I have been a regular and avid reader of The Square & Compasses for the last several years. I therefore, welcome this opportunity of addressing our brethren through this column in my present capacity as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of India. It is a happy augury that - coming as it does - this Special Issue of The Square & Compasses will be reaching in your hands in the beginning of the year. I therefore, equally welcome this opportunity of wishing all brethren and the readers of this magazine, as well as their families, a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

I have always felt that this magazine of the Grand Lodge of India has been very aptly named as The Square & Compasses, since these two Working Tools are the Universal Symbols by which Freemasonry is known all over the world. Traditionally, the Square helps in adjusting rectangular corners of buildings and assists in bringing rude matter into due form; Speculatively and Masonically it teaches us Morality and Square conduct. Likewise the Compasses helps the skilful artist to delineate the building in a draft or plan and to ascertain and determine the limits and proportions of its several parts; Speculatively and Masonically it reminds us of His unerring and impartial justice and the limits of good and evil within which we are to act so that He will reward or punish, as we have obeyed or disregarded His Divine Commands. Combined, the Square and Compasses teach us, square conduct in life and actions and always to bear in mind and act according to the Laws of the Divine Creator. I believe that there cannot be a better way of expressing what Freemasonry is, and what Freemasons stands for!

Masonry is formally defined in the rituals as a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. However, I came across a more elaborate definition of Freemasonry which I would like to share with you. "Masonry is the activity of closely united men who, employing symbolical forms borrowed principally from the mason's trade and from architecture, work for the welfare of mankind, striving morally to ennoble themselves and others and thereby bring about a universal league of mankind which they aspire to exhibit even now on a small scale."

All of us as Freemasons have received the basic instructions and moral teachings of the Three Degrees in which the principal tenets of Masonry are presented in such a manner as to lay down a challenge to each of us to reassess, as well as build, our moral and spiritual selves. In the North East Charge, we are told that from the foundation laid at the time of our initiation, we should be enabled to raise a super structure, perfect in its parts and honourable to the Builder. I would like all of us to ponder on this a bit deeply. As Freemasons we have the benefit of solid foundation consisting of the principles of Masonry, comprised of Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth, Charity, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice. These stones are interlocked and cemented together by Masonic fellowship. If we accept the fact that the temple in our heart is always under construction and we utilize these teachings as we build on the foundation of our lives, the quality of our daily lives as also those around us will be vastly enriched, and then we be can be sure that we have been able to build a super structure which is honourable to the Builder.

I would also like to draw your attention to the charge given to the Worshipful Master on his installation, where he is asked to charge the brethren to practice out of the Lodge those duties they have been taught in it, so that they may prove to the world the happy and beneficial effects of our ancient Institution. Each one of us has had the Ancient Landmarks of the Order entrusted to his care with the injunction to keep them sacred and inviolable. It is therefore our bounden duty that as guardians and caretakers of our ancient and honourable Fraternity, to preserve unsullied, its good reputation, and to remove every aspersion against it and protect its name by living up to its high ethical standards by persistently practicing its invaluable ideals and priceless principles.

In order to give shape to one of my visions that each one of us has constantly endeavour to make Freemasonry more dynamic and vibrant within the country, we must spread the message and philosophy of Freemasonry and make our presence felt in the society. This we can achieve only by living up to the Masonic expectations that each one of us will always think, speak and act as a worthy and exemplary

Mason. Only by our actions we can, I am sure, convince the non Masonic public that Masonry has made us better and that we are Masons both in creed and deed. We must ensure that we always work in close harmony to make the communities within which we live to see and feel the presence of the Craft in their midst. By so doing, we will make them recognize us as an organization of excellence or as an institution of moral leadership, educational advancement and philanthropic efforts. We must make the public aware of the full range of attributes of our fraternity so that potentially interested and motivated individuals may become inclined to join with us in our noble endeavors. We must demonstrate to the public, hopefully making our Order more attractive to prospective members that Freemasonry aims to develop the individual as a good citizen and as a man with a good moral foundation. Other benefits to society may follow, but they come from individuals acting in their personal capacities and not as Freemasons. It is not easy in the modern world to convince people that while Freemasonry as a body is not for anything and is certainly not a pressure group; its influence on the personal standards of its individual members must be good for society in general and is to be welcomed.

It is always easier to relax and enjoy what has been accomplished by others on our behalf and indulge in whatever rewards freely come our way. As Masons we cannot afford to become so complacent. We need to remain eager to strive for further improvement. We must accept the opportunity to advance our cause and to make a difference in our personal moral edifice, as well as contribute meaningfully to society in general. We must ever build on that foundation which was laid when we became Freemasons thus proving to ourselves and exemplifying to others that Masons are truly 'Builders of Men' and Freemasonry aims at making a 'Good Man Better.'

Brethren, I have taken over as Grand Master only a few months ago and I shall be looking forward to meeting as many brethren as possible all over the country during my tenure. Once again, I wish you and each member of your families a Happy Prosperous and Fruitful Year ahead.

Justice Devinder Gupta

Grand Master

It is indeed a great privilege and pleasure in addressing you all once again in my capacity as Grand Secretary, after a gap of six and a half years! I hasten to take this opportunity of wishing you and the members of your family a very Happy & Prosperous New Year. Much has happened in Freemasonry during these years and I for one am happy to see a lot of younger brethren taking a keen and enthusiastic interest in Freemasonry. I am therefore quite confident that Freemasonry in the country has a bright future.

Brethren this issue of The Square & Compasses is being brought out as a special issue to commemorate the recent Grand Festival held at New Delhi, when M.W.Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM, was installed as the 13th Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India. We are carrying a brief write up of this memorable event, for the benefit of the brethren who could not be present on the occasion.

Our M.W. the Grand Master also had a very successful visit to Paris to attend the 8th World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges. We have a brief write-up about his visit in this issue.

Brethren, The Square & Compasses is the magazine of your Grand Lodge. It must therefore reflect and report on the various Masonic Activities and Events that are going on round the year all over the country. This, I am sure you will agree, would be possible only if we get regular information and write-up of such activities, from the Lodges and from individual brethren, as also from the offices of the Regional Grand Lodges, on a regular and continuous basis, along with suitable photographs, wherever possible. I therefore request all the brethren concerned to keep us informed of such events. We also welcome both original articles on Masonic topics of interest, as also any interesting write-up Brethren may come across in the Internet or elsewhere. We also want interaction from brethren, by way of comments and observations on the contents of The Square & Compasses -both brickbats and bouquets are welcome! We propose to somewhat re-vamp the The Square & Compasses, by dividing it into various Sections, so that it may carry a wide spectrum of news and views. A detailed letter in this regard has already been addressed to all Lodges/Chapters/Mark Lodges, etc. as also to the Regional Offices. For facility of easy reference, a copy of the same is also printed in this issue. Constructive suggestions for improving the magazine would also be most welcome. An important aspect of sustaining any activity is its financial viability. Presently, the income by way of subscription, both annual and life time for The Square & Compasses is hardly sufficient to meet its printing and postage costs. It has a subscriber base of just about 2500 and can in no way therefore break-even. We therefore need a much larger subscriber base, which can be achieved only by the Worshipful Masters and Secretaries of Lodges, bringing The Square & Compasses to the specific notice of their Members and not merely by tabling them at meetings, when received by the Lodge, and actively canvass for their becoming subscribers. We also need more revenue by way of advertisements. I look forward to brethren who can fetch such advertisements to help support the magazine. I hope we will receive encouraging response during the coming months, in this regard.

Last but not the least, let me take this opportunity to bring to your notice our newly installed Grand Master's following Vision for Freemasonry in India, during this tenure.

l Bring about Masonic Liberalization in the country l Check Drop-outs by vigorous steps at the Lodge Level l Adopt "Each One Bring One" as a slogan and start practicing it, so that we not only have more men in Freemasonry, but also ensure that more men will have more Freemasonry in them l Instill more Freemasonry in Men, by spreading the message and philosophy of Freemasonry as widely as possible l Last but not the least, constantly endeavour to make Freemasonry more vibrant and dynamic in the country.

A circular letter to all Lodges suggesting adoption of suitable steps to implement the above Vision has already been issued. We welcome valuable suggestions & comments from our readers in this regard.

I also take this opportunity for placing on record of our appreciation of the excellent manner in which W.Bro. Vishwanathan Ganesan has managed the publication of The Square & Compasses from Hyderabad, as Sub-Editor, in the absence of a Grand Secretary as Editor. We look forward to his continued assistance. I once again wish you & the members of your family Happy & Prosperous New Year.

At a stated time once every three years we have a change of guard at the Grand Lodge of India, where the First mason of the Country changes. The electoral college having elected the then R.W.Bro. Chief Justice (Retd.) Devinder Gupta, OSM to the highest office in the Grand Lodge of India, at the 45th Grand Festival at Varanasi, M.W.Bro. Chief Justice (Retd.) Devinder Gupta, OSM, took over the reins of the Grand Lodge of India in a very impressive 46th Grand Festival at New Delhi on October 28, 2006, making him M.W. the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India. M.W.Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM, had thus laid down office after a successful stint of 3 years which took the Grand Festivals from Bangalore, to Mumbai, to Varanasi, before closing at New Delhi. M.W.Bro. Chief Justice (Retd.) Devinder Gupta, OSM, M.W the Grand Master has been the Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, prior to his retirement and has had a very successful professional career; he is a seasoned administrator and a man of the world. S&C had carried an introduction to him when he was elected a year earlier.

"Change" as they say, is the one thing that is constant in life, The new team at the Grand Lodge is a time tested one, with another very eminent, able and serious mason as the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of India. I mean R.W.Bro. S. Krishnan. As the Sub Ed of S&C, I did call on both M.W. the Grand Master and R.W. the Grand Secretary at New Delhi and realised that the task which I had had just become more onerous.

The S & C, has over the last three years slowly transformed into a "Journal", with the GLINDIA acting as the "Newsletter", now it is midway in the process, neither a full fledged "Journal" nor a complete "Newsletter". However, the clarity of thought that is existing today, I am certain a clear and distinct picture will emerge before the next issue.

I must admit, that this issue is the handiwork of R.W.Bro. S. Krishnan, the Grand Secretary and has been personally handled by him, making my work so much more easy. The erudite and keen mason that he is, has ensured a good output. The delay in printing and publishing it is more a logistical issue, that is generally prevalent with respect to change in guard and we are confident that we can address this matter, over the subsequent issues. However, I place on record my sincerest regrets for the delay in bringing this issue.

This issue contains the Grand master's first address to the brethren through these columns, The Grand Secretary's note, which is the editorial of the Journal. A report on the 46th Grand Festival at New Delhi. Interestingly the 8th World Conference of Grand Lodges was held at Paris, and was attended by our Grand Master, a report on the visit and the Conference is carried in this issue. Also, M.W. the Grand Master presented a paper on "Divine Service - a unique Masonic ritual of India", which is carried for your benefit. We also carry V.W.Bro. K.K. Gautam's

Orations at the consecration of Mark Lodge Giridhar No. 116 and Mark Masters Lodge Kashi Vishwanath No. 117 at Varanasi. R.W.Bro. M. Himatlal delivered an oration at the consecration of RAM Lodge Gibbs No. 91 at Bangalore. W.Bro. A. Srinivas is a Chartered Accountant and a happy bachelor at Hyderabad. He has sent in an article entitled "Masonic Miscellany" which makes good reading. V.W.Bro. P.S.K. Chari of Chennai was in the USA and has written an article entitled "An Unforgettable American Experience", essentially his musings which is good reading too.

Lodge News is covered in a few pages and makes nice news, a lot of pictures have been added at relevant places, however the budgets we operate on, do not afford us the luxury of colour pictures all over the S&C, so they are in B&W. Palimpsest is the newsletter of The Millennium Lodge No. 327 Chennai and excerpts from that entitled "How does Freemasonry add value to our lives" by Bro. Tim Bryce has been carried too. We also have the news round-up of Regional Grand Lodge of Northern India.

Extracts of a circular addressed to all daughter lodges is carried and we hope it elicits enthusiastic response. Brethren you can make this a better publication with your strong support. List of active Grand Lodge Officers for 2007 is carried for your ready information.

Our sponsors and advertisers have borne with us all these days and have supported the publication of this periodical, our sincere gratitude to them.

Please do feel free to communicate and share your views with us at the S & C. Please also accept greetings of the seasons and best wishes from all of us at S & C. We are eager to have feedback, please respond to us at:

W.Bro. Vishwanathan Ganesan
B-106 Shantishikara Apts, Raj Bhavan Road
Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082.
Phones : 040 23398267 / 23398270
Fax : 040 23390980
Mobile : 0-94408-97470
Email : vishy@primetrust.in; vishyganesan@gmail.com

You may also send in your letters to:

R.W.Bro. S. Krishnan
Grand Secretary

Grand Lodge of India
Freemasons' Hall, Janpath
Post Box No. 681, New Delhi - 110 001.
Phones : 011 23321956 / 23321949
Telefax : 011 23320276
Email : glindia@nde.vsnl.net.in

Vishwanathan Ganesan
Sub Editor

R.W.Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM, the Grand Master Elect, was duly installed as Most Worshipful the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Freemasons of India in a colourful 46th Grand Festival organized under the auspices of the Regional Grand Lodge of N.I. on October 28-29, 2006. The Installation of the Grand Master in the Craft was held at the prestigious Convention Hall of Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi which incidentally was also the venue of the Consecration of the Grand Lodge of India 46 years ago on November 24, 1961. The Convention Hall had been converted and formed as a Masonic Temple to seat about 1000 brethren. Over 800 brethren attended the function. The Installation Ceremony was preceded on October 27, 2006, by a grand gala dinner in the lawns of the Freemasons' Hall, Janpath for the President and the Members of the Grand Board/Committees and visiting dignitaries, invited guests and their ladies.

M.W.Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM, the outgoing Grand Master installed the incoming Grand Master, M.W.Bro. Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM, in an impressive ceremony in the presence of three other Past Grand Masters viz., M.W.Bro. Gautam R. Divan, OSM, M.W.Bro. H.P. Mathur, OSM and M.W.Bro. D.D. Udeshi, OSM & other visiting dignitaries in the presence of R.W.Bro. Alan Englefield, representing United Grand Lodge of England, Grand Chancellor, R.W.Bro. Surjit Singh, representing the United Grand Lodge of Germany, R.W.Bro. Thomas Wach representing the Grand Lodge of Alpina of Switzerland and M.W.Bro. Lindsay Descombes, Grand Master of Mauritius, accompanied by two other Grand Officers of the Grand Lodge of Mauritius. All the four Regional Grand Masters, several Past Deputy Grand Masters as also some other prominent OSM recipients were present.

Addressing the brethren, M.W.Bro. Arun Chintopanth recalled his happy tenure as the Grand Master and thanked the four Regional Grand Masters, the Presidents of the Board, the Directors of Ceremonies, as also the Staff of the Grand Lodge of India and others for their help and cooperation during his tenure. On the question of how he felt on relinquishing office of the Grand Master, he gave an interesting anecdote in a lighter vein. It seems Mulla Nasruddin was tossing about in his bed and unable to sleep one night. When his wife enquired the reason for his restlessness, he told her that he owed Seven Pounds to his neighbour Abdullah, which was due to be returned the next day, but that he was worried because, he did not have any money to return the loan.

On hearing this, his wife went out in the street in the middle of the night and stood in front of Abdullah's house and repeatedly called for him loudly. When Abdullah came out to enquire what the matter was, she informed him that her husband Mulla Nasruddin was not in a position to return his

loan the next day, as he has no money. She then returned back to her house and told Mulla Nasruddin to sleep peacefully and soundly, because it would be for Abdullah now to worry about his money! M.W.Bro. Arun Chintopanth, OSM, however, assured the incoming Grand Master of his wholehearted support. After

M.W. the Grand Master Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM was obligated and took over as the Grand Master, he appointed R.W.Bro. G.L. Shahu, OSM, as his Dy. Grand Master and R.W.Bro. Himatlal, as his Assistant Grand Master. Thereafter, he proceeded to announce the other active officers for the year which included R.W.Bro. R.C. Mussadi as Senior Warden, R.W.Bro. Z.H. Wadia as Junior Warden, R.W.Bro. Dr. B. Biswakumar as the President of the Board and R.W.Bro. S. Krishnan as Grand Secretary. R.W.Bro.V.Narasimham was continued as the Grand Director of Ceremonies. He then addressed the brethren indicating his Vision for the Grand Lodge during his tenure. The highlight of the Grand Installation Festival held at the Convention Hall in Ashoka Hotel was a three minute Laser Show, which surprised all present and was a fitting finale to the colourful Festival. The Installation Ceremony was followed by a very well attended Fellowship and Dinner in the Ashoka Hotel premises. The next day 29th October saw the Installation of M.E.Comp. Justice Devinder Gupta as the First Grand Principal of the Supreme Grand Chapter of India and as the Grand Mark Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of India, both the events taking place in a beautifully decorated pandal duly converted as a Masonic Temple, in the lawns of the Freemasons' Hall, Janpath.

The event was followed by the unveiling of the portrait of

M.W. the Grand Master Justice Devinder Gupta, OSM by M.W.Bro. Arun Chintopanth, the outgoing Grand Master in the entrance foyer of Freemasons' Hall Janpath, in the presence of a large gathering of brethren and ladies. A meeting of the newly constituted Board of General Purposes was also held under the Presidentship of R.W.Bro. Dr. B. Biswakumar which was followed by a very well attended lunch in the lawns of the Freemasons' Hall, to the accompaniment of music and dance.

Colourful programmes had also been organized by the Ladies Committee headed by Mrs. Anju Bhutani, wife of the Regional Grand Master R.W.Bro. V.K. Bhutani, Co-chaired by Mrs.Rohini Jolly, wife of Dy. Regional Grand Master V.W.Bro.

R.D. Jolly and Mrs. Pratibha Sharma wife of V.W.Bro. A.K. Sharma. Apart from a variety of programmes at Asoka Hotel, the ladies were also taken on a memorable visit to the Akshardham Temple at Delhi. Children of the Masonic Public School, Vasant Kunj, also presented a number of colourful programmes for the ladies while the brethren were busy in their meetings.