CHENNAI: An entry to the temple of the Freemasons Hall, Egmore, is an invitation to the 400-year-old lineage of values and traditions the group upholds. Their motto, Brotherly love, relief and truth, was etched in big letters on the walls. Pointing to that, TR Mohanakrishnan, a member of the Freemasonry in India, shared, “We work on the principle of the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.
The masonic path paves the route for all masons to advance intellectually, socially, spiritually, and morally,” to an audience unaware of the legacy of the community. A press meet held on Saturday making the official announcement of the appointment of TN Manoharan as their new regional grand master also witnessed a heritage walk through the 100-year-old building.
Explaining the history of the group, VS Kylas, ex-assistant regional grand master, said, “The freemasonry movement is an international phenomenon. The Grand Lodge of India (GLI) was established at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi on November 24, 1961. By upholding the masonic principles and qualities, the men who belong to freemasonry are on the path to becoming better men.” A detailed description of the organisation was given by Manoharan.
He said, “The GLI, which governs freemasonry in India, is based in New Delhi. GLI is divided into four regions, north, west, east, and south. The respective Regional Grand Lodge is in charge of each region. Chennai serves as the headquarters and administrative centre for the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India (RGLSI). Of the approximately 20,000 masons in India, RGLSI is home to 50% of them. In addition to Pondicherry in southern India, RGLSI operates 177 lodges across all five states.”
Unlike most of the organisations that propagate love and support for all and seek funds from others, Freemasons promote altruism and charity works by raising money internally, only through their members. The meeting was also a prelude to the function on March 11 which will witness the appointment of Manoharan by the current regional grand master VG Madhusudan. Manoharan concluded the meet by presenting his vision for the next three years of his tenure.
He said, “The goal for the next three years is to create long-term initiatives that will serve the needs of children SPASTN, help the visually impaired find employment, and support students from economically weaker sections of the society who might otherwise give up on their education.”