A quaint club in the sky

Arindam Sarkar

The Darjeeling Club, which is popularly known as the Planters' Club, came into existence in 1868. British started tea plantation in Darjeeling from the middle of the nineteenth century and soon they felt the need to have a club for the planters and the small community of expatriates that lived in Darjeeling. Thus the British tea planters established the Planters' Club of Darjeeling.

Darjeeling also called the Queen of the Hill Stations was inaugurated by Capt. Lloyd and in 1839 it was handed over to Dr A Campbell, who was the Superintendent of Darjeeling for 20 years. At that time, not more than 20 families lived in the Hills. Dr Campbell not only introduced English flowers and fruits in the area but also experimented with tea in Darjeeling. In course of time, tea plantation began to flourish in the Hills.

In those days, planters in sola topee and breeches came riding to the town to relax and entertain themselves in the club. Once inside the club portals, the planters changed into formal clothes and settled down to sip their drinks.

Liveried bearers served the white planters, as the Brits got engrossed talking about the flushes of the tea crop and the letters they have received from the head office. Late into the night, their voices became louder and slurred, till they eventually waked out of the club after exchanging pleasantries.

With the passage of years, the Planters' Club, which was a male bastion, began to be infiltrated by women. And with women came change in gossip. Women participated in animated discussions about their servants, food, flowers, vegetable gardens and fashion.

As time passed, the dress code also changed in the club. Gone are the long skirts of women and the stiff dress of men. Long dresses have now given way to saris, jeans and salwars; men still wear trousers but of a different cut. Even ties are no longer compulsory. Nevertheless, members try to preserve the historical values of the Planters' Club as much as possible.

Planters' Club is located in the heart of Darjeeling. It is just opposite Keventers and is diagonal to Glenary’s. It is located on the main thoroughfare that leads to the Mall.  The founders of the club had selected a spot for the club from where the snowy peaks of the Kanchenjunga could be easily visible.

The Maharaja of Cooch Behar donated the land for the club and legend has it that only his rickshaw (there were no cars in Darjeeling in those days), pulled and pushed by splendidly liveried porters, was permitted to park in the portico of the club. Regardless of his or her status, no other member was allowed this privilege!

The “Quarter Deck” of the club is an interesting pavilion. Standing or sitting here, the members can get a good view of the busy town below and the Mall. In the 1940s, the club extended both wings of the building, keeping the main structure untouched. The décor of the old rooms is absolutely colonial. The Lounge has historical watercolours by Snaffles – one of the Raj painters who specialized in hunting scenes.

The Billiard Room has priceless photographs of the third expedition to Mt. Everest in 1924 – the climb in which Mallory and Irvin lost their lives. The oxygen cylinders have been conserved at the club entrance in their memory. Channel 4 of BBC began their documentary of the expedition from this club.

The walls of the Billiard Room still have heads of mountain goats, Himalayan bears and wild buffaloes shot in the foothills by the former club members.

During World War II, a number of British planters joined the army but those who couldn’t, formed a paramilitary force. They named it North Bengal Mounted Rifles. When they disbanded, the funds that had been collected were donated to the club and their generosity has been commemorated on a plaque, which is displayed on a wall.

A World War I Gattling Gun, gifted by Col. Francis Younghusband who led the first British military expedition to Tibet, adorns the “Quarter Deck”. A restaurateur now manages the magnificent dining room with its panelled walls and teak ceiling.

From the very beginning, the members felt the need to provide residential facility in the club. A journey on a horseback over hazardous roads from the remote tea gardens located across steep ridges and deep valleys made it difficult for the planters to return home after revelry. So over the years, the club constructed 20 rooms and upgraded. It is the rooms made completely of teak wood that is most beautiful. Those rooms are placed on the first floor of the Planters Club.

“It is a challenge to keep the rich tradition and heritage of the Planters' Club alive,” said Secretary of the club Major (Retd) JS Rana. The liveried bearers, the colonial structure, the wood-paneled rooms, paintings, guns, Victorian furniture and many things British give the Planters Club a flavour that is very much a part of Darjeeling.