Time of reckoning for women at Secunderabad Club

By all accounts, it ranks foremost as an exclusive club in the twin cities. As a status symbol, it was, and remains, up and above the contemporary clubs. With a well-established history that is 137 years old, Secunderabad Club, has also a less discussed but darker side to it-it has earned the dubious reputation of being an anti-women club. Women were denied voting rights and permanent membership for all these years.

It is only recently that there has been a change of heart and the flexibility has ensured that permanent membership was given to the daughters of the present permanent members. It is with a rider-they had to be below 25 years of age (at the latest count, this stands at 90). In a slight modification to the ruling, a special category was also created to benefit a certain group who had their daughters between 25-28 years of age.

These startling facts and figures were given during an interaction by Anjana Anukriti Taggarse, executive member of Disha, an association that takes cudgels against gender discrimination. Incidentally, as an Associate Member Lady (AML) she knows the inside out of the Club.

In an interesting irony, only 3,500 permanent members (men) will be entitled to contest elections for the next seven years. It is only after that the incumbent 90 women members can dream of contesting elections. Lambasting the structural hierarchy she points out “women members have been barred from the no right to vote since the club’s inception, at the current status the present AML does not even stand a chance.

Women, who can now apply for permanent membership with voting rights, will have a waiting period of 18-20 years. In effect, they can get membership only in 2035. It is only seven years later that they can contest.” It does not end there; managing committee has also printed proposals for the conversion of AML members to permanent members in this year’s AGM report, 2014-15. “The present proposals are onerous on the AML members and not in good faith,” she says.

“The Secunderabad Club seeks to impose financial liability (that can go up to Rs 1,45, 000) on the AML members claiming it is ‘admission fee’ for removing the illegalities of gender discrimination and oppression,” she regretted. But, the admission fee was already paid by the AML members from the year 1992 onwards, in full payment and on par with the permanent members.

There was no concession to women. “This new proposal is taxing again,” she said. The activist now calls for the permanent members at the Annual General Meeting to be held on Friday to vote in favour of conversion of AML members to permanent status without the onerous payment of admission/re-admission fee.