“Excellence in Journalism for sixty years”

Kolkata 1945. The wind was still heavy with the raw smell of the devastating World War II and the land reeked of the ravages of a terrible famine. Yet, India was on the threshold of a new dawn with the freedom movement gaining momentum. Reporters were thus in the thick of the news. About this time, May 1945, the idea of an organization to cater to the social aspect of the newsmen and also to promote their professional interest gained ground among the journalist fraternity. On July 22, 1945, forty odd reporters put their seal of approval to the proposal. And, thus, was born the Press Club, Kolkata. But without any permanent premises, the Club moved from one place to another. Yet members cherished the dream of a permanent home. January 16, 1957 was a red-letter day for the Club.



Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru while addressing the annual social of the Club at Princes Grand urged members to have a hearth of their own. So, in the early sixties the Club moved on to the Maidan. But today the Club is fully airconditioned, the only one on the Maidan. It has all the recreational and professional facilities including a cyber café and a telecom bureau. It also has a website of its own. The club is not a mere structure but something more than that. It is now an institution in its own right and a landmark in the City of Joy. Footfalls of Presidents & Prime Ministers of several nations as well as other VIPs and eminent personalities had graced the Club. It is also a media hub for Press conferences, seminars and inter-active sessions for furthering excellence in journalism besides being in the vanguard of protecting Press freedom. The Club has also always risen to the occasion whenever there has been a crisis.