The Rifa-e-Aam Club ( ur, رفاہِ عام کلب, hi, रिफ़ा-ए-आम क्लब) is a historic building in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, India. It is best known as the place where the

Progressive Writers Movement The Progressive Writers' Association or the Progressive Writers' Movement of India or ''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind'' (( ur, ) or ''Akhil Bhartiya Pragatishil Lekhak Sangh'' (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय प्रगति� ...

was created.

History

The building was constructed around 1860 by the

Nawab of Awadh The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishapu ...

, who intended it to be a centre of the royalty's literary life in the region. According to a local historian, the name derived from "''rifa''" or "happiness" and "''aam''" or "common", and suggested that the club offered happiness to the common man. The club was open to everybody, in contrast to European clubs which did not allow Indians to apply. In subsequent years it became what ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' described as "an important nationalist hangout". It was one of the centres of Indian nationalism and other intellectual activity, frequented by individuals such as Munshi Premchand and Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan. In the 1900s it hosted meetings of the All-India Muslim League. The club hosted a meeting of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

and the Muslim League which led to the

Lucknow Pact The Lucknow Pact was an agreement reached between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League (AIML) at a joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916. Through the pact, the two parties agreed to allow representation t ...

of 1916, which was also signed on the premises.

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

visited the building to give a speech on Hindu-Muslim unity on 15 October 1920 and on 26 April 1922

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

and Vallabhbhai Patel made speeches at the club encouraging local people to intensify the Swadeshi movement. The

was created on 10 April 1936. The building has not been well maintained in the decades since; one wing has become a hospital, another has been abandoned, and the courtyard is a rubbish dump. The poor state of the building has led to local activism trying to get it recognized and protected as a heritage landmark by the government.

References

{{coord missing, Uttar Pradesh Buildings and structures in Lucknow 1860s establishments in India Tourist attractions in Lucknow Clubs and societies in India