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T
ingri Club, situated on ‘Keyhung
Mati’ gets its name from the river
Tingri which flows through this
estate. it has a membership of sixteen
gardens, namely – Dirial, itakhooli,
Keyhung, Mahakali, Hatimara, Deohall,
Zaloni, Rajah Alli, Balijan (Hoogrijan),
Madhuting, Santi, Bahadur, Hatijan,
Jutlibari, Mahadeobari and Madhuban.
The members are resident executives of
these gardens. Located just 11 km away
fromTinsukia town,Tingri Club has five
non-planter members too, availing the
various facilities provided there.
The club was built some time in 1917 and
boasts six tennis courts, a swimming pool,
a squash court, an outdoor badminton
court, a pool table and a well stocked
library. The members can play table
tennis, carrom and chess too. However,
the main feature of the club is its massive
football field lined with tall trees on one
side, this open space adding to the
grandeur. Tingri Club has always been
the favourite ground for most of the
cricket and football tournaments. The
Upper Assam inter-Company football
and cricket matches are always held here.
The John Morice Cricket match between
the Company’s North and South bank
estates is also hosted here every alternate
year. The grounds can simultaneously
host four 5-a-Side football matches or
two cricket matches.
The golf course is situated a little away
from the main club building, having its
own golf ‘hut’ where the golfers make
merry on club days and Sundays. About
four or five decades back the Tingri golf
course was open to the Oil executives,
being the only course in close proximity
to Duliajan. This has since been
discontinued as the oil club now has its
own golf course.
Besides games, socially too the planters
know how to entertain themselves, with
TINGRI CLUB
~ Neeru Shekhawat
Mahakali T.E.
In a planter’s
life, the club
takes centre
stage.
e
beehive of all
activities, be it
sports or social
life, clubs are
the very hub of
life in the tea
gardens.
58 JULY 2015
Tennis Camp
Club Tennis Team – 1960s