Tezpur Station Club: 150 years of heritage, harmony, and spirit of Tezpur

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: Nestled in the leafy heart of Tezpur, where colonial echoes blend with the hum of a growing town, stands a landmark that has quietly witnessed the passage of time: Tezpur Station Club. For over a century, this institution has been more than just a recreational space; it has been a living archive of Tezpur’s evolving spirit from the era of British planters to the present-day vibrancy of Assam’s cultural capital. In 2025, the Tezpur Station Club marks what is believed to be its 150th year, a remarkable milestone celebrating heritage, leisure, and the unbroken bond of community.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Chairman of the Tezpur Station Club, KK Bhattacharya, shared that the story of the Tezpur Station Club began in 1875, when a few British officers and tea planters seeking camaraderie and respite from the rugged tea estates of the North Bank set up a simple billiards room near the Deputy Commissioner’s bungalow. That modest, thatch-roofed structure with a single billiards table would, over time, grow into one of the most enduring social institutions in Assam.

By 1909, the Club had been formally registered as Tezpur Station Club Private Ltd, making it one of the oldest incorporated clubs in Northeast India. The founding members, led by Scottish surveyor Alex Aitken, envisioned a place where recreation met refinement, where laughter, conversation, and friendship thrived beyond class or culture. Their vision continues to define the Club’s spirit even today.

At a time when Tezpur was still an administrative outpost of British Assam, the Station Club became a social anchor for planters, civil servants, and local elites. Even as the railway station across the road gradually fell silent, now served by just two passenger trains, the Club’s vitality never waned.

Its colonial architecture, polished wooden interiors, and manicured lawns still exude the fragrance of nostalgia. Over the decades, its verandas have echoed with animated conversations, strains of classical music, and the clinking of billiard cues – a rhythm that has never truly faded.

The Tezpur Station Club has long stood at the heart of the town’s social and cultural life, hosting literary evenings, musical performances, festive gatherings, and spirited debates that enriched Tezpur’s intellectual landscape. Generations of administrators, writers, theatre stalwarts, doctors, entrepreneurs, and thinkers have passed through its doors. It is said that many cultural movements, social initiatives, and lifelong friendships in Tezpur first found their spark within these walls.

Even as modern amenities have been added over the years, the Club has preserved its old-world charm. The billiards room, once the pulse of its early days, remains a cherished corner, while the lush green lawns continue to host events under Tezpur’s starlit sky.

In 2025, the Club commemorated its sesquicentennial celebrations with events such as “Mohura Haat 2025”, drawing participation from across Assam and rekindling local pride in one of the region’s oldest social institutions.

The origins of the Tezpur Station Club’s sporting tradition go hand in hand with its history. Its earliest members, officers of the Lokra Army unit, found in the Club a place to unwind after long and demanding duties. Among them, Alex Aitken played a defining role in promoting sports—especially polo and horse racing, which dominated the early years, before tennis emerged as the new passion.

Speaking to The Sentinel, secretary of the Tezpur Station Club Spondon Hazarika reflected that the years between the two World Wars were marked by growth and prosperity. British planters joined in increasing numbers, and the Club thrived as a hub of recreation and camaraderie. Yet, amid the looming turbulence of global conflict, it revealed another side, serving as a humanitarian haven for British refugees fleeing Burma via the Patkai hills during the Second World War. After the war, the Club regained its spirit of celebration. Independence brought a new dawn; the Tricolour fluttered proudly over the lawns as Tezpur embraced freedom. The visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1959 brought waves of journalists to the town, many of whom stayed and dined at the Club. A similar scene followed during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, when the Club became a temporary base for press and military personnel amid the unfolding crisis.

The post-ceasefire years marked a time of transformation. The 1966 devaluation of the rupee prompted many British planters to depart, but the vacuum was soon filled by Indian members from the tea industry, who infused the Club with new energy and purpose. The centenary celebration of 1975 was a grand affair, a fitting tribute to 100 years of fellowship, sport, and enduring legacy. He also said that if there is one sport that defines the Tezpur Station Club today, it is tennis. Since the 1970s, the Club has hosted numerous state-level tournaments, proudly carrying forward the heritage of the Chummery Cup, a magnificent silver trophy first presented in 1881 to the Tezpur Chummery (now the adjoining Roman Catholic school) by the visiting Mangaldai & Gauhati Contingent as a symbol of friendship.

Originally awarded for polo, the Cup found a new purpose in 1932, when tennis began to eclipse polo’s popularity. It was then transferred to the Tezpur Station Club, to be competed for annually among tennis teams from the tea clubs across the North Bank. Even today, finals are played on the club’s lush grass courts, a tradition that has stood unbroken for over 139 years. Modern-day Tezpur Station Club continues to thrive as a symbol of both heritage and progress. It now features two immaculate grass courts alongside a floodlit hard court, ensuring year-round play. The establishment of the Tezpur Tennis Foundation on January 1, 2019, marked another milestone in this journey.

Under the leadership of Dr Jaimini Bhagawati (Chairman) and a passionate team of Utpal Panchanan, Spondon Hazarika, Sourajit Datta Roy, and Sourav Bothra, the Foundation trains 35 young players under a full-time coach, nurturing the next generation of Tezpur’s tennis talents. Their mission blends respect for tradition with a clear vision for growth, excellence, and community engagement.

Now standing tall at 150 years, the Tezpur Station Club is not merely a building; it is a living legacy that connects generations. Amid the changing skyline of Tezpur, it remains a sanctuary of culture, sport, and friendship.

For Tezpur, the Station Club is more than a landmark; it is a chronicle of shared memories, of tea planters and poets, of laughter that echoes through time. As it steps into its next chapter, the Club continues to bridge the past and the present, honouring its colonial roots while embracing a progressive future, standing proudly as a symbol of Tezpur’s enduring elegance and communal spirit.

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