VOL - I I
SEPTEMBER 2021
ISSUE - 04
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Bro A. N. Sadhu & Bro I. T. Zariff
A surname more appropriate there could have seldom been. Soft-spoken, reticent, a man of few words. In inverse proportion to the munificence of his heart. Philanthropy was among Bro Sadhu’s life’s missions. While he had earlier been fairly regular in attending the meetings of Lodge Light in Andamans, a partial disablement from a debilitating accident some twenty years ago made Bro Amar Nath Sadhu’s presence latterly quite infrequent. Which is why he desisted from assuming the Eastern Chair. Unlike his professional career as a Chartered Accountant where he had risen to the top. His family bid him a tearful farewell on the 28th of August.
Twelve days later, on the 9th of September, another brother from the Lodge was summoned to the Grand Lodge Above. A second generation Freemason, Bro Ibrahim Tayebhai Zariff had fifty six years of Masonry under his belt. Among the senior-most in the District, this unassuming soul had served the Lodge with dedication for fourteen long years as the Secretary. The Lodge reciprocated by conferring on him honorary membership.
The Great Architect appears to be in an almighty rush to cherry-pick His tenantry. May He then navigate their loved ones through these their dark days.
While this compounded loss shrouded 19 and Andamans, in particular, in a pall of gloom, the month of August did commence on a homonymic note: the District circular permitting resumption of meetings and convocations from the 4th was a veritable ray of sunshine that flared “with meridian splendour” through an overcast firmament. A more apposite instance of heliotropism, the Masons gravitating to the notice, is difficult to come by.
And on what better note could the activities have resumed than with an Initiation? The Federation Lodge, the first to hold a meeting after the three-month hiatus, did just that. And who better to preside over the ceremony but the Past District Grand Master? Never mind it was in default. Of the Worshipful Master. In his enthusiasm to demonstrate his diligence, a certain traffic constable had hauled up our motorcycle-borne Master on his way to the meeting for the unpardonable transgression of perching his, the Master’s, crash-helmet on his, the Master’s, crown at an angle that he, the copper, judged rakish and hence tantamount to the commission of the felony of jauntiness arrantly unbecoming of a conscientious, law-abiding biker and one that posed a very real peril of cephalic injury and to life. His, the Master’s. His, again the Master’s, contention that his average speed in the maddeningly chaotic traffic of the city had consistently been several knots less than that of the variant reliant on pedal propulsion and hence could, in no conceivable manner, contribute to physical harm, much less fatality, did little to convince the guardian of the law. By the time steed and mount were let off – not before a stern forty-minute admonition – Worshipful Brother Steven Sanjit Das had missed Bro Chirabrata Majumder’s Initiation.
The opening up of Freemasons’ Hall facilitated the commemoration of Independence Day, and the holding of the Annual Convocation and Communication. Short accounts of these two events are followed by a note by Bro Amit Ukil on the benevolence practised by Lodge True Freemasonry, a Lodge known for its charitable disposition.
Brethren, what comes up last is unlike anything you have read before, one can affirm with a fair measure of certitude. A Masonic odyssey straddling all five continents. A peregrination so long and so wide it had, perforce, to be split into two chapters. Over this and the next issue. One cannot help but marvel at the attention to details, — meticulous. An eidetic imagery that stands out for its singularity. Yes, as some of you might have already guessed, a travelogue, at once exhaustive and gripping, from the fluent pen of the globe-trotting Bro Phil Powell. Read on, brethren.
Editor
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Double whammy. The allusion, dear reader, is not to the impounding, however ephemeral, recounted hereinbefore, of man and machine. The reference is to the cataclysmic tremor, the epicentre of which lay in distant Wuhan, and to the dense pack of nimbostratus that blanketed much of Kolkata on the morning of 15th August. The two could do little, however, to dampen the patriotic fervour of the Masons who attended the Independence Day celebrations that morning on the grounds of 19. Shorn of the enthusiasm of the tots of Masonic Montessori House, who for the second consecutive year remained confined in their homes, — wide-eyed, they question the imposition — the commemoration was, to an extent, redeemed by the brethren in a full-throated rendition of the national anthem. A not-too-bad approximation to the official version of 52 seconds, the varying tempos and pitches could not dilute the enthusiasm evinced from either side of the aisle, English and Indian. Cheese sandwiches, potato crisps and chicken cutlets comprised a rather heavy elevenses. Many commented, punctuated with ill-concealed burps of satiety, — if solecistic — that they would forego lunch and go home straight to a well-earned siesta.
ANNUAL CONVOCATION AND COMMUNICATION
The event that every brother looked forward to, however, was the Annual Convocation and Communication of the District. Held on the 28th, it was replete with pageantry: from the three Principals, robed in their blue, purple and red vestments, striding to the arch-stones emblazoned with FIAT LUX, to the procession of the District Grand Master retiring with the Past District Grand Master and the Deputy Regional Grand Master of Eastern India marching abreast after the conclusion of the Craft meeting. While the Grand Superintendent chose to promote Comps Dipendra Narayan Banerjee, Nauzer Batlivala and yours truly as the 2nd and 3rd District Grand Principals and his deputy respectively, he retained Comp Gyanendra Narain Singh as the Scribe E. Bro Singh was, likewise, retained as the District Grand Secretary in the Craft. So were the Deputy and Assistant District Grand Masters, Bros Darayas Jamshed Bapooji and Subir Datta.
The smooth conduct of the evening was an eloquent testimony to the labour expended by, among others, the ADGM, DGS and the staff. While readily acknowledging this, RW Bro Thapar commended the contribution of Bros Surajit Sanyal, Sanjay Sapru, Anil Vaswani and the teachers of Masonic Montessori House in shoring up the flagging fortunes of the crèche. Young Abhiroop proved he is just as proficient with the DC’s wand as he is with the epee. Touche!
The deviation from the conventionally strict dress code at the Ladies’ Night that followed, was welcomed by many who savoured the informal ambience of smart casuals. The event assumed vibjyorish hues in this departure from the staid dark lounge suits and the almost monochromatic dresses of the ladies. The crooner, Sukanya, complemented the prismatic mood of the evening with her Hindi retro numbers, — another first at a Ladies’ Night. The murmurs from a discontented couple or two, that those were not conducive to Western terpsichorean pas, were not wholly inarticulate. The focal point of the evening, however, was the celebration of the birthdays of the District Grand Master, the First Lady, — to borrow an Americanism, — Mrs Veena Thapar, and Mrs Nargis Bapooji, wife of the Deputy District Grand Master. A pleasant surprise for all three, the cakes had the sweet-toothed salivating and the hyperglycaemic casting wistful glances at the icings. That over, the auction of a bottle of single malt generated spirited bids bringing the gavel down at a not-insubstantial twenty five thousand, the proceeds being promptly set aside for urgent repairs to the heritage building.
CHARITY BY LODGE TRUE FREEMASONRY
By Bro Amitrajit Ukil, IPM
Much required bed sheets were handed over by members of Lodge True Freemasonry, No. 1865, to Kolkata Swasthya Sankalpa, an NGO run by Dr Fuad Halim, for his clinic where, among other facilities, dialysis is provided at Rs 50 only. The handing over was done at the festive board after the Lodge’s regular meeting on 21st August. “I am grateful on behalf of my patients for this gesture. The sheets will help us further our policy of providing low-cost dialysis to the needy”, Dr Halim said after receiving the donation.
MASONRY GLOBAL - I
By Bro Philip Ian Powell, PM, Lodge Bengal Masters
Given my background of travelling the world with my job I have been asked to address you on my Masonic experiences.
I am calling this Masonry Global. We all know Masonry Universal but this is just my small contribution on my experiences on this planet only.
Since becoming a Mason in 1978 I have had the pleasure and privilege to visit and belong to Lodges in Africa, India, Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Being a Lewis I guess it was a foregone conclusion that I would eventually become a Mason myself. My Dad was PM of Warbreck Lodge No 6976EC and having emigrated to NZ in the early 1970’s eventually became Past Provincial Grand Master for Northland Craft Masonry.
I did not emigrate but chose to follow my career in Banking starting in SA in 1970. On leaving Africa (for the first time) in 1978 my family and I went to NZ to await our next posting and it was whilst there that I became a Mason.
My Dad had joined Star of the North Lodge No 1647 EC in Whangarei and had arranged for me to go through the three degrees in a 6 week period from 8.11.78 to 20th December 1978 with my 2nd Degree being undertaken at St Georges Lodge Dargaville by special dispensation five days after my Initiation.
Having gone through my 3rd on 20th December and not being one to hang around I was advised by my employer that I was to report for duty to Hong Kong in early January of 1979.
Armed with letters of introduction from a variety of NZ Masons who all had contacts in HK I arrived and duly presented myself at Zetland Hall, Kennedy Road HK where all HK Lodges meet.
Through my introduction letters I eventually met the Master and Wardens of The Perseverance Lodge of HK No1165EC and was duly admitted as a joining member. One of the great things about Perseverance was their Lodge of Instruction, Diligentia Lodge of Instruction. All members were expected to attend and we were given all the jobs to carry out, sometimes in fact although you had studied the job of say SW on the night you could well be assigned something totally different and this really helped you to understand the different functions and to make sure that you had learned more than your lines!
Another great thing about Perseverance (which I was to discover was a great thing about Masonry globally) was visiting.
All Lodges in HK visited each other on a very regular basis and all members were encouraged to visit. This made sure that your circle of Masonic friends grew very rapidly!
The good Masonic life in HK eventually came to an end when I was posted to the Middle East and for the next 6 or so years I had virtually no Masonic contact as I was working in Bahrain and Indonesia. Finally though, I did get a break and was posted to Calcutta in India.
What a pleasant change! Masonry was thriving. I was very soon back in the swing of things and visiting wherever I could.
Again in India everyone visited as often as possible and eventually in 1987 I became a member of Lodge Star in the East, No. 67EC the oldest working English Lodge outside of the UK. Founded in 1740 and now 281 years old!
I was introduced to Lodge Star by my oldest ( in both senses of the word) Indian friend Mahesh Chandra.
What a great place to be a Freemason in Calcutta. Freemasons Hall is on Park Street, Calcutta and has been there for over a 100 years. All Lodge meetings are held here, as are the festive boards. I was privileged to be asked to be first JW and then SW of Lodge Star. Lodge Star like all my previous Lodges was emulation, which served me well as I was already reasonably well versed in the ritual. Although an English Lodge, I was the only Englishman present as all other brethren were Indian. This in no way hindered events as all workings were performed entirely in accordance with the ritual book.
Unfortunately before I could go through the Chair the Bank in its infinite wisdom decided to transfer me to New York.
Once again armed with the appropriate introduction letters I presented myself at the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of New York, 71 West 23rd Street New York where after due discussion and reading of my various papers I was issued with a certificate from the Grand Secretary advising all brethren that my papers were in order and asking them to extend the usual courtesies (after identification and due examination). Regrettably whilst in the US I only visited once and that was in Atlanta where I found that Masonry was unlike anything I had ever come across, very laid back not much attention to the ritual niceties and really very much like a Masonic Rotary club. Having said that it was an incredibly popular fraternity which did an enormous amount of work for charity.
My time in the USA finally came to a close when I was asked if I would return to Africa (Tanzania) to sort out a problem the Bank had.
Once again after a period of not much contact with Masons I found to my delight that Masonry was flourishing in East Africa and within a short time I was a joining member of Haven of Peace Lodge, No. 4385 EC in Dar Es Salaam.
HoP Lodge was like the League of Nations with its member’s nationalities ranging from Tanzanian (black), Tanzanian (Indian) English, Scottish, Italian, and Scandinavian etc. Again Hop was an emulation ritual Lodge but with the many and varied accents you can image it was a real event to be part of the workings! There were several other Lodges in Dar, Guiding Star No 5299 EC, Dar Es Salaam No 5095 EC and Lodge St Andrew No 1360 SC. All lodges met at the same temple and as in India visiting was very important. The weather played an important part of life in Tanzania as did the lack of power. No power for the AC coupled with 90 degree plus temperatures in a very small and crowded temple certainly tested one’s resolve. There were however very few meetings certainly of HoP when there would be less than 25-30 Masons present not only from local Tanzanian Lodges but also visitors from Kenya and further afield. Apart from visiting other Lodges within Dar we all took any opportunity we could to visit in Nairobi (very popular) and also up country in Tanzania, (Arusha, Mwanza, etc)
Masonry was also in evidence in Uganda of all places with four operative lodges, two in Kampala and two in Jinja and although during the Amin regime the membership was thrown into disarray, temples have now been refurbished and membership activities strengthened. Some years ago in 2001 the Lodges in Uganda donated money to build an Orphanage and a school.
As in India I was asked to be SW of HoP, which I naturally accepted but once again thanks to my employer as my year to be WM approached I was once again on the move, this time to Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe was very disappointing. The English Lodge fraternity were not very welcoming to new people and neither were the Scots. There was however one Dutch constitution Lodge which was very well attended and supported and seemed by far the happier of the Lodges. Work however played a big part in my non-attendance and sadly I only managed a few visits in my two years in Harare.
With Zimbabwe over and done with, I was off to Ghana!
Within a short time of my arrival in Accra one of the staff (Bro Seth Ankrah) remarked on my Masonic signet ring and it transpired that he was a Mason and there was a Temple in Accra, the William Galloway Memorial Temple.
Bro Seth the Senior Deacon invited me to his Lodge Hermes Lodge No. 9223 EC . Like other Lodges in Africa the mix of people you met was incredible and although the majority of the brethren were Ghanaian the candidate for Initiation was in fact a Vietnamese gentleman who worked for the World Bank and has been in Ghana for 9 years! Once again an emulation ritual easy to follow despite the accents! West Africa can be very hot and although the Temple had AC the area for the festive board did not, needless to say dinner was eaten in open necked shirts and rolled up sleeves with the mosquitoes for additional guests. The commitment to Freemasonry in Accra was incredible to see but unfortunately again as a result of work and travelling I could only manage a few visits during my time in Ghana.
From Ghana it was off to Zambia!
The Masonic connection was even easier in Lusaka as the Bank rented the car park of the Masonic Temple during the day for parking for their staff!
Needless to say it did not take long for me to establish the connection and before too long I was a regular visitor to Falcon Lodge (No 7510 EC), Eagle Lodge (No 7232 EC) and Lodge of Unity (No 1510 SC).
As in other third world countries the mix of brethren in each Lodge was very much ‘League of Nations’ with quite a few of the older Masons having been in Zambia since Independence or before.
The standard dress for all meetings in Africa was evening dress despite the heat and the often lack of power to run AC’s and the like. Despite this all meetings were conducted in due form and the festive boards normally held in a separate room in the building were very well attended. Lusaka Temple also boasted a bar which was open every day of the week from lunch time until usually 10 or 11pm whether or not there was a Lodge in meeting This ensured that the Temple was the meeting place for all Masons and proved to be a very friendly place indeed. Membership of the fraternity covered all walks of life from High Court Judges to MPs to businessmen and even itinerant bankers!
All English Lodges again followed emulation, which made it easier for me especially when asked at a moment’s notice to fill in for someone who had been unable to attend.
Of course as a visitor you were always expected to ‘sing for your supper’ and this ensured that I had no problem in standing up and speaking in public, something that some Masons I think find very difficult.
Having completed the project in Zambia it was back to West Africa again, this time to Sierra Leone and Gambia.
When I arrived in 2002 Sierra Leone was just coming out of a particularly nasty civil war and the country and Freetown, the capital, were in a dreadful state.
On arrival (by helicopter from the airport which is another story) it was immediately evident from the state of the roads and buildings that the country was on its knees. Despite this the people were friendly and getting on with bringing order back to their land. You would think after what they had been through that the last thing that would have (or could have) survived would be Freemasonry.
How wrong could I have been?
On arrival at the branch in Freetown I met Ransford Collier the Operations Manager. In a matter of minutes (or so it seemed) it was established that Ransford was a Mason that he was the Right Worshipful Master of Lodge Sierra Leone Highland No 997 SC . I was invited to their next meeting at the Scottish Temple the George Acland Masonic Temple, 24 Lightfoot Boston Street, Freetown!
From the outside the Temple was run down, pockmarked with bullet holes and generally dilapidated. On the inside however things were very different. Although the furnishing were old and the décor faded (to be expected) the atmosphere was warm and welcoming (typically Masonic?)
I duly attended and witnessed the Initiation of Mr Isaac Kofie Robertson Danner. A faultless ceremony was performed and once again being a visitor (plus the guest of the WM) I was asked to respond to the visitors’ toast. I also met the Right Worshipful District Grand Master Bro Crispus A O. Cole and (surprise, surprise!) I was invited to attend the Installation Meeting of Bro Ismail Sheriff Tarashid Tarawali Master elect of Lodge Blue Diamond No 1687 SC.
Once again evening suit was the dress despite the heat but nevertheless a very enjoyable meeting/meal and thankfully this time I was not asked to speak.
Ransford was determined to ‘show off’ Freemasonry in Sierra Leone and before long he had engineered an invite to Loyal Lodge No 3719 EC.
The English Freemasons have their own temple at Freemasons’ Hall, Tower Hill, Freetown. It is sited on a hill overlooking the town and once again was pockmarked by bullet holes and had been ravaged, at least on the exterior, by the war. Inside however was different story. The temple ceiling had been decorated with hand painted murals depicting Masonic and Biblical scenes and despite the outside damage and the war, as with the Scottish Temple, nothing inside had been touched or damaged.
At this meeting there was no working, only the investing of officers who had been absent at the Installation but again a truly memorable occasion for me to sit in open Lodge with such wonderful Masons who had survived (as had the Craft) the terrible civil war and were now looking to continue with the craft. As in other countries the principle of charity is ever present and all the Lodges in Freetown were actively contributing towards the rebuilding of schools etc. and donating money to other projects for the betterment of the people of Freetown.
My final visit to a Sierra Leon Lodge was to Laboramus Lodge No 9081 EC again as a guest of RW Bro Ransford to attend the Installation of Bro Teddy Joseph Lemuel Forde.
It was interesting to note that on the summons there were two brothers due for Raising and one for Passing, evidence enough I would think that Freemasonry was again on the up and up in West Africa and specifically Sierra Leone.
All good things come to and end and sadly I was soon to retire from the Bank and cease my wanderings around the world.
This had not stopped me however from visiting my Masonic friends around the world and I have since been back to Tanzania (Haven of Peace) twice and continue to visit India whenever I can.
I do enjoy my Freemasonry and have had, courtesy of my career and lifestyle the opportunity to live, work in and visit some fabulous places around the world and make many Masonic friends.
To be continued
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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.