Gymkhana () ( ur, جِمخانہ, sd, جمخانه, hi, जिमख़ाना, as, জিমখানা, bn, 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 Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

expression, which is derived from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word "'' Jamat-khana''". Most gymkhanas have a Gymkhana Club associated with them, a term coined during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

for gentlemen's club. More generally, gymkhana refers to a social and sporting club in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, and in other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore, as well as in East Africa.

Etymology

The first element of ''Gymkhana'' comes from ''gend'' meaning ''ball'' in Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli. This element is distinct from the English word ''

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

'', short for ''gymnasium'' and ''

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

'' which has Greek and Latin roots. The second element, ''khānā'' has a Persian origin, meaning a home or a compartment. In

, (خانه) is a term for ''dwelling, house''.From ''Loghat'nāmeh-ye''

Dehkhoda Allameh Ali Akbar Dehkhodā ( fa, علی‌اکبر دهخدا; 1879–March 9, 1956) was a prominent Iranian linguist and lexicographer. He was the author of the Dehkhoda Dictionary, the most extensive dictionary of the Persian language pu ...

, Third Edition ( Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from ''Borhān-e Ghāte' '' by

Mohammad Moin Mohammad Moin ( fa, , his surname could also be transliterated as Mo'in) (July 12, 1914, Rasht, Iran – July 4, 1971, Tehran, Iran)Date of birth July 12, 1914, is according to Professor Mo'in's own notes. However, some sources indicate April 2 ...

. The court language of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

was Persian.

References

External links

*{{Wikisource-inline, list= **{{Cite NIE, wstitle=Gymkhana, year=1905, short=x , noicon=x **{{Cite EB1911, wstitle=Gymkhana, short=x , noicon=x Urdu-language words and phrases Hindi words and phrases Bengali words and phrases Sports venues Equestrian festivals

Etymology

See also

References

External links