The Clubs of India

An overview from 1827 to the present

I spent a couple of months of 2019 travelling around India via its clubs, both visiting and staying in them. It was a fascinating, eye-opening experience. Below is a video of a talk I originally gave to members of the National Liberal Club during the 2020 lockdown, which was publicly shared online, on what I’d learned about their history and culture.

I remain fascinated by this whole area, and still very much have it in mind to one day write a book properly charting the role of clubs in the running of the British Empire, including their significant post-colonial role. But it wouldn’t be a small undertaking - I don’t anticipate doing it for another decade, and doing it properly would involve research across Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean. Until then, you can get some idea of my thinking from the ‘Clubs and Empires’ chapter of Behind Closed Doors, and from the talk below. Enjoy!