The curtain has fallen on the iconic Roshanara Club building in Shakti Nagar — the birthplace of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) — one of the wealthiest sporting organisations in the world. Roshanara Club was sealed at 5 am on Friday as Delhi Development Authority (DDA) did not renew its lease.
The club, founded on August 15, 1922, marked its centenary last year. Initially, the club obtained a 90-year lease, which expired in 2018. However, the club received a temporary extension lasting six months to one year. Six months ago, it received a notice from the DDA to vacate the premises.
This is the ground where the first unofficial test match and the first unofficial Ranji Trophy match were played. Legendary figures of the game such as Jack Hobbs, CK Nayudu, Mushtaq Ali, Amar Singh, Herbert Sutcliffe, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and Frank Worrell were among the early luminaries who graced the hallowed grounds of Roshanara Club.
During the pre-Independence era, the club hosted esteemed guests, including Viceroys and Governor-Generals like Richard Attenborough and the Mountbattens. Eminent dignitaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Zakir Hussain, VV Giri, and Dr Rajendra Prasad frequented the club.
Since then, this ground has been graced by world-class players. Icons like Kapil Dev, Surinder Amarnath, Hari Gidwani, Surinder Khanna, Madan Lal, Bishan Singh Bedi, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, and Ishant Sharma represent only a fraction of the star-studded constellation of cricketers who have played on the revered ground.
During the period when the IPL was played within a bio-secure bubble due to Covid, even premier IPL teams such as the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings opted to conduct their practice sessions on the Roshanara Club premises.
The club officials alleged that the sealing was done despite a stay from the High Court till October 6. On the other hand, DDA officials said sealing has been made in accordance with the law. “There is no illegality in it and the matter is in the cognisance of the court,” they said. Early on Friday, there was unusual activity around Roshanara road as all roads leading to the club were barricaded.
From 5 am, the police, in multiple buses, secured the area and didn’t allow any entry into the club’s premises. Hundreds of clueless members waited at the main gate around 6 am but weren’t allowed to enter. Only office bearers of the club were permitted but even their stay was short. The police personnel stationed outside didn’t reveal much but said, “It’s locked, lease has expired.”
“We have received information from the Deputy Commissioner of Police office that they have been asked by the DDA for a police force to seal the club,” said a senior member of the club to The Pioneer.
“The authority has not renewed the lease. The matter had been in court since the expiry of the lease. The High Court had this year asked the DDA to not take any coercive measure and stayed the order. We approached the lower court as per the High Court’s suggestion. But the lower court dismissed our application on September 27,” said another senior member.
“We had two leases, one from 1922 and another from 1928, in every 30 years they used to get renewed. Our first lease came to an end in 2012, after which we had proper communication with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in which we requested the Ministry to extend its time duration. Accordingly, we got an extension for six months.
“Another lease ended in 2018, after which the MoHUA sent us a letter mentioning that the Government will make a policy so we will be treated accordingly. We approached the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi but he couldn’t help us immediately,” said Rajan Manchanda, general secretary of the Roshanara club.
According to Amit Kumar, chairman of Roshanara Cricket Club, legends like Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Kapil Dev are also honorary members of the club.
For years, it served as the preferred venue for the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to host off-season and selection camps as well.
The club, named after the daughter of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is considered one of the oldest clubs in the country. Rai Bahadur Amba Prasad, Sardar Saheb Sobha Singh (father of noted writer Khuswant Singh), Rai Bahadur Sultan Singh (whose residence at Kashmere Gate known as Sultan Singh Building was the venue of Congress Working Committee meetings), Raymond Grant Govan, owner of then Delhi Flour Mills, Lala Ram Kishore were among the founding members of the club.
There was a period in Delhi cricket where the association hosted their must-win fixtures of Ranji Trophy at the club because of its lively surface and even the best in the business have struggled here.
Encompassing 22 acres, Roshanara stands as a symbol of the club’s endeavour to preserve its illustrious historical heritage while simultaneously adapting to the demands of the contemporary era, exceeding the expectations of its present-day members.
Also, the newly installed floodlights at the cricket ground are a sign of progress and change.
The facility continued to retain the old-world charm for years and also had infrastructure for various other sports like tennis, squash, table tennis and swimming.
