Gymkhana

Gymkhana (derived from the Hindustani word for "racket court" [http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/gymkhana] ) is an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held.

In India, the term gymkhana is commonly used to refer to a gymnasium. More generally, gymkhana referred (and still 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, a gymkhana refers to a multi-game equestrian event performed to display the training and talents of horses and their riders.

The first element of "gymkhana" comes from "gend" meaning "ball" in Hindi. By semantic association, this element has been assimilated to the English word "gym", short for "gymnasium" and "gymnastics". The second element, "khāna", or "khāneh", is Hindi for "home", and derives from Pahlavi "khānak", which is from the Old Persian word "Āhana". [From "Loghat'nāmeh-ye" Dehkhoda, Third Edition (Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from "Borhān-e Ghāte' " by Dr Mohammad Moin.]

Notes

Some gymkhana events arePole pending (poles I)Poles IISpeed barrelsSingle Stake RaceBig TBi-RangleQuad-RangleFigure 8 flagsFigure 8 stakeHurry ScurryTexas Flags

ee also

*Bombay Gymkhana
*Karachi Gymkhana Club
*Delhi Gymkhana
*Jamalpur Gymkhana
*Gym
*Chennai Gymkhana Club