Britishers were fond of clubs and Kolkata being the epicentre of their Raj, they built many clubs in the heart of the city like Centurions Mohon Bagan and East Bengal clubs where they could relax and enjoy the evenings.
Though, the Britishers left almost 70 years ago, many programmes, including sports activities continue to be run by the institute. The club has access to world-famous magazines, international newspapers, periodicals and has an e-library in collaboration with the British Council.
The Calcutta Police Sergeant’s Institute is one of the oldest and prestigious clubs in Calcutta Maidan and was established in 1859. Apart from its affiliation with CAB and IFA, this institute is engaged in many social and cultural activities.
The club sponsors sports and other philanthropic activities for which it has earned plaudits from different strata of society and the media.
Presently, the cricket team is playing in the first division and the football team in the elite premier division.
The club offers to its member a swanky air conditioned club tent at Maidan, patronises various outdoor/indoor sports, screens movies of renowned film directors and also hosts a plethora of cultural functions.
This institute is an epitome of cultural and sports activity and ensures its members and patrons have a soothing and pleasant ambience on the club premises.
The Calcutta Police Sergeant’s Institute has facilities for swimming, table tennis, basketball and karate and it gives training to the younger generation who may become future national assets.
Renowned sports personality like Debu Mitra was cricket coach of the club and Trithesh Guha was the basketball coach. The club also trains women in self-defence through a project named Tejaswini. The Calcutta Police Sergeant’s club has 35-holiday homes across the country and has its own guest house situated opposite Raj Bhavan at 14 Crooked Lane in Kolkata -1.
The club has a billiards room of the British era.
Sources said that the Calcutta Police Sergeants club has taken some projects which are expected to be completed in the next two years. These projects are: Old age care home, housing co-operation, indoor multi-sports complex, and state-of-the-art gymnasium.
Cultural activities like poetry, drawing, song and poem recitation and health seminars are held among the club members. The club has its own monthly magazine in which sergeants pen their experience through story and poem.
Sports and games are part of Kolkata police sergeant’s institute events. It also organizes various cultural events like Hilsa festival, Borsho boron, annual tree plantation programmes to create awareness about the environment. Recently, the institution organized a photo exhibition of the pictures taken by the city police.
Moreover, it has always been the club’s endeavor to get involved in humanitarian activities as part of their social responsibility. Members plant saplings, launch road safety campaign, provide ambulances free of cost or at subsidized rates to the under-privileged sections. They also spread awareness against domestic violence, illicit trafficking of women and children, extend help to senior citizens, and support “mission to save girl child”.
Soven Banerjee, general secretary of the Calcutta Police Sergeant’s club, said, “The club believes citizens of Kolkata are an indispensable part of the institute. For that reason, the club organises activities throughout the year.”
– Mohammad Asif
