(...) For the first time in Ahmedabad, more than 300 freemasons congregate at Hotel Metropole last Saturday for their Regional Grand Lodge of western India. The conference gathered masons from across the country sharing their ideas about the future of the system. It was chaired by Justice Devinder Gupta, Grand Master of India. Senior members of the group, which had come for inauguration of a charity project in the city on Friday, unraveled the mystery shrouding the 'secret' organization known by the symbol of square and compass and distinct handshake and symbols. Gupta, who is also a retired Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court, said that there are many misconceptions about the role of Freemasons and the activities they carry out."We are not a political or religious organization. We work on the principle of Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man. We have tried to preserve the sacred knowledge and share it with fellow brothers. For the members, it is a process of being a better human from a good human," he said. Gupta added that India was among the first countries that got a Masonic Lodge, a starting point for any freemason to establish a base, way back in 1729 at Kolkata soon after the first registered lodge was established in London in 1717. Ahmedabad Lodge Fellowship was established in 1960 that has 68 registered members today.
In India, there are 20,000 freemasons. (...)
From Times of India
