Def Col Club also called the DC (WA) Club. Some people also call it the Def col C block Club. The legal name is DC(WA) Club but the signage outside says Def col club. To me Def col club sounds snazzy and nice. So here I am going to refer to that club only as the Def col club. Please note, at the outset, this is not to suggest and nor am I in favour of retaining this club building nor replacing it with a new building.
Personally, I am fine with both options. A new building of course will be a new building with everything spanking and sparkling and at least for the first one or two years we should not have any serious issues like water leakage, seepage, crowding of space or lack of it etc. The new building will come up when it does as per the voice of the members of the club. For the Club, in its present state I have a few suggestions. There are large spaces in the club that due to non-usage have declined. For example, we have three card rooms. Party Room for Small parties (20 to 30 persons). Seldom is the second card room occupied, let alone the third one. I suggest the third card room could be converted into a party room meant for private parties. Up to say 20 persons. It’s something that our club does not have, and most clubs should have. This Party Room will generate more revenue for the Club.
Larger Size Party Room. We do have a private party room on the first floor which opens onto the terrace but that is for larger capacities. I think including the terrace, that space can take a party of up to about 100 or more people. So, you per force pay for a 100 people party space even when you require one of 20 or so.
Moreover, that hall on the first floor is hardly a party hall. It is just a bare room with a few chairs and odd tables scattered around. It certainly is not like a lounge where I would like to host a party. In addition, this room should be able to double up as a meeting room or as a seminar room etc and equipped to give presentations and such like. I’m sure with suitable choice of furniture and by rearranging the furniture it could be used for multiple requirements, including birthday parties, all pleasantly furnished. It should be snug and inviting to hold a party. The Club will generate more revenue with this asset if made attractive.
Open Air Party Place. This above room on the first floor has a bare terrace alongside. If instead the same terrace is adorned with healthy plants, pleasing and Suttle lights with pretty outdoor furniture, it can be utilized and should be let out for two separate functions or one large function. Both these places need a lot of improvement, and this improvement need not be costly. It will make a huge difference to the look and make it attractive enough to invite members to host parties.
There should be no need for our members to go to Gymkhanas and Habitats etc to host their private parties. The Club will generate more revenue. Billiards Room. Did you know we have a Billiard’s table in the club? And a Pool Table! Yes, that’s true. Unfortunately, both are presently not in use or rather I would say in disuse. Both tables are lying covered or dismantled. The overhead lights of the tables are very much existing. We have the cues and the balls. The scoreboards and the benches, everything that is required for the room to function is with us. It became defunct because apparently it did not generate adequate funds to maintain it. Surely, we can attempt to popularise it yet again. This is Defence colony club, an up-market locality high end club. A Billiards and Pool facility is very befitting for this place. If managed suitably will generate enough funds to at least maintain itself. And even if that should not happen, the club profits from other resources should be enough to keep this status room going on this prestigious club. At present, all it requires is a repair of flooring, a servicing of the two playing tables and maybe the servicing of the air conditioning to get it functional. Go for it please.
The club committee, please do not keep such a lovely asset idle. Prepare the room, inaugurate the ‘revamped Billiards Room’ with formal inauguration, fix a nominal price for each person playing and promote it with an annual tournament for different ages etc. Popularise this sport which few people are fortunate to get a chance to play.
Table Tennis. The same applies to the Table Tennis Table located on the first floor in front of the office. Though functional, it gets very hot and stuffy while playing, particularly during summer. Thoughtful interiors, with adequate ventilation will improve the place considerably. And the management can decide on a nominal charge per player per half an hour or whatever. And we can popularise it with tournaments in different age groups etc once a year.
Annual Sports Dinner. An annual Sports Dinner at the end of every year where winners of all events in Billiards, Table Tennis, Swimming, Tennis, Bridge, Croquet, Carrom (the list is endless) can be awarded their prizes. WOW. And this is not difficult. It just needs a will!!
The Library. A large room on the first floor hosts our club library. On entering it you can make out that this lovely well decorated and reasonably well stacked library is a “has been”. The books are not properly kept category wise or indexed. In fact, there is no Library Science existing now in the library and this is a huge asset we have and allowing it to wither away. If the members of the club feel they do not need such a big library, then so be it. This can become the party room for 20 to 40 people and one of the card rooms that I have mentioned above can become a truncated or shrunk library. Personally, I am for having a good library in the club which has a librarian to look after it, with regular books being updated and most importantly the members being encouraged to visit the library and read. Something which has been forgotten these days. More so with the younger generation who I feel we all need to convince and encourage them to do more reading. It is up to us to make the environment pleasant for their reading. This could be in the form of Book Club meetings, Book Releases, children’s contests like drawing, spellings, quizzes, recitals etc with prices to be given to the children. I’m sure the parents of the children will not mind contributing for their child who wants to participate. We have several eminent writers and intellectual persons in Defcol who can be invited to present and moderate such events. Parents should advise their children to participate in such literary functions. Why can’t we also have a Li©’ Fest conducted here in our Defcol club? If others can do it, why can’t we? Where there’s a will, there is a way. Come on club management, show us you can do it. Prize winners in these contests can be facilitated in the Annual Sports Dinner mentioned above.
A Miscellaneous point. Our Club entrance door needs to be a high-quality door. After all it is the entry to a club which is in DEFENCE COLONY. I would visualise a door made of Mahagony or at worst real Teak and highly varnished with Polyurethane Polish (PU) or Melamine finish. Just a request to the management to improve the look and feel of our entry point.
In conclusion to this article, (there will be more in the subsequent Samvadas’), I have a request for the Club Committee and the members. Let us rejuvenate the past glory of the Club and not allow it to be relegated to a mere restaurant having facilities to eat and drink. There is no dearth of eating joints in Defcol. A club must encourage sports and other activities for all – children, adults and seniors. Our club must be respected with decorum and be inviting enough, for friends to get together for sports, social gatherings and so on.
Lastly, we must understand that the VIP in this club is the MEMBER. The Club exists because of the Members and is meant for the members. Other private activities must not disturb the club functioning, nor disturb the members who are visiting the club. Permissible noise decibels need to be maintained during functions (including private ones) so as to not disturb others who are using the club. ~JAI HIND~
