Founded in the 1950s, the India Club - an iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar, located in London is shutting down next month. With early roots in the Indian independence movement, the shutting down is being regarded as the end of a chapter by its patrons.&nbsp;

Proprietors Yadgar Marker and his daughter Phiroza who had been fighting to keep the restaurant going, even launching a "Save India Club" campaign previously, announced the impending closure last week.&nbsp;

“It is with a very heavy heart that we announce the closure of the India Club, with our last day open to the public on September 17,” they said.

“Since its opening over 70 years ago, the India Club has been a home-away-from-home for first-generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, as well as a community space for Indo-British groups,” said Phiroza, who has been helping out her father at the club since childhood.

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Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lament the closure of the club as his father Chandan Tharoor was one of the founding members.&nbsp;

“As the son of one of its founders, I lament the passing of an institution that served so many Indians (and not only Indians) for nearly three-quarters of a century," posted Tharoor.&nbsp;

"For many students, journalists and travellers, it was a home away from home, offering simple and good quality Indian food at affordable prices as well as a convivial atmosphere to meet and maintain friendships,” he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/delhi-offices-schools-shops-banks-to-be-shut-from-sept-8-10-for-g20-meet-628179">Also read |&nbsp;Delhi offices, schools, shops, banks to be shut on Sept 8-10 for G20 meet</a>

<h2>History of the club</h2>

Located on the first floor of the&nbsp;Hotel Strand Continental, the club was started by members of the India League, which was a Britain-based organisation that campaigned for India's independence in the 1900s. Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is also believed to be one of the club's founding members.&nbsp;Krishna Menon, who went on to become the first Indian High Commissioner to the UK, is also regarded as another founding member of the Club.&nbsp;

“Menon intended the India Club to be a place where young Indian professionals living on a shoestring could afford to eat, discuss politics, and plan their futures,” Parvathi Raman, Founding Chair of the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.&nbsp;

In the aftermath of Indian independence and partition, the Club transformed into a hub for a rapidly growing British South Asian community.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Founded in the 1950s, the India Club - an iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar, located in London is shutting down next month. With early roots in the Indian independence movement, the shutting down is being regarded as the end of a chapter by its patrons.

Founded in the 1950s, the India Club - an iconic lounge-cum-restaurant and bar, located in London is shutting down next month. With early roots in the Indian independence movement, the shutting down is being regarded as the end of a chapter by its patrons. Proprietors Yadgar Marker and his daughter Phiroza who had been fighting to keep the restaurant going, even launching a "Save India Club" campaign previously, announced the impending closure last week. “It is with a very heavy heart that we announce the closure of the India Club, with our last day open to the public on September 17,” they said. “Since its opening over 70 years ago, the India Club has been a home-away-from-home for first-generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, as well as a community space for Indo-British groups,” said Phiroza, who has been helping out her father at the club since childhood. Watch | India's G20 Presidency: Weaving inclusive growth × Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lament the closure of the club as his father Chandan Tharoor was one of the founding members. “As the son of one of its founders, I lament the passing of an institution that served so many Indians (and not only Indians) for nearly three-quarters of a century," posted Tharoor. "For many students, journalists and travellers, it was a home away from home, offering simple and good quality Indian food at affordable prices as well as a convivial atmosphere to meet and maintain friendships,” he added. Also read | Delhi offices, schools, shops, banks to be shut on Sept 8-10 for G20 meet History of the club Located on the first floor of the Hotel Strand Continental, the club was started by members of the India League, which was a Britain-based organisation that campaigned for India's independence in the 1900s. Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is also believed to be one of the club's founding members. Krishna Menon, who went on to become the first Indian High Commissioner to the UK, is also regarded as another founding member of the Club. “Menon intended the India Club to be a place where young Indian professionals living on a shoestring could afford to eat, discuss politics, and plan their futures,” Parvathi Raman, Founding Chair of the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. In the aftermath of Indian independence and partition, the Club transformed into a hub for a rapidly growing British South Asian community. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

India Club in London, associated with independence movement, to shut shop on THIS date

Plans to renovate a historic and beloved Indian restaurant in central London are causing a stir, pitting the developers against high profile defenders, including intellectuals, Anglo-Indian businessmen and lawmakers from both countries.

The India Club, a restaurant and bar on the Strand near London&#39;s West End, is trying to use its storied history to block proposals by owners Marston Properties to turn the seven-storey building into an upmarket boutique hotel.

&quot;This is a very historic place, we haven&#39;t changed anything,&quot; Yadgar Marker, the club&#39;s current director, told AFP during a recent lunchtime dosa -- an Indian pancake -- as various curry dishes flew out of the kitchen.

&quot;Even these tabletops are from the early &#39;50s... It&#39;s like a museum,&quot; he said.

The club was set up in its current location by Krishna Menon, India&#39;s first High Commissioner to Britain, in the early 1950s, and counted Jawaharlal Nehru, the country&#39;s inaugural prime minister, among its founding members, Marker said.

It has served as a meeting place for writers, intellectuals and politicians, Marker wrote earlier this month to Westminster Council, the local authority in charge of planning decisions.

Marston Properties submitted its application on September 8 to Westminster Council to partially demolish and extend the building.

It currently houses a bakery and convenience store on the ground floor and the India Club and Hotel Strand Continental on the upper levels.

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A &#39;Save India Club&#39; petition is pictured inside the India Club restaurant in London on October 16, 2017. (AFP)
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Heritage status? 
Marker, who has run the club and hotel for the last 20 years, said he was &quot;quite surprised&quot; to learn of the plans in an email from the company.

With their seven-year lease set to expire in 2019, he fears it will mean the end of the club.

The club has applied for the building to receive protected status from Historic England, which recommends which sites of cultural value the British government should designate.

A spokesman for the public body confirmed it had visited the club earlier this month, and would make a decision on whether to recommend listing it by January 19, 2018.

Simon Marshall of Marston Properties told AFP it was cooperating with Historic England &quot;to establish the true heritage links of this building.&quot;

He said the company had commissioned its own independent historical research into the club.

&quot;The extent of (the) heritage links... are not in fact particularly clear,&quot; he added.

Marshall stressed no final decision had been made to redevelop building.

Cultural &#39;cleansing&#39; of London 
Loyal longtime customers have been voicing their support.

A petition launched by the club had garnered over 14,000 signatures by Monday.

&quot;It means the world to generations of Indians,&quot; said Kalyan Thapa, a patron since the 1960s, as he ate with friends there on Monday.

&quot;You can&#39;t knock it down and erase history.&quot;

High profile fans including sculptor Anish Kapoor, writer Will Self and Indian lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, have also leapt to its defence, writing letters of support that Marker has sent on to Westminster Council.

&quot;I think the loss of the club would constitute another step-up in the social, ethnic and cultural &#39;cleansing&#39; of central London&#39;s commercial environment,&quot; Self told AFP.

&quot;Already, smaller and more diverse businesses are being lost from the West End in droves, it creates an arid, aseptic environment in which every cubic foot of space feels commoditised.&quot;

Jawaharlal Nehru was among the founding members of the India Club restaurant

Plans to renovate a historic and beloved Indian restaurant in central London are causing a stir, pitting the developers against high profile defenders, including intellectuals, Anglo-Indian businessmen and lawmakers from both countries. The India Club, a restaurant and bar on the Strand near London's West End, is trying to use its storied history to block proposals by owners Marston Properties to turn the seven-storey building into an upmarket boutique hotel. "This is a very historic place, we haven't changed anything," Yadgar Marker, the club's current director, told AFP during a recent lunchtime dosa -- an Indian pancake -- as various curry dishes flew out of the kitchen. "Even these tabletops are from the early '50s... It's like a museum," he said. The club was set up in its current location by Krishna Menon, India's first High Commissioner to Britain, in the early 1950s, and counted Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's inaugural prime minister, among its founding members, Marker said. It has served as a meeting place for writers, intellectuals and politicians, Marker wrote earlier this month to Westminster Council, the local authority in charge of planning decisions. Marston Properties submitted its application on September 8 to Westminster Council to partially demolish and extend the building. It currently houses a bakery and convenience store on the ground floor and the India Club and Hotel Strand Continental on the upper levels. A 'Save India Club' petition is pictured inside the India Club restaurant in London on October 16, 2017. (AFP) × Heritage status? Marker, who has run the club and hotel for the last 20 years, said he was "quite surprised" to learn of the plans in an email from the company. With their seven-year lease set to expire in 2019, he fears it will mean the end of the club. The club has applied for the building to receive protected status from Historic England, which recommends which sites of cultural value the British government should designate. A spokesman for the public body confirmed it had visited the club earlier this month, and would make a decision on whether to recommend listing it by January 19, 2018. Simon Marshall of Marston Properties told AFP it was cooperating with Historic England "to establish the true heritage links of this building." He said the company had commissioned its own independent historical research into the club. "The extent of (the) heritage links... are not in fact particularly clear," he added. Marshall stressed no final decision had been made to redevelop building. Cultural 'cleansing' of London Loyal longtime customers have been voicing their support. A petition launched by the club had garnered over 14,000 signatures by Monday. "It means the world to generations of Indians," said Kalyan Thapa, a patron since the 1960s, as he ate with friends there on Monday. "You can't knock it down and erase history." High profile fans including sculptor Anish Kapoor, writer Will Self and Indian lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, have also leapt to its defence, writing letters of support that Marker has sent on to Westminster Council. "I think the loss of the club would constitute another step-up in the social, ethnic and cultural 'cleansing' of central London's commercial environment," Self told AFP. "Already, smaller and more diverse businesses are being lost from the West End in droves, it creates an arid, aseptic environment in which every cubic foot of space feels commoditised."

London: New plans for old Indian restaurant, set up by Krishna Menon, cause upset

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India Club in London, associated with independence movement, to shut shop on THIS date

London: New plans for old Indian restaurant, set up by Krishna Menon, cause upset