Gymkhana () (, , , , ) 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 language word " Jamat-khana".
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
The first element of
Gymkhana comes from
gend meaning
ball in Urdu/Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli.
This element is distinct from the English word
gym, short for
gymnasium and
gymnastics which has Greek and Latin roots.
[Oxford Dictionaries Gymnasium etymology] The second element,
khānā has a Persian origin, meaning a home or a compartment. In
Persian language, (خانه) is a term for
dwelling, house.
[From Loghat'nāmeh-ye Dehkhoda, Third Edition (Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from Borhān-e Ghāte by Mohammad Moin.] The court language of the
Mughal Empire was Persian.
See also
-
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
Further reading
External links
