The 100th name, newly inscribed in golden, on the large board titled ‘Presidents of The Saturday Club’, is of Sanish Magon's. The new post of the president of the Wood Street club has infused more excitement into Sanish, who is known for his high energy. In his 50s, he calls the club his second home as he has been coming to the club as a child since the early 1980s. A tete-a-tete with Sanish, who believes strongly in the concept of a family and understands the responsibility of heading a club with 3,000-plus members. Excerpts...

We have always found you to be high on energy whenever we met you at the club events. How excited are you as you become president of the club?

You said it very correctly that I am generally by nature a little over-enthusiastic person, and with this additional responsibility of a place that means a lot to me, it is double exciting. Saturday club is like a second home to me. I am a second-generation member here. My father was a member here and I became a member when I was 21. So I have been coming here since the early 1980s.

You have literally grown up here and know what the members require or expect from the club.

In any club, the members are the most important people. Now, a member comes here after finishing their day’s work to relax, to play some sport, to attend some event…. Sports and entertainment are two extremely important departments in any club and as luck would have it, I have had the good fortune of managing these two portfolios. I am a sportsman by nature; it’s much more than my hobby. So, I first took over as sports convener and my last designation before I took over as vice-president was the entertainment convener.

What are the focus areas for you?

My focus is the members of the club — children, adults, elderly, in short family, every member of the family. I have personally always maintained that The Saturday Club is about families. It is not about one individual. Of course, with that, it is the infrastructure of the club. Being in the heart of Calcutta, you get the best of all indoor sports here, whether it’s swimming or squash or badminton or tennis.

We have brought a few changes. One of them is the uniforms of the waiters. You will now notice them dressed more smartly in blue shirt, dark blue waistcoats with the name of the club written in golden. You will find this soft music playing in the veranda, which is a new addition.

You have kept things simple with focus on family but the post is a big responsibility.

It is a big responsibility. So, before thinking and signing any document, I have to think again and again as it will affect 3,000 members and their families. The good thing is that because I grew up here, it’s easy for me. I know what the members want.

This year is special because the club will be celebrating its 150th year. What are your plans?

The club was established in 1875 and 2025 marks the 150th year. We have already planned a lot with our 150 years committee already working towards it. I am the 100th president of the club so that makes my term even more special. We will be having an event where we are calling the legends of Bengal to share their experiences and talk about traditions. Then we have planned an outing on a cruise for the members. There will also be a display of vintage cars, launch of a coffee book and an evening of celebration with our young and senior members. So, plans are to have celebrations throughout the year where we can feel that we are part of this great institution.

What are your other plans for the club during your tenure?

This entire year you will see lots of new things happening. Like we started the interclub sports carnival and it is now one of the biggest sports carnivals in the city. Come December and we will have Hariharan performing, followed by another talented musician on the 31st.