Cal Club win to add spring in step for swish set’s gender parity march
Times of India | 27 July 2025
Kolkata: A day after winning the president's election, Calcutta Club's first woman president Kasturi Raha is still soaking in the congratulatory messages both for herself and her gender. But for most other colonial-era social clubs in the city, complete gender parity is still some distance away. In other premier social clubs, such as Bengal Club, Tolly Club, RCGC, RCTC, Calcutta Rowing Club and CCFC, no woman has ever led the club or contested for the top post, according to members. At most of the premier clubs, women's representation in the committee is either low or non-existent. The proportion of women to the total number of members is below 20% at most clubs. Raha told TOI it was a historical win. "Calcutta Club will have its first woman president in 117 years. To become the president of this club in itself is an achievement. I could not have achieved this without the support of the members who were present there and voted for me. I also had the blessings of those who were not present," she said. At Calcutta Club, the total number of members is 3,850, among whom less than 300 are women. Gautam Roy, a senior member of Calcutta Club, called the 2025 election a "landmark" one. "This time, not only was a woman elected president at the club but there was also another woman in the committee, Anusua Das, who received the maximum number of votes," he said.
The club circuit has been witnessing a slow change over the past few years. While the 150-year-old Saturday Club had its first and only woman president almost 18 years ago, Dalhousie Institute elected its first and only woman president in 2015. Congratulating Raha on her achievement, DI's immediate past president Jayajit Biswas, said, "At Dalhousie Institute, we are especially delighted, having had the distinction of electing Denise Smith as the first woman president in 2015. We currently have four dynamic women on our council.
" Recalling her days as DI president, Smith said, "It was an honour to be the first woman president of the 165-year-old DI. There were so many illustrious Kolkatans who were DI presidents before me. The progressive spirit embodies our club—from women empowerment to strong cosmopolitan credentials, to quizzing to jazz and more.
" Welcoming the development at Calcutta Club, the immediate past president of Bengal Club, Sumit Ray, pointed out they, too, were looking at a woman president in the next few years. "We now have two women in our committee. We don't have any election at our club. Here, a member becomes a president on seniority basis. So at one point, a woman will become a president," he said, adding several women had joined the club the past couple of years. "We are now very gender equal," he added. The CEO of Tolly Club, V Ganapathy, and former Tolly president Aniruddha Lahiri lauded the election result at Calcutta Club. "I am really happy Calcutta Club has chosen a woman to lead the club affairs," Ganapathy said. The steward of RCTC and six-time president of South Club, Enrico Piperno, who was also a leading tennis player, pointed out that if a woman could lead a country why not a club. "At RCTC, Smita Bajoria served on the committee for a long time. But historically, RCTC being a racing club, the number of male members is much more," he said. RCGC captain Gaurav Ghosh said, "Unlike many other clubs, we at RCGC, have had woman members for over 40 years.
"Calcutta Rowing Club secretary Chandan Roychowdhury described Raha's win as a great example of women's empowerment. "CRC is perhaps the only club that has had woman members since inception," he pointed out.
Rishabh C Kothari, the president of Hindusthan Club, said it was heartening to see a woman elected to the leadership position at Calcutta Club. "Several clubs in Kolkata, including Hindusthan Club, have witnessed a generational shift in recent years with fresh teams and new ideas coming in. This change is a welcome step towards meeting the aspirations of a younger generation and reflects a growing commitment to inclusivity and gender diversity in club leadership," said Kothari, who is also a member of Calcutta Swimming Club and Bengal Rowing Club.