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Gymkhana

This article is about Indian subcontinent culture. For other uses, see Gymkhana (disambiguation). For the equestrian competition, see gymkhana (equestrian).

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.

Karachi Gymkhana Club in 1890

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

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Bombay Gymkhana or Bombay Gym

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

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References

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  1. ^ MacMillan, Michael (1895). The Globe Trotter in India Two Hundred Years Ago: And Other Indian Studies. S. Sonnenschein & Company. p. 91.
  2. ^ Parekh, Rauf (5 July 2021). "Origin of 'gymkhana' and 'kanjee house'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. ^ Oxford Dictionaries Gymnasium etymology[dead link‍]
  4. ^ From Loghat'nāmeh-ye Dehkhoda, Third Edition (Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from Borhān-e Ghāte' by Mohammad Moin.

Further reading

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