar or Gossip House). The last name rendered its name to the park which came to be known as Antagar Maidan (Antaghor Field). After the club shifted elsewhere East India Company bought the land in 1862. In 1851 the club premise shifted to Ramna with help from local aristocrats along with Europeans. The land of Dhaka Club was leased out from the Dhaka Nawab Family from his Shahbag garden estate.
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Wikipedia