The India Club, Westminster
 

Some members may know the historic India Club in London. Anyway, see below -

Save India Club

If I'm not meant to post this sort of thing here, please delete it, mods. :embarrassed_smile:

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

We've been to the India Club a few times,some interesting black and white old photo's on the wall.Was there in July this year.A great place!

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

The problem is that it is associated with High Commissioner VK Krishna Menon who was a very controversial figure both in India and the UK. So not so much urge to protect it by those who remember I am told.

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

Curious as to why you say that about Krishna Menon.
Support for Indian independence is surely no longer controversial, the invasion of Goa perhaps less universally welcome, but it did illustrate his first class grasp of geo-politics - as I may have pointed out before, India had been fairly sanguine about inheriting a Portuguese enclave in its backyard, but Krishna Menon saw very clearly how things were moving, and an independent ex-colonial enclave within India was totally unacceptable.

AndyD 8-)₹

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

According to OH--it was his staunch communism--and persuading Nehru to link up with China and all that followed from that.
British were worried about links with Russia.

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

British were always worried about links with Russia- that was the Great Game after all!

AndyD 8-)₹

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

The "Old Guard" in London had problems accepting the realities of Indian Independence. That is why Krishna Menon was disliked.

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

I am astonished that anyone would describe Menon as a "communist". Not my understanding at all ! I am backed up by the often-unreliable Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._K._Krishna_Menon

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

"The Labour Party began preparations to nominate him as its candidate from the Dundee Parliamentary constituency in 1939 but that fell through because of his perceived connections with the Communist Party. He resigned (or was expelled, according to other sources) from the Labour Party in protest but rejoined in 1944."

So communist connections - but that was de rigeur for a left-wing intellectual of the period.

So one of the greatest minds of the 20th century - (but then so was Enoch Powell <s>)

AndyD 8-)₹

Re: The India Club, Westminster
 

He was Defence Minister in India in late 1950s --according to OH who remembers--he was very pro-China persuading Nehru of China's friendship--All went wrong and the China/India war. He resigned--Nehru died not long after.
The thought there was that he was strongly Communist.