VOL - I
DECEMBER 2020
ISSUE - 07
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Back, brethren, to what has now turned almost into a ritual, the repugnant task of commencing with an epitaph. “Time”, with yet another Brother, was “no more”; Arya Gupta, a member of The Federation Lodge, — and among the more recent of the countless victims to have fallen prey to the holocaust for which one nation considers it expedient to apportion blame on a man who had allegedly chosen to eat a bat, an incrimination accorded scant credence by the rest of the world — breathed his last on the 17th of this month. I have known Arya since the day he had come as a barjatri with my brother-in-law at my sister’s wedding four and a half decades ago; they were colleagues, covenanted officers, at Grindlays. A thespian gifted with a silver tongue, just as he had been with an eloquent pen, Rjo, as he preferred his name to be spelt, had an amiable personality with a smile that the attribute beatific would appropriately qualify. His wife away at Bombay, till very recently tending her terminally ill mother, and sons away in distant USA, the man died a lonely death in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Dear brother, the Almighty is the richer having you by His side. The heart goes out to the family whom circumstances have cruelly deprived of a last glimpse of their beloved.
While still in December, The 19 wishes all its readers a Merry Christmas and a COVID-free ‘21; let not there be another Navzar Dotivala, another Amit Gooptu, another Arya Gupta. Retracing to November, Masonry at 19 – one refrains from predicating, got back to business in right earnest – did muster an improvement over the stutter of September and the lull of October; a few Lodges and Chapters have yet to get over the trepidation that the word, congregation, conjures up. In stoic wait for the prophylactic jab that serum pundits attest are in the final stages of human trial. Most heartening, if in a not altogether different context, a couple of Initiations were done in Prinsep Lodge complying with the amendments suggested by UGLE to facilitate the new social norms. At the cost of sounding facetious, one cannot help but observe that the candidates did look a trifle comic, perambulating round the temple with their dark glasses on, closely resembling a pair of visually impaireds blundering their way around.
With the resumption of the festive boards, the caterer, Iqbal, limped back to business. His sigh of relief was, however, muted. If sighs can be not-muted, that is. With a majority of the Lodges affiliated to the Indian Constitution – they constitute the bulk — yet to resume their meetings, and the attendance of those that had met, at best half, Iqbal’s woes lingered, if to a lesser extent. The dim flicker at the end of the proverbial tunnel getting brighter, if at a pace that snails would be inclined to dismiss with disdain. That Prasad, the chef, has retained his magic touch even after six months of hibernation, was vouched by the brethren not long after they had tucked in their serviettes. Federation gourmanded – do forgive the solecism, brethren — on his gourmet biriyani on the manicured lawn of Bro Anil Vaswani.
Reportage of the events in the penultimate month, as portayed above, might have been scanty. That, fortunately, has been amply made up by a retrospect by Bro Amitrajit Ukil on the anniversary of the away meeting of Lodge True Freemasonry at Puri in November of ’19, — the first of its kind in the annals of 19. A veteran journalist with a lucid diction, who often frowns upon the phraseology of the undersigned as circumlocution, Bro Ukil’s essays are a reader’s delight, witness the article herein below. A stickler for punctuality, an attribute brethren and acquaintances have often been known to get exasperated with, he would nary have one dallying on what he would consider frivolous talk. So, brethren, …
Editor
VENTURING OUT TO A TEMPLE NEAR A TEMPLE
– a year on, Bro Amitrajit Ukil, WM, Lodge True Freemasonry, recounts a unique meeting
The venue of the meeting and the then WM, Bro Samrat Mukherjee
It must have been the overbearing heat and humidity of that June evening last year. At the festive board following our regular meeting, one of the brethren took a shot in the dark. “Why can’t we hold a meeting in cooler climes?” That triggered a serious discussion, with the adventurous saying “why not?”, and the sceptical asking “is it possible?”. By the time the gathering culminated, a consensus had been arrived at – a subsequent regular meeting would be held away from the regular venue of 19 Park Street after taking all the clearances and dispensations. The then Worshipful Master, Brother Samrat Mukherjee, agreed, and the seeds of history in the making had been sown.
Obvious questions naturally followed. Which city or town would be the most suitable? Would it be possible to set up a temple? How would we get the tools that are required to conduct a regular meeting? What about accommodation and travel arrangements? And so on… But as they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and a collective will had a stronger way! One by one, or rather in preferred Masonic jargon, brick by brick, all the issues were tackled. As our secretary, Brother Kaushik Mukherjee, pointed out, the venue had to be within the area of our District of Bengal, which stretches from Odisha, Jharkhand and eastern UP in the west to the north-eastern states in the east. Considering all the pros and cons, it was agreed that Puri would be the location. It wasn’t that far away, it had a beckoning seaside and beaches and, most appealing, it was the abode of Lord Jagannath. Procedures and coordination would take time, so it was decided that the November election meeting would be the one with a difference.
The anticipation and excitement was building. Why not share it among the brethren of other lodges in the District? Word was sent out, and the idea generated a lot of positive response and interest. Members of at least three other lodges agreed to come along, especially since it was a weekend. The WM, along with the secretary, took up coordination activities, from booking guest houses to train tickets, with leeway for participants to choose their own train timings and mode of travel, as long as you reached in time for the meeting! In fact, Brother Vasant Subramanian chose to drive down with a couple of friends as guest attendees. The District office, however, was not sure whether such a meeting could be held, and hesitated in granting the dispensation. It was at the intervention of the immediate past District Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother Krupakaran Satish David, who got clarifications from the UGLE, that the District office gave the go-ahead.
A special mention has to be made of the masterful efforts by Brother Kaushik Choudhury, who used maul and chisel to carve out beautiful working tools that were used at the meeting. The entire set from first degree to third degree, including the gavel and candle stands to the folding wands used by the Deacons, displayed quite exemplary craftsmanship in woodwork. He even had cases made for transporting the wands! Needless to mention that, given his penchant to grip the steering, he too drove down the pleasant highways from Kolkata to Puri. Along with Brother Sandip Mukherjee, he also helped in setting up the temple in the main hall of Mr Dasgupta’s guest house at Chakratirthya. Our Lodge banner and charter were also carried to the venue.
The schedule of the day of the meeting started with a darshan of the Lord, seeking his blessings at his temple so that the proceedings at our temple later in the evening unfolded smoothly. The experience at the mandir, negotiating the crowds and the pandas, was memorable. Some of us even booked flags to be tied at the pinnacle of the structure, a tradition that is considered holy and pious. Lunch comprised the khichri bhog and the goja from the temple precincts. This was followed by a stroll down the beach not far from the guest house on a pleasant November afternoon.
With sundown came the hour for the meeting to begin. For the first time, perhaps for all of us, reaching the temple was not by rushing through evening city traffic but by stepping out of our rooms into the converted hall. The WM opened the Lodge exactly at 6.30, and all the processes and procedures followed. Being the election meeting, the Senior Warden’s name for succession as WM was proposed and approved of by all the Past Masters present. The Tyler too was similarly elected. The alms collected were handed over for distribution among the needy children in the neighbourhood. As many as 14 brethren were in attendance.
With the culmination of the labours of the evening and the Lodge being closed, it was time for the festive board on the lawns in front of the guest house. The high spirits were further elevated by liquors of choice, accompanied by delicious snacks. A sumptuous spread had been prepared by the able kitchen staff, and the meal was rounded off with tasty sweets brought all the way from Kolkata. The three visitors enjoyed the exchanges and toasts as much as the brethren did.
Finally, as the midnight hour struck, most of those present called it a wonderful day, having to catch early morning trains back to Kolkata. The drivers too sought a good rest before the ride back home. So the curtains were called, and an eventful day came to an end. History had been created in the District Grand Lodge of Bengal, with Lodge True Freemasonry No. 1865 EC being the first ever in the District to hold a regular meeting outside the precincts of 19 Park Street. It is hoped that, with control over the present pandemic being achieved soon, similar meetings will be held in the future, contributing to spreading awareness about Masonry.
EDITOR: Amit Dutt
Mobile: +91 98312 23230, E-mail : a_k_dutt_06@yahoo.com
DISTRICT GRAND SECRETARY: Gyanendra Narain Singh
Mobile: +919230613338, 9903033599, E-mail : dgsofbengalfm@gmail.com
Freemasons’ Hall, 19, Park Street, Kolkata – 700 016, West Bengal, India.