Madras Boat Club
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[edit] History
The Madras Boat Club located in the South of India, in the historic city of Chennai is over a hundred and thirty years old. It is one of the oldest rowing centres in India.
It was a few Englishmen in Madras (now called Chennai) who founded the club in the year 1867. There are records to show that the club was first started in the backwaters of Ennore and pictures of the rowing course lying along-side the sailing course are still available in the Club's archives. It seems highly possible that it was a few sailors, with some rowing involvement back in England, who mooted the idea of setting up the rowing facility.
Later, in the year 1892, the club was shifted to its present location - on the banks of the Adyar river. Possibly the rowers grew in numbers, and felt they required an exclusive stretch of water for themselves. The early records of the club reveal that in the year 1874-75 there was a membership of about 32 rowing members and 24 non-rowing members.
In the year 1898, the club coat - dark blue with brass buttons and the club monogram - which is in use even today without modification, was adopted by the then committee. Inter-club and intra-club regattas were conducted quite regularly during those years, and the extensive press coverage that the sport got in those days is indicative of its popularity. One name that figures often,in the early records,is that of F.H.Wilson for his sculling prowess.
In the year 1933, the Amateur Rowing Association of the East was formed, and the Madras Boat Club was one of its founder members. In the inaugural regatta of the ARAE in 1933 at Pune, MBC won the Willingdon Fours and the Venables Pairs trophies. Through these early years, the club maintained a commendable record of participation and performance in inter-club regattas.
In the year 1967, Mr.M.M.Muthiah became the club's first Indian president. The Club then, had very limited resources and it strived to keep the interest alive. In order to generate fresh interest in the sport, in the year 1966 students were brought in as members,and today they form the hub of the rowing activity. In the year 1967 - the centenary year of the club - MBC won the prestigious Willingdon Fours at the ARAE regatta.
In the nineties the club witnessed sweeping changes. The club acquired a number of modern facilities and it is today proudly one of the best-equipped rowing clubs in the country. The club acquired a full compliment of the latest boats and oars from U.S.A.
Ironically, the club, today, faces new challenges. The very survival of the sport is threatened by the condition of the Adyar river. Besides the unchecked pollution that has been taking place, the river stands so badly silted that the stretches of water available for training and racing is far from what is required. Dredging has not only become imperative but urgent. The club finds itself in a position, unable to sort out these problems by itself and requires the active help of the government.
Over the years the whole-hearted co-operation of the staff and workers has made the club in many ways unique.
To different people the Madras Boat Club has meant different things. To many it has been a learning place where one inevitably absorbs the skills of not only the sport, but of handling life itself. One's active years at MBC are unforgettable in more ways than one; and haven't they slipped by so quickly? As P.B.Shelley puts it "Swifter far than summers flight, swifter far than youth's delight, swifter far than happy night, art thou come and gone..."
(Excerpted from http://www.angelfire.com/id/mbc/main.html - an unofficial and now defunct website of Madras Boat Club)
