| Braille Lab |
B.P.A. has been doing yeoman's service for the visually impaired as also for the handicapped people. They have various activities where the visually impaired operate looms and make cloth; they have tailoring sections, furniture-manufacturing departments, tricycle manufacturing sections, Braille Printing Press, Braille Library etc. all run by the visually impaired. They also have a school/college for the visually impaired from K.G. to graduation level as also hostels for the visually impaired. After a few meetings with the management of
B.P.A. we found that it was a great task to teach
Braille to the students as at one given time
only one student could be taught by one teacher.
We explored possibilities and were told that
there were Braille Language Laboratories abroad
wherein a no. of students could be The project inauguration was done on 26th January 2002 by R.Wor. Bro. Saleh H. Doctor, R.W. The Regional Grand Master of the Regional Lodge of W.I. who presided over the dedication ceremony held at B.P.A., Ahmedabad. On this occassion The W.M. Rajiv Sethi enlightened the gathering and the press about Freemasonry and our various activities. This function of dedication of the Project for the Country's first Braille Language Laboratory was widely reported by the leading national and local dailies, especially Times of India , Economic Times and Indian Express. Inspite of the disturbed conditions prevailing in Gujarat during the past few months we were able to complete the project in a record time of just 4 months and the same was finally inaugurated on 4th May 2002 by M.W. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, M.W. The Grand Master of India in the presence of leading personalities of Ahmedabad. The inauguration ceremony was telecast on 4 th May itself by the News Channels of Zee TV, E-TV and the maximum coverage was given by Doordarshan on their 7 pm news on 4 th May. The event was widely reported along with photographs by the leading National dailies as also the local dailies. The complete project cost has been met by the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship. 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 and has been installed within the premises of Blind People's Association. 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 CD player. This project was a dream of the then W.M., W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi and was unanimously supported by all Brethren of Lodge Fellowship and it was a proud moment for the Brethren of Ahmedabad when the country's first "BRAILLE LANGUAGE LABORATORY" which is aptly named as "LODGE FELLOWSHIP 140 G.L.I. BRAILLE LANGUAGE LABORATORY" was inaugurated by M.Wor. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, M.W. The Grand Master of The Grand Lodge of India on 4th May 2002.
It was pointed out by The Executive Director, Blind People's Association that this particular concept is not only the first in the country but in the world and is being published in the UNESCO report. A team of experts from Royal National Institute of Blind, U.K. especially came on 15 th May 2002 to visit this Laboratory. DETAILS OF THE VISIT
OF R. WOR. THE REGIONAL GRAND MASTER TO BLIND
PEOPLE'S ASOCIATION, AHMEDABAD. Uptill now the teacher's at a Blind School had to teach every student individually. The Braille Language Laboratory, the first of its kind in India will enable the Blind Student's to learn and study any Braille Language from K.G. to Graduate level with a state of the art system consisting of 15 cell Braille sensing pads connected to a Master Panel handled by the Braille teacher. The teacher would deliver the alphabets & words through the Master Panel and the same will get embossed on the Braille sensing pads at each student's desk. The system also has cramming facility and has voice interaction between the teacher and the students through microphones. This Braille Language Laboratory will cost Rs. 1.50 lacs and will be ready and functional within two months. The Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory dedication function was held at the Blind Peoples Association premises at 3.30 p.m. on the Republic Day. The function started with a two minutes silence for the victims of the earthquake after which the Principal of the Blind People's Technical School Shri Amul Bhai Patel welcomed R. Wor. The Regional Grand Master of The Regional Grand Lodge of W.I., R. Wor. Bro. Saleh H. Doctor, The A.R.G.M. Wor. Bro. Zawareh Wadia, The Brethren of Lodge Fellowship and the Spouses of the Brethren. Bouquets and gifts made by the Visually impaired were presented by him to the R.G.M. and the A.R.G.M. This was followed by a talk on the Braille Language
Laboratory by Mr. Rahim Khan, a visually impaired
person who is an expert in Braille. He explained
the function of the system and how it would benefit
the Blind people. A talk was then given on Freemasonry by Wor. Bro. Rajiv Sethi, the W. Master of Lodge Fellowship. He enlightened the members of the Blind Peoples Association about the history of Freemasonry, What Freemasonry is and who are Freemasons and the various activities of Freemasonry as also the principle of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, thus clearing a lot of doubts amongst the Non Masons. Later, Wor. Bro. Zawareh Wadia, the A.R.G.M. formally introduced R. Wor. Bro. Saleh H. Doctor, The Regional Grand Master to the audience. R. Wor. Bro. Saleh H. Doctor, the Regional Grand Master then spoke about Freemasonry and expressed his satisfaction that Lodge Fellowship had undertaken such a noble cause, which would be a permanent feature at the B.P.A. and would serve the Blind People for years to come. He explained how the visually impaired and the challenged were in no way inferior in any field as compared to people who were not challenged. He thanked the members of B.P.A. for the warm welcome and was so moved by their activities and the services being rendered that he announced a donation of Rs.20,000/= on behalf of The Regional Grand Lodge of Western India. This sudden and generous gesture of his was acclaimed by all present. Later, The R.G.M. officially dedicated the Laboratory to the Blind Peoples Association and presented an initial cheque of Rs. 51,000/= on behalf of Lodge Fellowship No. 140 to the Treasurer of B.P.A. This solemn ceremony was compered by Shri Ranchod
Soni, who inspite of being visually impaired
is an expert in the English Language. He held
the audience captive with his oratory skills
and his beautiful quotes from Wordsworth to Nirala
and Khandekar. After the solemn function the B.P.A. had arranged for delicious snacks and tea where the wives and children of the Freemasons of Lodge Fellowship interacted with several visually impaired persons. The function of dedication of The Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory was widely reported in the National Dailies as well as local newspapers. DETAILS OF THE VISIT
OF M. WOR. BRO. DILIP D. UDESHI, M.WOR. THE
GRAND MASTER TO AHMEDABAD ON 4 th MAY 2002
. M.Wor. The Grand Master arrived at 3.45 pm at Blind People's Association along with R.W. Bro. Farouk Hyderabadwala, R.W. The Dy. R.G.M. of W.I., V.Wor. Bro. Mehar Gimi, Regional Grand Secretary, Wor. Bro. Adi S. Vakil , Regional Grand Registrar and W.Bro. R.C. Maheshwari, ARGM, escorted by W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi, W.Master of Lodge Fellowship & W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim, Secy. Lodge Fellowship.. The dignitaries were introduced by W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi to the Executive Director of B.P.A., Dr. Bhushan Punani, The Project Director of B.P.A., Mrs. Nandini Raval and other members of B.P.A. The Project Director of B.P.A., Mrs. Nandini Raval then took the guests and the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship alongwith the ladies on a tour of B.P.A. where they were shown the various activities like Tricycle manufacturing, Braille Press, Braille Library, Carpentry Workshop, Weaving Unit, Tailoring Section, the School & the Hostels. At exactly 4.30 pm M.Wor. The Grand Master reached the newly set up "LODGE FELLOWSHIP BRAILLE LANGUAGE LABORATORY" and unveiled the foundation stone amidst applause and in the presence of the TV news crew of Doordarshan, press reporters and photographers. He then entered the Braille Language Laboratory and lit the lamp and paid homage to Louis Braille, finally setting into motion the first of its kind Braille Laboratory in the country. Prof. Ranchod Soni, a visually impaired teacher of English at B.P.A. then gave a demonstration of the equipment by keying in phonetics and alphabets on the control panel, which were simultaneously sensed on the Braille pads by 10 Blind students sitting at their desks. This was a great and a proud moment for the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship who applauded as their dream project had finally proved successful. The Doordarshan TV crew then interviewed the Executive Director of B.P.A. and Wor. Bro. Rajiv Sethi, W.M. Lodge Fellowship. Later, everyone assembled in the auditorium where Mr. Harish Panchal, Director (Training), B.P.A., welcomed M.Wor. The Grand Master and other dignitaries on the dais as also the Brethren and ladies of Lodge Fellowship, the press and the media. Bouquets made by the visually impaired were then presented to M.Wor. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, R.W. Bro. Farouk Hyderabadwala, V.Wor. Bro. Mehar Gimi, Wor. Bro. R.C. Maheshwari, W.Bro. Adi S. Vakil, W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi and W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim. Mr. Tarak Lohar, Principal, Jr. School (B.P.A.) and himself a visually impaired person talked about the importance of The Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory and how it would benefit the visually impaired for years to come. He regretted that such a facility was not available when he was a student and had to rely on traditional method of Braille teaching. He expressed his thanks to W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi and the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship for making a dream come true. W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi, W.M. Lodge Fellowship then spoke about how the project was conceived in January 2002 and within a span of just 4 months, inspite of the disturbed conditions in Ahmedabad, had finally been completed. He was very happy that this prestigious project was dedicated to B.P.A. by R.W. Bro. Saleh H. Doctor, R.W. The Regional Grand Master on 26 th January and was finally inaugurated by M.Wor. The Grand Master. He thanked the members of B.P.A. for their keen interest and also thanked the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship for their unstinted support in making the dream come true and hoped that the Lab would serve the visually impaired for years to come. He expressed his gratitude to M.Wor. The Grand Master and other dignitaries for coming to Ahmedabad for this noble cause in spite of the prevailing tense situation. He then requested M.Wor. The Grand Master to present the final installment on behalf of Lodge Fellowship to The Executive Director of B.P.A. A talk on Freemasonry was then given by W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim, Secretary, Lodge Fellowship, who in very simple words explained the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. He explained to the Non Masons present there what Freemasonry was and what were its objectives. He gave a brief history of Freemasonry, which was very informative for the audience. Later, The Executive director of B.P.A., Dr. Bhushan Punani gave his blessings to the project and specifically mentioned that the concept of teaching Braille Language through the "LODGE FELLOWSHIOP BRAILLE LANGUAGE LABORATORY" was unique and was not only the first in India but in the world. He also stated that it is being mentioned in the UNESCO report and the papers, which would be read at the UNESCO meeting later in May at Dar Es Salam. M.Wor. Bro. Dilip D. Udeshi, M.Wor. The Grand Master then addressed the audience and expressed his satisfaction over the setting up of the country's first Braille Language Laboratory by the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship and congratulated them on the prestigious task undertaken by them. He mentioned that he was impressed by the wonderful selfless work being done by B.P.A. for the visually impaired as also for the handicapped. He told the gathering about the various other activities of Grand Lodge of India and removed the myth that Freemasonry was a secret organization. A vote of thanks was later given by Mr. Kavi, Principal, Sr. School , B.P.A. who lauded the efforts of the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship and thanked them on behalf of B.P.A. The Master of Ceremonies, Mrs. Nandini Raval thanked the electronic media and the press for their presence in large numbers and invited everyone for refreshments. REPORT OF VISIT OF M. WOR. BRO. ARUN CHINTOPANTH, O.S.M. M.W. THE GRAND MASTER & R.W. BRO. VASUDEV MASUREKAR, R.W. THE R.G.M. OF W.I. TO AHMEDABAD ON 11TH & 12TH MARCH 2006. 11th March 2006 R.W. The Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar arrived at 9.55 am on 11th March 2006 accompanied by M.W. The Past Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, OSM, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil & R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi. They were received at the Airport by the W.M., W.Bro. Ratan Vadvan, W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi, W.Bro. Dr. Iqbal Hakim, W.Bro. Suresh Mehra, W.Bro. Madhav Kulkarni & Bro. Samir Desai. After a quick breakfast the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship accompanied by R.W. the R.G.M., R.W. Bro. Masurekar, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil & R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi were back at the airport to receive M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM., who arrived at 11.15 am. Immediately after checking in at the hotel M.W. The Grand Master accompanied by R.W. the Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Vasudev Masurekar, M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil, R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi & W.Bro. Tushar Zaveri, A.R.G.M., went to pay a visit to the famous “Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory” at Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad. The other brethren of Lodge Fellowship and Mrs. Sonia Vadvan & Mrs. Kiran Sethi joined them here. The dignitaries were escorted to the conference hall where the Project Director of B.P.A., Mrs. Nandini Raval introduced the staff & officers of B.P.A. W.Bro. Rajiv Sethi thanked Mrs. Nandini Raval and introduced M.W. The Grand Master, M.W. Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM, M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, OSM., R.W. The R.G.M., R.W. Bro. Masurekar, R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil, R.W. Bro. Meher Gimi, W.Bro. Tushar Zaveri, ARGM, W.M. of Lodge Fellowship, W.Bro. Ratan Vadvan & the other Brethren of Lodge Fellowship & Ladies to the audience. The Project Director of B.P.A., Mrs. Nandini Raval then gave a presentation of the various activities of B.P.A. where Lodge Fellowship, The Regional Grand Lodge of W.I. & The Grand Lodge of India have been actively involved. This included the Braille Lab, The Blind Orchestra & The G.L.I. Centre for Paraplegic Patients set up at Bhuj. She also talked about the future plans & projects of B.P.A. and requested the freemasons to join hands with them. A presentation was given for setting up The Sensory & Gait Training Park for Children with Multiple Disabilities, which was highly appreciated by R.W. The Regional Grand Master. The W.M. & the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship decided to take up the said project and it is noteworthy to note that R.W. Bro. Adi Vakil immediately committed a sum of Rs. 10,000/= as his personal contribution towards the setting up of this project. Beautiful gifts made by the visually impaired were presented to the guests. M.W. The Grand Master then addressed the audience in his impeccable style and expressed his happiness at the wonderful work being done by B.P.A. and mentioned that he was very happy to learn that the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship were involved in helping the visually impaired. He assured that the partnership between BPA & Freemasons would continue and the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship would undertake more such projects. The Project Director of B.P.A., Mrs. Nandini Raval then took the guests and the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship along with the ladies on a tour of B.P.A. where they were shown the exhibition of educational aids prepared by the trainee teachers of BPA for the visually impaired & the lesser abled as also the various activities like Artificial Limbs manufacturing, The Edustat Program, Braille Library, Carpentry Workshop, Weaving Unit, Tailoring Section, the School & the Hostels. Finally, it was a proud moment for the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship when M. Wor. The Grand Master reached the “LODGE FELLOWSHIP BRAILLE LANGUAGE LABORATORY”. It was a touching moment for M.W. Bro. Dilip Udeshi, M.W. The Past Grand Master to see the Lab, which was inaugurated 2 years ago by him, functioning to its capacity. A visually impaired teacher was teaching Braille to 10 visually impaired students, which caught the attention of R.W., The Regional Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Masurekar who was very impressed with this novel concept and congratulated the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship. Prof. Ranchod Soni, a visually impaired teacher of English at B.P.A. then gave a demonstration of the equipment by keying in phonetics and alphabets on the control panel, which were simultaneously sensed on the Braille pads by 10 visually impaired students sitting at their desks. Mr. Tarak Lohar, Principal, Jr. School (B.P.A.) himself a visually impaired person talked about the importance of The Lodge Fellowship Braille Language Laboratory and how it has been benefiting the visually impaired. He regretted that such a facility was not available when he was a student and he had to rely on traditional methods of Braille learning. He expressed his thanks to the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship for making a dream come true. |
Since early January 2002 we had been exploring
possibilities of taking up a project which would
be exclusive and unique in itself and after exploring
various possibilities and meeting a no. of organizations,
finally zeroed in on Blind Peoples Association. 
taught Braille
by just one teacher, however the cost was to
the tune of nearly 20 lacs. However, through
B.P.A. we collected a lot of data from abroad
and were put on to an Engineer who specialized
in manufacturing equipment for the visually impaired.
We met the gentleman and discussed the possibility
of making the Laboratory here itself. After getting
complete confidence that the task could be undertaken
of making the country's first Braille Language
Laboratory the various modalities were worked
out and finally the Brethren of Lodge Fellowship unanimously
agreed to support the W.M. Rajiv Sethi and set
up the Country's first such Laboratory. 
The fact that within just 4 months of inception of the idea the project was completed shows the dedication and the enthusiasm of the Brethren of this Lodge. This Laboratory will be a landmark and will go a long way in serving the visually impaired for years to come and shall make the visually impaired independent and acceptable members of the society and will prepare them for various vocations. 
The
Freemasons of Lodge Fellowship No. 140 Ahmedabad
dedicated the "Lodge Fellowship Braille
Language Laboratory" to the Blind People's
Association, Ahmedabad on 26th January 2002 in
a solemn ceremony, which was presided by The R.
Wor. The Regional Grand Master, R. Wor. Bro.
Saleh H. Doctor. 
