Catering to local tastes is this club's USP

Swati R. Chaudhary / TNN / Apr 8, 2006, 23:30 IST

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Hidden behind the trees that border the neighbouring Malleshwaram grounds, nothing about the club is overtly luxurious.

Catering to local tastes is this club's USP

BANGALORE: There's a disarmingly down-to earth quality that the Malleshwaram Association exudes. Hidden behind the trees that border the neighbouring Malleshwaram grounds, nothing about the club is overtly luxurious.
It's just comfortable and casual. As you enter the lobby, you'll find members and their guests reading newspapers. A short walk leads to the adjoining coffee shop where you can catch a cuppa or some nibbles.
A guided tour through the club reveals three party halls, a bar, the cards room (with 26 buzzing tables), a health club, an exclusive restaurant for members, another roof garden restaurant and ten rooms for guests.
The library houses over 4,000 books in English, Kannada and Hindi, along with numerous dailies and weeklies. But what's most striking is the jubilee garden restaurant on the terrace.

The decor isn't much to write home about, but the location creates the perfect ambience. While sampling the restaurant's fare, you can peer through the treetops and see what's going on at the adjacent grounds.
There are also a host of sports facilities. They include two badminton courts, a swimming pool, three billiards tables, two pool tables, a two-lane bowling alley, eight TT tables and two tennis courts.
Not surprisingly, most of these facilities have been utilised for many state and district-level tournaments. The tennis courts will turn into a battlefield for those under 16 as the All-India Tennis Tournament will be held here next month.

"When the club started in 1934 there were only 165 members. Over the years, the members grew, therefore we renovated the building to accommodate them.
We also included modern facilities in two phases; 1996-97 to 1998-2000 and 2001-2005,�� says secretary B V Achyuta. Last year, Malleshwaram Association celebrated its platinum jubilee.
All members were given silver plates and the cultural programmes were held for four days. "The ladies wing is very active and they organise at least one big cultural event every month," says Achyuta proudly.
"The club has managed to be successful because it caters to the local tastes," he adds. The Members' Day is celebrated annually on August 16 and is the club's biggest highlight.
The club is affiliated to seven other clubs in Karnataka and 15 other clubs in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa �� a quality appreciated by members who travel frequently.
No wonder then that with 1,800 members, the club is packed and has stopped accepting members. It does not discourage the 85 odd hopefuls who are on the waiting list though.
Prakash Padukone, G R Vishwanath, Arvind Saboor, B S Chandrashekhar, Kabad Jayant, Usha Sunderajan and Sainath are some of the better known members here.
There are nine corporate members, which include BHEL, MSIL, Rallis India and Sysnet. While the new building has edged out almost all semblances of the old building, the traditions of the bygone era still linger on.

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