| Various Masonic Functions |
DETAILS OF LODGE FELLOWSHIP FUNCTION ON THE VISIT OF M. WOR. BRO. DILIP D. UDESHI, M.WOR. THE GRAND MASTER TO AHMEDABAD ON 4 th MAY 2002 . The Wor. Master and Brethren of Lodge Fellowship held a get together with ladies on 4 th May 2002 at 7 p.m. to welcome M.W. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, M.W. The Grand Master, Grand Lodge of India. The function which was held at Hotel President, Ahmedabad was attended by the Masonic Fraternity of Ahmedabad alongwith charming ladies. The M.W. Grand Master alongwith R.W. Bro. Faroukh Hyderabadwala, R.W. The Dy. R.G.M., V.W.Bro. Mehar Gimi, The Regional Grand Secretary, W.Bro. Adi S. Vakil, The Regional Grand Registrar arrived at the venue at 7.30 pm after viewing the telecast on Doordarshan News of the Inauguration of Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory, which was inaugurated earlier in the day by M.W. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi. The D.O.C. of Lodge Fellowship, W.Bro. Suresh Mehra introduced the Brethren and the ladies to M.W. The Grand Master. W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi, Wor. Master of Lodge Fellowship then addressed the Brethren and the ladies and highlighted the various achievements of Lodge Fellowship during the last 4 months which included setting up the country's first Braille Language Laboratory for the visually impaired, Inititaion of a Brother at the young age of 71 yrs., Charitable projects undertaken by the Lodge including rehabilitation of poor and destitute children who were victims of the recent communal clashes and were rendered homeless and without parents. He then requested M.W. The Grand Master to present a Cheque for Rs. 5000/= on behalf of Lodge Fellowship to Mrs. Maya Tripathi of "Sarjan" towards medical aid for the poor and destitute children. R.Wor. Bro. Faroukh Hyderabadwala, R.W. The Dy. R.G.M. of W.I. then addressed the Brethren and Ladies and talked about the various Masonic duties and qualities of a Freemason. Later, M.W. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, M.W. The Grand Master addressed the gathering and stressed upon the need to follow, understand and memorize the ritual book. He explained the importance of the ritual book and stressed that Freemasonry was not a secret organization and thanked the ladies for their encouragement to the Brethren. He expressed his satisfaction over the activities of Lodge Fellowship and invited the Brethren for The World Masonic Conference being held at New Delhi in November 2002. A vote of thanks was later given by W.Bro. Bhanubhai Dave, Chaplain, Lodge Fellowship. The D.O.C. then invited M.W. The Grand Master, Brethren and ladies for dinner. Divine Service Ahmedabad was witness to the first ever-Divine Service conducted by The Grand Lodge of India. The Divine Service was held on Saturday 11th March 2006 at The Sun N Step Club which had a jam-packed audience comprising of Non Masons & Ladies.
The procession led by The Acting Grand DOC, R.W. Bro Meher Gimi & The Acting Asst. Grand DOC, W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi comprised of the five Brs. Of V.S.L., W.Bro. Bhanu J. Dave, W.Bro. Siddique, W.Bro. Surti, Bro. Surjit Singh Oberoi & Bro. Samir Desai, The Deacons were W.Bro. Tushar Zaveri & W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim. The procession included R.W. The Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar, M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, M.W. The Past Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil, Chaplain, W.M. of Lodge Fellowship, W.Bro. Ratan Vadvan, The Sword Br. was W.Bro. Madhav Kulkarni behind whom were M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM & the Chief Guest Mr. R.K. Saiyed followed by the Std. Brs. W.Bro. Khambuja & W.Bro. Daru.
After the ceremonial procession was seated The D.O.C. opened the V.S.L.'s and then M.W. The Grand Master explained to the audience the significance of holding a Divine Service, specifically mentioning that all the religious texts conveyed the same teachings. He then directed the V.S.L. Brs. to read the portions from the respective scriptures. The respective brethren recited the scriptures in a beautiful manner. On a last minute request from M.W. The Grand Master to encourage Ladies to participate in the Divine service the various translations of all the scriptures were impeccably recited by Mrs. Kiran Sethi, wife of W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi. The rendering of the scriptures & the translation thereafter left the audience spellbound in the charged atmosphere.
M.W. The Grand Master then appreciated the efforts of Lodge Fellowship in the various charitable projects and explained to the audience how Freemasonry was neither a Religious body nor a Secret Society. Various myths of Freemasonry were explained to the audience and thereafter W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim introduced the Chief Guest to the audience & invited him to address the audience.
The Chief Guest Mr. R.K. Saiyed was overwhelmed by the beautiful divine service and told the audience how this small group of freemasons was doing selfless work for the society. He thanked M.W. The Grand Master, R.W. The Regional Grand Master & the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship for having invited him to witness such a solemn ceremony and urged the young in the audience to come forward and join freemasonry. The vote of thanks was given by W.Bro. Ratan Vadvan, W.M. of Lodge Fellowship who briefly mentioned the various projects undertaken by Lodge Fellowship & invited all present to visit the Inauguration of the unique "Lodge Fellowship Lab for the Hearing & Speech impaired" by M.W. The Grand Master, the next day at Umang School for the Hearing Impaired.
After the National Anthem the audience joined the Freemasons for tea & snacks. It was heartening to learn from the Ladies & the audience that they thoroughly enjoyed the Divine Service & requested M.W. the Grand Master to hold such Divine Services more frequently. Later at 8 pm, M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Arun Chintopanth OSM, M.W. The Past Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, R.W. The Regional Master, R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil, R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi & W.Bro. Tushar Zaveri joined the Brethren & Ladies of Lodge Fellowship for a presentation of The Website of Lodge Fellowship by Bro. Samir Desai followed by a sumptuous dinner.
DETAILS OF THE VISIT OF M. WOR. BRO. JUSTICE DEVINDER GUPTA, O.S.M., M.WOR. THE GRAND MASTER & R.W. BRO. VASUDEV MASUREKAR, R.W. THE R.G.M. OF W.I. TO AHMEDABAD ON 24TH JANUARY 2008. The W.M. & the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship No. 140, Ahmedabad had been anxiously awaiting the maiden visit of M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, O.S.M. along with R.W. The Regional Grand Master of W.I., R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar. M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM & R.W. The Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar arrived at 10.30 am on 24th January 2008 & were received at the Airport by the W.M., W. Bro. Manjot Singh Oberoi, W. Bro. Rajiv Sethi, W. Bro. Suresh Mehra, W. Bro. Ratan Vadvan & W. Bro. Harshadray Joshi. M.W. The Grand Master accompanied with R.W. The Regional Grand Master were then driven to the Masonic Temple for a brief visit where they were joined by The ARGM, W. Bro. Tushar Zaveri. M.W. The Grand Master inspected the temple and was distressed by the state of the building and the decaying rare paintings. He however, was very impressed with the Tracing Boards and mentioned that they were unique. The Brethren of Lodge Fellowship requested M.W. The Grand Master to take up the matter with the Scottish Constitution for the restoration of the temple as the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship were eager to get the repairs done.
M. W. The Grand Master was then taken to the "Lodge Fellowship Lab For The Hearing & Speech Impaired ". The dignitaries were shown around the Lab and were given a demonstration of the functioning of the Hearing & Speech Impaired Lab set up by the brethren of Lodge Fellowship. M.W. The Grand Master took keen interest in the Lab & interacted with the children. He was impressed by the technological advancement & appreciated the efforts of Lodge Fellowship for having set up such a unique project which was serving the hearing & speech impaired children.
M. W. The Grand Master was thereafter taken to the "Lodge Fellowship Early Intervention Centre For Multiple Disabled Children", where he was welcomed by Mrs. Nandini Raval of B.P.A. who showed him around the centre. The various equipments installed at the centre were demonstrated to M.W. The Grand Master & their respective utilities explained. Mrs. Raval particularly mentioned that the Centre was rendering yeoman's service to the multiple disabled children & the same had become very popular, being the only such centre in Gujarat. Children & their parents were visiting the centre from all across the state. M. W. The Grand Master was shown the Sensory unit and Mrs. Raval mentioned how this unit was able to detect a ray of hope in a child who had been medically declared 100% blind. The concept of the ultra violet lights etc. were explained and M.W. The Grand Master was highly impressed by such a novel project set up by the brethren of Lodge Fellowship.
The next visit was to the prestigious "Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Lab" where the dignitaries were welcomed by Dr. Bhushan Punani, the Director of BPA. The functioning of the Braille Lab & its live demonstration was given by Rahim bhai, a visually impaired, who has been teaching Braille in this lab since its inception. M. W. The Grand Master was explained how the 1:1 student - teacher ratio had been dispensed with after this Lab was set up by Lodge Fellowship. This was the first of its kind Lab in the world & The Grand Master was shown the photograph of the award being given by Hon. The President of India. M. W. The Grand Master interacted with the visually impaired students in the lab.
Both M.W. The Grand Master & R.W. The Regional Grand Master were taken aback when Rahim bhai challenged them to solve the puzzles that he had made in spite of being visually impaired.
After a lot of effort both The Grand Master & The R.G.M. gave up & Rahim Bhai showed the ease with which he could solve the puzzles. An intriguing magic show was shown by him also which left everyone gasping for breath. M. W. The Grand Master highly appreciated the efforts of the brethren of Lodge Fellowship in setting up such exclusive, unique & sustainable projects which would serve the society for years to come.
M. W. The Grand Master & R.W. The Regional Grand Master were then explained the concept of a Resource Room for the visually impaired by their principal, Shri Tarak bhai. He explained the uniqueness of such a room and the equipments which would be installed therein which would go a long way in aiding the visually impaired. Tarak bhai requested the help of Lodge Fellowship to set up this new project which would cost approx. Rs. 2 lacs & the W.M. of Lodge Fellowship responded immediately by announcing that this project would be undertaken in the current year by the brethren of Lodge Fellowship.
M. W. The Grand Master thanked the officials of BPA & Brethren of Lodge Fellowship for the courtesy extended and mentioned that his vision had widened after viewing the wonderful work being done by Lodge Fellowship. There after, M.W. The Grand Master & R.W. The Regional Master had an informal get together over lunch with the brethren of Lodge Fellowship before proceeding for Rajkot. SMART YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CAMP OF LODGE FELLOWSHIP NO. 140 Lodge Fellowship undertook a unique project of holding a Smart Youth Development Camp along with “Unnat Academy of Human Excellence” near Ahmedabad in the beautiful environs of The Institute of Sanitation. The youth stayed together as a community, cooked, washed utensils and developed the sense of sharing. This 3 day inhouse workshop was held from 21st May to 23rd May.
The 3 day workshop was conducted by Unnat Academy of Human Excellence. The various objectives of holding the camp were:
The content of the Program in brief was :
The Special Features in this Smart Youth Camp were :
The Youth were trained to Organise Cultural Programmes, Organise Social Events, Develop Creative Skills, Removing Stage Fear & participated in various Outdoor Adventure. A no. of youth from low income group were sponsored by Lodge Fellowship. During the closing ceremony all participants were given Mementos & Certificates & were asked to relate their experiences during the 3 day camp. The W.M., W. Bro. Samir Desai gave a brief to the young students about Freemasonry & the various activities of Freemasonry.
VISIT OF M. W. BRO. JUSTICE DEVINDER GUPTA, O.S.M., M.WOR. THE GRAND MASTER OF THE GRAND LODGE OF INDIA TO AHMEDABAD ON 18TH and 19th SEPTEMBER 2009. The Brethren of Lodge Fellowship No. 140, Ahmedabad had been anxiously awaiting the Special Half Yearly Meeting of The Regional Grand Lodge of W.I., which was being hosted by them, particularly because another prestigious project, “Lodge Fellowship IT Skills Center for the Hearing Impaired” was to be inaugurated by M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, O.S.M. as also the launch of a unique project for the Deaf-Mute cum Blind.
M. W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM arrived at 10.00 am on 18th January 2009 and after a traditional welcome at Hotel Metropole was ready to visit the projects of Lodge Fellowship along with many freemasons of the Western Region, Northern Region and Southern Region including R.W. The Dy. Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Zawareh Wadia and W. Bro. Tushar Zaveri, ARGM. The first stop as per tradition was the famous “Lodge Fellowship Braille Lab for the Visually Impaired” which has been in operation since May 2002 when it was inaugurated by M.W. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, OSM. This was the second visit of M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta to the Lab and he was eager to meet Rahim Bhai, the Visually Impaired teacher who is in charge of the Lab. The visitors were welcomed in the Braille Lab and saw the demonstration of the various functions of the Braille Lab, particularly how Braille is taught to 10 students by one teacher and that too a visually impaired teacher thus dispensing the student-teacher ration of 1:1 as also dispensing with the notion that only qualified fully able teachers are required to teach Braille. The unique concept was greatly appreciated by the visitors who were viewing this project of Lodge Fellowship for the first time.
Through the Braille Language Laboratory the visually impaired can learn and study any subject in Braille script in any Indian or Foreign language. This Laboratory is capable to serve the visually impaired from K.G. level to Graduation level. The equipment installed consists of a Master Panel which is handled by the Teacher, who could be visually impaired, this consists of various controls as also CD player, Mics, Speakers etc. and the Master panel which is connected to 10 Braille sensing pads placed on ten individual seats/desks which are occupied by the visually impaired students. These seats also have mics and speakers for the students to communicate with the teacher. Through the control panel the teacher delivers the alphabets or words or sentences with voice message and in Braille script, which is electronically transmitted, to the Braille sensing Pads on each individual Braille sensing pad with the student. As a result the Braille script is automatically etched on the Braille pads with the students who can sense the same with their fingers, thus making it possible for one teacher to teach 10 students at one time. Apart from this various lessons can also be taught through the Computer.
M. W. The Grand Master was shown the photograph of the award being given by Hon. The President of India. M. W. The Grand Master and the visitors interacted with the visually impaired students in the lab and encouraged them.
After the demonstrations, W. Bro. Rajiv Sethi who has named Rahim Bhai as a magician teacher requested Rahim Bhai to show the various magical items and puzzles prepared by him. As usual, he challenged all the visitors to solve any one of his puzzles and since no one could do so he was requested by M.W. The Grand Master to unlock the secrets. The visitors were taken aback by the ease with which he solved the puzzles in spite of the fact that he was visually impaired. It was more intriguing how he had invented and made these puzzles.
The next visit was to The “Lodge Fellowship Resource Room for the Visually Impaired”. M. W. The Grand Master and the visitors were escorted by Tarak bhai who being visually impaired happens to be the Principal of the Blind School. A dynamic person, Tarak Bhai welcomed the guests in the Resource Room and explained the concept and utility of this unique project of Lodge Fellowship. Visitors were flabbergasted to see visually impaired children working on normal computers and making Power Point presentations, writing word documents and working on Excel.
The &Lodge Fellowship Resource Room for the Visually Impaired& was inaugurated by R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar amidst much fanfare on 4th January 2009, a day after the birth anniversary of Louis Braille. Blind people are not able to conceptualize the world due to lack of sight. Blind children have to be taught about things which normal sighted children learn automatically – like shapes, sizes, colors, depth, height, width, discrimination between different objects and sizes etc. Blind children have to be taught all this through models which can be touched.
Lodge Fellowship Resource Room for the Visually Impaired has proven to be extremely useful for the concept development and clarity of blind persons.This Room has the following contents :
This Resource Room is very useful to blind children in preparing them for life. Through this Resource Room they get an understanding of the world which we sighted people get without much efforts. The freemasons and ladies interacted with the children and teachers in the Resource room and were impressed to see visually impaired children performing daily tasks like ironing clothes, making tea etc. M. W. The Grand Master expressed satisfaction that the aim with which Lodge Fellowship had set up this project was being fully met.
 
After having witnessed the wonderful projects of Lodge Fellowship for the visually impaired, M.W. The Grand Master and the visitors were escorted to the prayer hall where the daily assembly of the visually impaired students was being conducted.
M. W. The Grand Master and other dignitaries were seated on the dais and were welcomed with gifts and bouquets presented by visually impaired students. A welcome speech was thereafter given by Tarak Bhai, who thanked the brethren of Lodge Fellowship for their empathy towards the visually impaired and for their attachment with the visually impaired. He expressed his thanks for all the projects undertaken by Lodge Fellowship which will serve the visually impaired for years to come. During his speech he mentioned that there are some children who apart from being visually impaired are also deaf and mute. Such children are considered a burden by the society as also their parents since they can neither speak, hear nor see. He also mentioned that it is very difficult to teach skills to such children due to lack of equipments and trained personnel. He was also hopeful that with the help of special teaching aids and proper guidance such children could be taught skills so that they could communicate with the better enabled persons and also could be taught skills like drawing, craft and dance etc. thus enabling them to be an acceptable part of the society as also becoming self reliant and confident.
W. Bro. Rajiv Sethi, The Secretary of Lodge Fellowship immediately announced that this would be the next project of Lodge Fellowship and requested M.W. The Grand Master to present a cheque of Rs. 40,000/= on behalf of Lodge Fellowship to Tarak Bhai for implementing the project. He assured Tarak bhai that more funds would be collected and invested in this project. M. W. The Grand Master who was indeed impressed with the concept of this new project, very magnanimously announced a contribution of Rs. 40,000/= from The Grand Master’s Rupee Club which was acclaimed by the audience.
In his talk, M. W. The Grand Master mentioned that this was his second visit to the projects for visually impaired set up by Lodge Fellowship and said that whenever next he visits Ahmedabad his itinerary would definitely include a visit to these projects. He appreciated the wonderful work undertaken by Lodge Fellowship and urged the brethren from other Lodges to undertake such projects which being long term continue to serve the society for years to come. He appreciated the great work being done by Blind Peoples Association and assured them that Lodge Fellowship, The Regional Grand Lodge of W.I. and The Grand Lodge of India would always go hand in hand with them for any future projects for the benefit of the visually impaired.
A vote of thanks was thereafter given by Mr. Bhushan Punani, Director of Blind People’s Association who mentioned that whenever the brethren of Lodge Fellowship entered the precincts of BPA they never went back without giving something worthwhile for the benefit of the visually impaired. He mentioned that since 2002 when the first project of Braille Lab was set up by Lodge Fellowship they have been coming up with new, unique and novel ideas and were involved in setting up the Lodge Fellowship Paraplegic Centre at Bhuj, thereafter the Lodge Fellowship Early Intervention Centre for Multiple Disabled children, The Lodge Fellowship Resource Room for the visually impaired and now the new project of teaching and educating Deaf-Mute and Blind children. He thanked the brethren of Lodge Fellowship and M.W. The Grand Master for their contribution and hoped that this association with Lodge Fellowship would continue for years to come.
After a quick lunch and without taking any rest, M.W. The Grand Master was ready to proceed to inaugurate the prestigious "Lodge Fellowship IT Skills Center for the Hearing Impaired". "LODGE FELLOWSHIP IT SKILLS CENTER FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED" was set up next to our existing project “LODGE FELLOWSHIP LAB FOR THE HEARING and SPEECH IMPAIRED” at the “Umang” School for Hearing and Speech Impaired children.
M. W. The Grand Master and dignitaries were welcomed by Mrs. Brinda Nanavati, the Director of Umang School and the Hearing and Speech Impaired children who presented a heart rendering prayer in sign language. The children presented small gifts made by them to the dignitaries and thereafter the project was inaugurated with much fanfare by M.W. Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM, M. W. The Grand Master, in the presence of a number of brethren from various parts of the country. The event was widely covered by the Press and Media and the inauguration was telecast on DD News the same evening. The total cost of the project is approx. Rs. 3.50 lacs.
The sole purpose of setting up this project was :
Every child suffering from a disability has certain skills which need to be nurtured in the right direction and help them in achieving their ambitions. They need to be properly trained to develop the skills so that they can mingle with the ‘better enabled’ as also become independent, in the sense, that they can earn a livelihood and are not considered as a burden on anybody. The “LODGE FELLOWSHIP IT SKILLS CENTER FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED” will serve such children and adults and enable them to realize their dreams. This project, too, like the other projects of Lodge Fellowship, will serve the differently enabled for years to come and will prove to be another sustainable project.
After the inauguration the visitors had a glimpse of the beautiful Power point presentations made by the Hearing and Speech Impaired children who had expressed their thoughts in these presentations. After interacting with the hearing and speech impaired children a press conference was held at the center which was attended by reporters of all leading dailies and TV channels. For the benefit of the press and media persons, M.W. The Grand Master gave an elaborate account of Freemasonry and the various charitable projects undertaken by The Grand Lodge of India throughout the length and breadth of the country. He particularly, emphasized the wonderful projects set up by Lodge Fellowship in Ahmedabad. The question – answer session with the media continued for nearly an hour and the interview and inauguration was telecast by DD News the same evening and reported by the press the next morning.
After the press conference and after having experienced the uniqueness of the project undertaken by Lodge Fellowship, in an unprecedented and generous move, M.W. The Grand Master announced a contribution of Rs. 50,000/= from The Grand Master’s Rupee Club to Lodge Fellowship for completing the “LODGE FELLOWSHIP IT SKILLS CENTER FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED”. A number of brethren from other regions and sister constitutions also announced their personal contribution to this noble cause undertaken by the brethren of Lodge Fellowship.
 
 
After the hectic program of 18th September, M.W. The Grand Master was ready early morning on 19th September along with a host of other freemasons from various parts of the country to visit the prestigious "Subbu´s Lodge Fellowship Youth Development Center". "Subbu´s Lodge Fellowship Youth Development Center" was set up with the vision to reach out to those youth who cannot afford to go to premier private schools or tuitions, yet dream of wanting more knowledge through good learning methods and better exposure to the modern world, where youth can be subjected to a holistic personality development program. This project which was inaugurated on 20th January 2008 by R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar in the presence of R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi, The Regional Grand Secretary and W. Bro. Tushar Zaveri, ARGM.
The centre is set up at Nobel Nagar in the outskirts of Ahmedabad which is inhabited by people from lower income group and is presently equipped with a Library and a Computer learning centre having 8 computers with multi media projection system, furniture, toys and games. The centre conducts youth development activities like personality programs, spoken English classes, adventure activities, creation of youth forums and takes care of overall development of children as also rehabilitates the women of the area by teaching them sewing skills etc., to make them self reliant. Most importantly, this centre is meant to fill the deficit in the overall development of the children from backward socio-economic background. The initial establishment expenses amounted to Rs. 2.50 lacs which were met from the generous contributions received from the brethren of Lodge Fellowship. However, to run this centre, recurring expenses of nearly Rs. 6,000/= p.m. are required. In an unprecedented move last year, The R.G.L. of W.I. contributed Rs. 72,000/= towards 1 years expense. The monthly recurring expenses are presently being met by the generous contributions from the brethren Lodge Fellowship.
M. W. The Grand Master was given a traditional welcome at the Centre by the staff and children and after lighting the lamp under the photograph of Late W. Bro. Subbu, was shown around the center and was explained the various activities by Bro. Col. Yashavant Joshi and Dr. Geeta Joshi who are the key persons in the successful running and operation of the center. Bro. Col. Yashavant Joshi thereafter gave a power point presentation.
 
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