The Calcutta Racket Club is on an overdrive at the moment, upgrading particularly its squash section, aiming to make the club best in the country in the indoor game. As it takes concrete steps towards the goal, we sat with Dhruv Agarwal, president of the club, a sporting enthusiast who has played 9-ball pool, squash and snooker at the national, international, state and club levels, to get more details on his plans for the club. A t2 interview
How has it been being the president of a club as prestigious as The Calcutta Racket Club which has such an illustrious history?
It is an honour for me on a personal level to lead this prestigious institute which has produced many world-class players, including Saurav Ghoshal and Ramit Tandon. Also, I see it more like an opportunity rather than just a responsibility to be at the helm of affairs of my club.
You have been part of the club for long and have held important posts. How did these roles prepare you for the top job and what’s your vision as a president?
I was serving as the joint honorary secretary of the club from 2015 till 2020-21 when the club was just pre-blossoming from being a club with very limited members and facilities to being renovated and upgraded with better facilities including enhancing our training programmes for youngsters. From 2021 to 2023, I was the vice-president of the club wherein I had the opportunity along with my predecessor to further look into enhancing our facilities. Last November I assumed the president’s chair.
We are upgrading all zones which are related to the game of squash in our club. With squash now being included in the Olympics, we are certain that the government’s recognition and grants cum sponsorship will also be on the rise to produce better players. We are determined to upgrade our facilities as well as our training programmes under the able supervision of two of the most decorated coaches, Dalip Tripathi (WSF level 3) and Gautam Das (ASF Level 3). My committee has pledged to make this club the best in the country for squash, and thus we are upgrading all our courts with state-of-the-art facilities for the game.
In terms of events, take us through the club’s planner under your tenure.
In terms of squashing events for the year, our calendar always starts with the intra-clubs wherein about 70-80 participants rub shoulders with each other before we move on to the Bengal State Championships where the state champions of each category (men, women, boys and girls) play for glory. Our club also organises a squash league which is open to all squash players of the city and is played in an IPL-style format. Finally, we end the year with a grand finale of the Indian Junior Nationals which has been awarded to us after a gap of almost 10 years, wherein about 800 participants would be competing for bagging the coveted national crown. We also keep on having doubles tournaments for our members. Calcutta Racket Club being a part of a Triangular Series, will celebrate the 28th edition this year with Singapore being the host.
How do you plan to take the talent from the city to the international level or to a more competitive level?
Our aim is simple — to provide infrastructure to the existing talent of coaches and students which we have such that they can compete in the larger arena with similar facilities. And the work which we are doing, I am sure that it is a matter of time that this club would again be called the ‘Mecca of squash’ in the country.
Apart from the sporting events, what are the non-sporting events that the members can look forward to?
Our club is located in the heart of the city with ample car parking space, a well-maintained lawn where we have our winter get-togethers and this year we marked the ending of our 230th year with a musical event, which was attended by 225 members and guests. Apart from this, our club has regular bar nights and also a lot of activities for kids on a periodical basis. Also, for the first time, we organised a two-day farmers market in February, which was a huge success and these have given us a belief of organising many more such theme-based events in the future.
You have been very active in sports like squash and snooker. How do you think you can channel your passion for these sports and your leadership skills in taking forward the legacy of the club and offering new things to the members?
Yes, I have been a very active sportsperson all my life. Apart from being multiple-time Snooker State U21 Champion reaching the top 4 at the nationals, I have represented our country at the Asian Snooker U21 Championships in 1995 in Brunei. Post this, taking up squash and being the state secretary for both these sports has given me an opportunity to bring about a few changes which I thought were preventing youngsters from excelling at the game.