Isithonjana I-India Club isiteji sokuqala sehhotela iStrand Continental. Isakhiwo esinesizotha futhi kulula ukusigeja sinophawu oluncane nje ngaphandle. Omunye ungena ngomnyango okhuphuka ngezitebhisi ezimazombezombe uya endaweni yokucima ukoma esesitezi sokuqala kanye nendawo yokudlela kwesesibili enamagumbi okuhlangana namakamelo okulala ayidlanzana.
I-India Club iyivimbile imizamo yangaphambilini yokuyivala ukuze yenzele intuthuko entsha ecwebezelayo. Impi manje isilahlekile futhi abalandeli bayo abaningi abathembekile bakhungathekile.
Ngo-2017, lapho bekunomkhankaso wokuhlenga le ndawo, umnikazi we-India Club u-Yadgar Marker utshele i-Curry Life ukuthi: “Ibinganakiwe kakhulu ngesikhathi singenela kodwa ngazizwa nginentshisekelo yokuyigcinela izizukulwane ezizayo.” Uthathe izintambo zokuphatha ngo-1997.
Izikhalazo nezililo bezilokhu zingena zivela e-UK nakwamanye amazwe kulandela isiqinisekiso sokuthi indawo yokudlela ethandwa kakhulu yamaNdiya kanye nehhotela maphakathi neLondon sesizovalwa.
Abantu bayakulangazelela ngokusobala ukudla endaweni yokudlela ngaphambi kokuba ingxenye ethandekayo yefa laseLondon inyamalale.
Yasungulwa ngo-1951 e-Strand, i-India Club yathathwa amaNdiya amaningi ahlala e-UK “njengekhaya elikude nasekhaya.” Bekuyindawo yokuhlangana edumile yababhali abaphambili, ongqondongqondo, nosopolitiki abahlobene nokuzimela kweNdiya. Kubaluleke ngokomlando kukho kokubili i-India ne-UK, njengoba imiswe u-Krishna Menon, uKhomishana Omkhulu wokuqala wase-India e-UK kanye no-Lady Mountbatten kanye noNdunankulu u-Jawaharlal Nehru njengamalungu asungula. Bazohlangana ngaphansi kwamafasitela engilazi enemibala yebha yesitayela se-art-deco ukuze baxoxe ngezinhlelo zabo zekusasa laseNdiya. Izithombe zabo zisahlobisa izindonga zendawo yokudlela, ibha kanye namagumbi okuhlangana.
Abanye abajwayelekile abaziwayo bahlanganisa usopolitiki Wezabasebenzi uMichael Foot, kanye nomdwebi u-MF Husain abangasekho ukuzokhalela ukuvalwa kwendawo yabo yokudla abayithandayo. Abantu abadumile okuthiwa badle lapho eminyakeni edlule bahlanganisa u-Dadabhai Naoroji, iLungu lePhalamende lamaNdiya lokuqala laseBrithani, kanye nesazi sefilosofi uBertrand Russell.
Isazi sezombangazwe saseBritish-Indian kanye nosomabhizinisi, uLord Karan Bilimoria, uthe: “Ngasiza ekuyisindiseni eminyakeni engu-6 edlule futhi ngalwa kanzima, nokho manje abanikazi bezindlu sebeyitholile indlela yabo. Ngangivame ukuya kukho njengomfana nobaba wami eminyakeni engu-50 edlule lapho ethunyelwe e-UK. njengo Colonel! Kubuhlungu kakhulu ukubona isikhungo somlando sivalwa. Ingenye yezindawo zokudlela zokuqala engizithengisele i-Cobra Beer kanye nekhasimende elithembekile cishe ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu yekhulunyaka!”
Ilungu leCongress Shashi Tharoor, naye, uzwakalise ukudabuka kwakhe ngokuvalwa kwalokhu indawo yokudlela edumile. Embhalweni osuka enhliziyweni ku-X (owayekade engu-Twitter) uTharoor wabhala, “Njengendodana yomunye wabasunguli baso, ngikhala ngokudlula emhlabeni kwesikhungo ebesisebenzela amaNdiya amaningi (hhayi amaNdiya kuphela) cishe ingxenye yesithathu yekhulunyaka. Kubafundi abaningi, izintatheli kanye nabahambi, kwakuyikhaya elikude nekhaya, elinikeza ukudla kwaseNdiya okulula nokuhle ngamanani athengekayo kanye nesimo esivumelanayo sokuhlangana nokugcina ubungane.”
Ubuye wabelana ngezithombe ezimbili kanye nokuthunyelwe wanezela, “Njengoba isithombe sibonisa, bengilapho kuleli hlobo nodadewethu (simi phambi kwezithombe zikababa ehambele imicimbi yeqembu ekuqaleni kwawo-1950s) futhi kuyadabukisa ukubona ukuthi lokho bekuwukuvakasha kwami kokugcina, njengoba ngingeke ngibuyele eLondon kulo nyaka. Om Shanti!"
Njengoba iklabhu yodumo ibhekene neBush House esebenze njengekomkhulu le-BBC World Service iminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa, bekuyinsakavukela umchilo wesidwaba ezintathelini ezinjengami ezazisebenza lapho.
URuth Hogarth, owayesebenza naye eBush House, uyakhumbula: “Phakathi neminyaka engu-20 ngiseBush House, ngaphesheya komgwaqo usuka e-India Club, ngangiyisivakashi esivamile kanye nozakwethu abaningi beNkonzo Yezwe. Ngangiwathanda kakhulu ama-dosas endaweni yokudlela engenasizotha esitezi sesibili, ehlwithwe ngesikhathi sekhefu emsebenzini omude wasebusuku. Kamuva, lapho ngisebenzela iKing's College eLondon ekhempasini yaseStrand, indawo yokucima ukoma enhle yasesitezi sokuqala yayiyindawo yethu yokuya kuma-cocktail ukuze sigubhe izikhathi ezikhethekile.”
Enye intatheli ye-BBC, uMike Jervis, ithi: “Ukwenyuka izitebhisi eziya e-India Club kwakufana nokungena ezweni elihlukile lesitayela sakudala. Isimo esizolile nokudla kwendabuko okungathobeki kunikeze ikhefu elamukelekile lesidlo sakusihlwa kusukela kungcindezi yegumbi lezindaba. Kodwa bekukhona nezinye iziphazamiso njengokuhambela kwethulwa kwezincwadi ngozakwabo bakudala.”
Kunzima ukuchaza ukukhanga kwesikhungo esiyisakhiwo sodumo esenza umzamo omncane wokushintsha nezikhathi. Lapho izidlo ezivamile zivakasha, zazi kahle ukuthi yini eyayikumenyu, imali yokugibela yaseNingizimu Indian: ama-poppadom adliwa ne-coconut salsa ne-lime pickle, ama-samosa, izinhlobonhlobo zama-bhajis, ama-chickpeas anokhilimu, ibhuna lewundlu elithambile, ibhotela lenkukhu, i-paneer nesipinashi esiqoshwe kahle. kanye nokukhethwa kwamaparatha nezinye izinkwa. Amanani anesizotha, ushiya uzizwa ugcwele ngaphandle kokulimaza isikhwama sakho semali uma kuqhathaniswa nezindawo zokudlela zama-Indian ezintsha nezihamba phambili ezinezindleko zokunisela amehlo.
Umndeni wakwaMarker ubulokhu uphethe i-India Club kusukela wayikhulula ekucekeleni phansi eminyakeni engama-20 edlule. Bayaziqhenya ngokunamathela ezimpandeni zabo futhi benqabe ukwesatshiswa izindawo zokudlela ezihamba phambili ezimila eduze kwabo. Bazibophezele ekulondolozeni ubuqiniso bayo futhi lokhu kwahlaba umxhwele amakhasimende ayo.
Ngokudabukisayo, ekugcineni baye baphoqeleka ukuba bazinikele emandleni nasemandleni onjiniyela abakhulu abazisa inzuzo ngaphezu komlando, isiko kanye nesiko. Ngokushabalala kweqembu eliyigugu le-India Club ingxenye ebalulekile yamagugu ahlangene e-UK ne-India izolahleka unomphela.
