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Gymkhana

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Gymkhana

Gymkhana (Hindi: जिमख़ाना, Assamese: জিমখানা, Bengali: জিমখানা, Urdu: جِمخانہ‎, Sindhi: جمخانه‎) is an Indian term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Persian word "Jamat-khana". Most gymkhanas have a Gymkhana Club associated with them, a term coined during British Raj for gentlemen's club.

In India, the term gymkhana is commonly used to refer to a gymnasium. More generally, gymkhana refers to a social and sporting club in the Indian subcontinent, and in other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Burma and Singapore, as well as in East Africa.

In English-speaking countries outside the Indian subcontinent, a gymkhana is a multi-game equestrian competition held to display the training and talents of horses and their riders, particularly in speed events.

The term is also used as the name of a timed automotive obstacle course, see Gymkhana (motorsport) and Gymkhana (motorcycle).

Etymology

The first element of gymkhana comes from gend meaning ball' in Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli. This element is distinct from English word gym, short for gymnasium and gymnastics which has Greek and Latin roots. The second element, khānā (ख़ाना) has Indo-Persian or Indo-Arabic origin meaning a place or a compartment. In the Persian (خانه) it's a term for dwelling, house.

References

Gymkhana Wikipedia