Gymkhana
Gymkhana (/ˈdʒɪmˈkɑːnə/) (Urdu: جِم خانہ, Sindhi: جمخانه, Hindi: जिमख़ाना, Assamese: জিমখানা, Bengali: জিমখানা) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Persian word "Jamat-khana".[1] Most gymkhanas have a Gymkhana Club associated with them, a term coined during the British Raj for gentlemen's club.
More generally, gymkhana refers to a social and sporting club in the Indian subcontinent, and in other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore, as well as in East Africa.
Etymology[edit]
The first element of Gymkhana comes from gend meaning ball in Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli.[2] This element is distinct from the English word gym, short for gymnasium and gymnastics which has Greek and Latin roots.[3] The second element, khānā has a Persian origin, meaning a home or a compartment. In Persian, (خانه) is a term for dwelling, house.[4] The court language of the Mughal Empire was Persian.
See also[edit]
- List of India's gentlemen's clubs
- Hindu Gymkhana
- Bombay Gymkhana, Mumbai
- Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
- Delhi Gymkhana, Delhi
- Golaghat Gymkhana, Assam
- Madras Gymkhana Club, Chennai
- Gymkhana Ground, Rangoon, Myanmar
- Jamalpur Gymkhana, Bihar
- Jorhat Gymkhana Club, Assam
- Karachi Gymkhana Club, Pakistan
- Lahore Gymkhana Club, Pakistan
- Nairobi Gymkhana Club, Kenya
References[edit]
- ^ MacMillan, Michael (1895). The Globe Trotter in India Two Hundred Years Ago: And Other Indian Studies. S. Sonnenschein & Company. p. 91.
- ^ Parekh, Rauf (5 July 2021). "Origin of 'gymkhana' and 'kanjee house'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Oxford Dictionaries Gymnasium etymology[dead link]
- ^ From Loghat'nāmeh-ye Dehkhoda, Third Edition (Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from Borhān-e Ghāte' by Mohammad Moin.
Further reading[edit]
- "Sports of West Bengal — Cricket". wbsportsandyouth.gov.in. Kolkata: Government of West Bengal – Department of youth services and sports. 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
External links[edit]
Texts on Wikisource:
- "Gymkhana". New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
- "Gymkhana". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
