When the whole city is celebrating the festival of lights, the Bangalore Turf Club seems to have slipped into darkness, not knowing where to find the light. There is total inaction on the part of the BTC Committee, its members and all the professionals because there seems to be no concerted effort to ensure the resumption of activities. The pace at which the club mandarins are moving can even shame a tortoise. The attitude seems to be akin to saying that let the ant drink an ocean and tortoise go around the world before we wake up. The club’s finances will run dry by the end of November and there will be massive upheaval because it will then be nothing short of a catastrophe for the sport and those dependent on that.

It is nearly 50 days since racing activities came to a depressing halt following the government’s refusal to grant a license to Bangalore Turf Club to conduct its activities. The club had refused to accommodate government nominees as members of the club for some time now. The government got a handle to crush the club when accusations of doping mafia, betting mafia and financial impropriety were made by none other than those who were at the helm resulting in the government ordering a CID inquiry. The ongoing CID inquiry is stated as the reason for the license not being given. The issue of expanding membership is also another reason why the club has been denied the license.

The turf club members, pampered as they are by lavish parties by aspiring members, have not helped matters. A Special General Body Meeting called to move an amendment for increasing membership was doomed as the turnout at the meeting was a record one and the mood was to defeat the resolution. The entire Managing Committee had tendered resignation on the eve of the SGM when they saw the writing on the wall. The meeting failed to yield any result because the members did not bother to discuss the issue by merely stating that prior government permission was not taken to amend the articles of the association as mandated. The issue was thus kept open-ended with no clue as to what the future would hold.

The Bangalore Winter Season is scheduled to start on November 10 but there is uncertainty about the resumption of racing in the month of November itself. The new BTC Committee is in power since September 27 and they haven’t made any visible progress except writing to the government for permission to amend the Articles of Association for increasing the membership by 50. BTC Chairman Harimohan Naidu said that they are awaiting the reply from the government. He said once the government permission is obtained, he will call a Special General Body Meeting will be called to pass the resolution. But there is no guarantee that the resolution will be passed. The BTC Committee too has been silent in its letter about the success of the resolution going through. In short, there is no commitment at all from the club for the government to respond.

Principal Finance Secretary I S N Prasad said: ''We have received the letter from the Bangalore Turf Club seeking permission to expand the membership of the club by 50. We will consider it.’’ There was no indication as to whether the permission will be forthcoming or not. As also the time frame in which BTC can get a reply.

This statement from the Finance Secretary who is the licensing authority will add more uncertainty to the resumption of activities. The turf club members haven’t endeared themselves to race goes or to the government by their unjustifiable stand. They value their membership rights above the sport, the reason for which the club exists. They don’t seem to be realizing that their membership is of no value if there is no racing activity. There seems to be no thawing of the mind against the increase of membership and there is every possibility that the resolution in the form it is proposed could be defeated.

Out of the total strength of 350 members, only 39 own horses. This itself indicates the reason why racing has taken a backseat. The racehorse owners, trainers and jockeys haven’t taken any measures to bring a sense of urgency into the issue. The association wrote a bland letter to the Finance Secretary and the way it was drafted, it did not stir anybody. These associations must make the members realize the need for them to act to save the sport from extinction. Unfortunately, the advisors to these bodies are also club members and hence they need to protect their own interest which is the reason why their response has been timid. In 1985 when there was a crisis due to which there was a cessation of activities for 45 days, a delegation of the club along with trainers, jockeys and syces had met the then Chief Minister to plead their case.

With so many government holidays in the next few days, it is unlikely that any clearance can come from the government in a hurry as BTC is last on its priority. At the earliest, the club can call for a special general body only in the second week of November. And there is no guarantee that things can progress in the right direction. The club mandarins instead could have called for an informal general body meeting and taken the written consent of members as to their intention which may have gone well with the government. The integrity of intention is something that is missing from the actions of the committee which is playing too defensively for comfort.