Feb 2006

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February 2006

CONTINUITY AND CHANGE

When I tell people, particularly non-Masons, that we as a Masonic fraternity have been in South India, in the erstwhile MADRAS Presidency (hence the name that our Masonic District continues to bear) for well-nigh 300 years, it quite astonishes them, to the extent of their sometimes questioning the veracity of that statement.

On the record, Masonry in Madras dates back to 1752 when a Lodge was warranted, it was erased in 1790, followed by others warranted and erased, prior to the formation of the United Grand Lodge. Under the United dispensation, the first warrant was issued to the Lodge of Perfect Unanimity numbered one as a local number, later in 1863, changed to number 150.

Masonry survived in South India through the wars of the Carnatic, the spill-over skirmishes of the Napoleonic wars, the Wars of Independence, the national struggle for Indian Independence, the formation of the Indian Republic, and so on. In 1961, the Grand Lodge of India was constituted and by common consent, the two Masonic Constitutions, along with the Scottish and Irish Constitutions continue to work traditional Masonry to the present day.

By historical and / or other standards, this is a remarkable unbroken continuum which has a strong cultural component, as Masonry has not survived in territories where this cultural affinity was not present, or sustained in changed circumstances of social or political upheaval.

The cultural content is important for us to understand, for without it, we cannot preserve the attractions of the fraternity, for it is the very basis of our commitment to the Masonic association.

This content is one of understanding and subscribing to a code of ethics, to charity, to a disciplined and hierarchical system of internal governance, and above all, to accepting the basic equality of one’s fellow-men. As these codes are characteristic of all Religions, it is easy to see why Masonry is compatible with all religions and the basic beliefs they embody.

Therefore to ensure continuity to prevail with the essential and incontrovertible landmarks of the order, we have to preserve them, despite the environmental changes that are continuously challenging us. Hence the emphasis on traditional practices.

To enable us to do that, we have to analyse our present structures and organisational perspectives, to see which of these need modification (such as the timing and duration of Meetings) to be able to attract a modern class of membership which wishes to cut out atmospheric disturbances to be able to receive the essential messages of our fraternity. Our traditional approach to Time, particularly in this country, needs to be completely over-hauled, because of the global pressures that have been imposed upon us – and consequently, from the concerns of our more recent membership potential. The possible recruit to Masonry, of current competence and suitability, is one for whom Time is the more important resource, not Money. Tangential to this, is the need to spend some of that scarce resource with his immediately family. Younger members also have a need to be active, even in the Lodge, and find it irksome for long periods of time, to have to watch from the sidelines.

All of this gives us considerable food for thought, and in the Administration we are actively seeking solutions to these challenges, some of which I have conveyed to our Brethren at recent Installation Meetings at which I was present. To maintain our long established heritage and continuity we must grapple with environmental and social change without obviously losing our focus and fidelity to the established landmarks and tenets of our order.

With that thought, let us enter this New Year with hope in our hearts, and a constant endeavour to be relevant and meaningful to the current generation as we have been to those illustrious and dedicated ones that went before.