A cosmetics workshop for women at Saturday Club and (below) teeing off at RCGC is a trendy way for ladies to keep busy

Women members of city clubs have far more to look forward to than the occasional coffee meets, cocktail parties and sporting events where they cheer more than participate. As the clubs break out of their moulds as sporting hubs, they are creating more exclusive avenues for ladies’ entertainment.

There are more or less equal number of events for men and women at Saturday Club, says outgoing president Renu Roy. “We don’t really distinguish between events for men and women. They are all held at regular intervals. But we do host programmes in the specific interest of women,” says the first-ever woman president of a city club.

The club roster of events for women includes musical events and fashion shows. Theatre is very popular. The club recently hosted a coffee meet where the festival of Saawan was celebrated through a fashion and dance extravaganza. Karva Chauth celebrations, breast cancer awareness talks and cosmetic therapy workshops have also been held on the club grounds.

At CC&FC too there is a lot on offer, especially with the young in mind. Besides coffee meets, the ladies get to shake a leg at the ladies’ nights out, where a DJ spins music and the drinks are on the house. “I think there has been a change in degree and not in kind. The kitty parties that were very much like British tea parties have given way to these nights out. Some of these are very constructive. I had attended a talk where Shobhaa De had come,” says Reshmi Bose, member of CC&FC. A beauty workshop with actress Soha Ali Khan is another prominent event that the club has hosted.

A sporting club like RCGC has chosen to stick to all things golf even when it comes to engaging the women members of the club. “Ladies golf rounds take place every Thursday. There is also a medal that is given out every month. Ever since (golfer) Anu Bindra has come into the committee last year, she has taken an active interest in this,” says Jaideep Gangopadhyay, general manager, administration, RCGC.

Bindra, the convenor of sports at RCGC, feels that the clubs are “opening up to the ladies”. “They are taking in more women members. Initially the golf tournament was very haphazard. Now it is more organised. I want to organise more tournaments for women in the future,” she says. Though golf gets prominence at the club, it has also hosted cookery sessions in the past. And Bindra does not mind them in the least. “Yes, cookery sessions sound nice,” she smiles.

At clubs like Calcutta Club and Tollygunge Club, there are programmes hosted by the club that see active participation from the club’s women. “We don’t really host events specifically for women. But yes, we do organise that odd event which is completely organised by the ladies of the club. Recently we had one such function on narration from works of Rabindranath Tagore. These are very popular,” says K.B. Menon of Tollygunge Club.

At the Calcutta Club, events like Barsha Mangal and Basanta Utsav see active participation from women. “Ladies between the age of 40 and 80 work very hard to make these events a success,” says Minakshi Mukherjee, first lady of the club.

And here’s hoping that with more and more women making it to the governing body of these clubs, there will be a lot more to look forward to.

Saionee Chakraborty