MOUNTIDINGS

W. Bro. Lt.Col.C.Venkataraman (Retd)                                       January 2008

Worshipful Master 

Thought for the Month

 “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the aeroplane takes off against the wind and not with it”                                     -----------Bro. Henry Ford---------   

We had our regular meeting for this month on the 5th wherein a second degree ceremony was conducted. After opening the lodge the ruling master handed over the lodge to W.Bro.K.R.Giridharan who occupied the eastern chair and conducted the ceremony in an impressive manner who is now the ruling master of Lodge Mahamaham No.341, Kumbakonam. Bro.Krishna kumar Vazakattu panikath was made a fellow - craft freemason. The SE charge was rendered by Bro.D.R.Chandramouli, the working tools of the degree was explained by Bro.K.Rangarajan, the charge after passing was delivered by Bro.V.S.Ramakrishnan and the tracing board of the degree was explained by Bro.B.Badrinaryanan.

The W.Master invested the following officers who were not invested at the regular installation meeting held on 3rd November, 2007.
W.Bro.L.Ramani –     as Almoner
Bro.P.Subramanian – as Sword Bearer

The following brethren received certificates of merit from the RGL for RWC 2007stage I

Bro.R.Pari arasu -  as senior warden
Bro.K.Rangarajan – as Junior warden
Bro.D.R.Chandramouli – as Inner Guard and for delivering NE charge
Bro.M.Balaganesh       - for delivering charge after initiation and
Bro.B.Badrinarayanan   - for explaining the tracing board

As part of the Masonic education a paper was read titled “Brotherly love” by Bro.Lokesh Ramani written by Carl Claudy a past master.

The meeting was attended by W.Bro.Praveen sekar, IPM of lodge kodaikanal No.235, W.Bro.Samuel Sargunar, past master of lodge Asoka and W.Bro.A.Suryanarayana rao of lodge Om vigneswara.

Is a lodge supreme by its numbers? by it age; by its history; by its cross-section of big wicks taken from the society; by its ascendancy in hierarchy in masonry; by its relief projects launched; by its high standard of rituals; by its dazzling outbursts in the toasts and banquets; by its hospitality to the visitors; by its high influence in the fraternity; by its Masonic knowledge; by its continuous records kept safely in the Archives; by its involvement of its families in the allowable activities of the lodge; by its capacity to petition new lodges or by its power to bring new people into craft.

But these are not the parameters that determine a supreme lodge.

A lodge is supreme, only

1. When there is absolute concord in all the resolutions passed and decisions reached by it.
2. When there is absolute concern for all the members of the Lodge.
3. When there is a plan of advancement to every entered apprentice freemason.
4. When there is a training platform for all to excel in the rituals.
5. When the seniors are taken as role-models by the juniors and new entrants.
6. When an unknown build-up of the personality is done to all the members by involving in the activities of the lodge and thereby gaining more experience.
7. When there is a scheme of things by which a diffident mason is also made confident.
8. When achievements are made to think like the great scientist Newton who said. “If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
9. When the lodge is always considered as one unit and not as a body juxtaposed by various individuals.
10. When there is vision to novelty at the same time keeping the traditions, customs, and the value system of the craft intact.
11. When there is vibrancy to sustain the interest of the new comers.
12. When there is an appreciative spirit even in little endeavors done by the beginners.
13. When it is a lighthouse of Masonic knowledge and above all,

When it is on the level as the craft emphasizes, by which there is harmony, understanding and cooperation between the seniors, middle aged and the new entrants of the lodge. That is “democracy” in the forms of government and “on the level” in the institution of freemasonry.

Despite all this supremacy is a distant destination which involves endless traveling and improvement as there is scope for advancement in any activity we do.

Little girl and father were crossing a bridge.
The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter,
“Sweet heart, please hold my hand so that you don’t fall into the river.”
The little girl said, “No, Dad. You hold my hand.”
“What’s the difference?” Asked the puzzled father.
“There’s a big difference,” replied the little girl.
“If I hold your hand and something happens to me,
Chances are that I may let your hand go.
But, if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens,
You will never let my hand go.”
In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond.
So hold the hand of the person who loves you rather than expecting them to hold yours….
This message is too short……. but carries a lot of feelings…..

Bro. M.Balaganesh - Secretary                              Editor -  W.Bro. L. Ramani           

MOUNTIDINGS

W. Bro. Lt.Col.C.Venkataraman (Retd)                                           February 2008
Worshipful Master                                                                                                  

Thought for the Month                  

We had our regular meeting for this month on the 2nd at 5.30 P.M in freemasons’ Hall, Chennai-08. During this meeting two degrees were worked out. Firstly Dr.Bharani Ramakrishna was made an Entered Apprentice Freemason. The NE charge was rendered by W.Bro.A.Surya Narayana Rao a visiting brother from lodge Om Vigneswara lodge no: 218, the working tools of the degree was explained by W.Bro.K.Kasthuri, the charge after initiation was delivered by Bro.R.Pari Arasu and the tracing board of the degree was explained by Bro.B.Badrinarayanan. Welcome to Bro.Dr.Bharani Ramakrishana into the Mount family.

Subsequently Bro.S.Ram Mohan and Bro.C.Madana Gopal were raised to the sublime degree of a master mason. Traditional history part II was given by Bro.D.R.Chandramouli, the tracing board of the degree was explained by Bro.B.Badrinarayanan, Further entrustment was explained by Bro.R.Pari Arasu, working tools of degree was explained by Bro.R.Rangarajan and Final charge was delivered by Bro.R.Balaganesh.

Lodge felicitated the following Brethren

• W.Bro.Dwarakanath on receipt of Grand Lodge honour as a V.Worshipful Brother
• W.Bro.G.Madanaraj and W.Bro.Mahendra shah on becoming Supreme Rulers in Asoka Conclave No: 310 and I.V.M Krishna Rau Conclave No: 285 respectively.
• W.Bro.K.Kasthuri on passing out the certification of Energy Audition conducted  by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India.

The Lodge was visited by a Past Master from Lodge Royal Pahang, Malaysia namely W.Bro.Thavendran belonging to the Scottish constitution as well as W.Bro.S.P.Sinh the ruling master of our daughter lodge Mount charity No: 232 and W.Bro.A.Surya Narayana Rao of Om Vigneswara lodge no: 218.

ELOCUTION COMPETITION ON HUMILITY AND CHARITY FOR CITY SCHOOL CHILDREN CONDUCTED UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE MOUNT LODGE NO: 14 AT FREEMASONS’ HALL ON 15th FEBRUARY 2008.

A good teacher is equivalent to a thousand books is a saying that all of us have heard of. Synonymous with this is an adage that a good orator is also equivalent to thousand books. Ancient Greeks like Demosthenes emphasised the importance of public speaking and oratorical skills which was also highlighted by our Chief Guest for the event R W The RGM Rt.W Bro G K Selvarajan. This was amply exemplified by various school children from Standards VIII and IX. They were part of an eclectic group of children from Hindu High School, PS Senior Secondary, Vidya Mandir, SBOA group of schools, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Lady Andal, Vana Vani and Jawahar Vidyalaya. They spoke eloquently citing examples and anecdotes on Charity and Humility. Some of the quotes were:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”.

“A humble man doesn’t think of his own difficulties and frustrations but cares for the goodness and well being of others and helps them overcome their suffering”.

“The superior man is modest in his speech and exceeds in his actions” – Confucius

“Humility and charity are personality traits and qualities that go hand-in-hand. These are the corner stones of human evolution that from time immemorial made our civilization characterized as human”.

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err”. – Gandhiji on Humility

“With malice towards none and charity towards all” – Abraham Lincoln

“We come nearer to God when we are greater in humility” – Rabindranath Tagore

“Before honour its Humility”. – The Bible

“Humility is morality combined with beauty and dignity” – Albert Einstein

 “Charity- It is the ability to give not what you can but all that you have”

The Chief Guest for the event R W The RGM Rt.W Bro G K Selvarajan, in his address to the students, highlighted the importance of efficient public speaking and that it had to be nurtured as an art and should be part of the curriculum in order to inculcate in them the creative spirit of debating skills. He also wanted us to make this an annual event expanding our sphere of activity to more schools. The event brought about the latent talents pent up in these children which would have otherwise remained untapped.

The panel of judges comprised of our ruling master W Bro. Lt. Col. Venkataraman, V W Bro. T K Ramachandran and W Bro. S S Prasad who were faced with a daunting task of selecting the winners as each child surpassed the other with his or her exemplary oratorical skills. The winners were selected based on various parameters on the grading sheet and the following were declared as winners qualifying for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.

1st Prize - K Rahul from SBOA {Cash prize Rs.3,000/- sponsored by Ms.Geeta Veeraraghavan in memory of her father and Late V W Bro. K G Veeraraghavan, Past Master of Mount Lodge No. 14}
2nd Prize - Pallavi from Vidya Mandir {Cash prize Rs. 2,000/- sponsored by a well known brother}
3rd Prize - Nandini Shankar from SBOA {Cash prize Rs. 1,000/- sponsored by a well known brother}

Certificates of Excellence were also given to Niveditha (SBOA) and Indhu Wadhwani (SBOA) and Participation Certificates to all the children were given. The event concluded with a sumptuous lunch for the children, teachers and parents

To sum up, this event left an indelible mark on all those present on that day exclaiming the children's performances. Those present were amazed at the skills exhibited. Teachers and parents thanked us profusely for the unique event and also for the excellent manner in which the event was organized.

 By W.Bro. V S Kylas

Value of shedding Ego        

An ego-filled heart is always walking on fire. Every moment is heavy, every situation is nerve-racking and every interaction is tense. Never can there be a moment of marriage between ego and ease. With ego, you are struggling all the time to win over the situation: you want to get the better of others. When you transcend ego, you just want to win over yourself: you want to make the most of your own potential. It is you versus you and not you versus the rest.

A crow which was carrying a piece of meat in its beak found itself being chased by all the other birds. It dropped the piece of meat and all the birds went after the meat. Now, alone in the sky, the crow remarked, “In losing that piece of meat, I gained the freedom of the skies. “Drop the piece of meat –ego, and gain the freedom of peaceful living.

When ego comes, everything else goes. When ego goes, everything else comes. Let your ego, go. How to let go of ego? Simple! Value your peace above everything else.

-Voice of Love

 Bro. M.Balaganesh - Secretary                               Editor -  W.Bro. L. Ramani  

MOUNTIDINGS

W. Bro. Lt.Col.C.Venkataraman (Retd)                                           March 2008
Worshipful Master                                                                                                  

Thought for the Month                  

“Every Seed is a Potential Forest”                                 -----------T.T.Rangarajan----------

Our regular meeting for this month was held on 8th at 6.30 pm in the Freemasons’ hall, Chennai-08. During the evening a third degree ceremony was conducted. Bro.V.P.Krishna Kumar was raised to the sublime degree of a master mason. The traditional history Part II was rendered by Bro.D.R.Chandramouli, the tracing board of the degree was explained by Bro.V.S.Ramakrishnan, futher entrustment was given by Bro.R.Pariarasu, the working tools of the degree was explained by Bro.Harihara Subramanian and the final charge was delivered by Bro.N.Balaganesh.

The patent of Appointment of Grand Rank for the year 2008 was handed over to V.W.Bro.T.K.Ramachandran as P.G.D of C and W.Bro.G.Madanaraj as past grand assistant I .G by the Worshipful Master.

Bro.Puvvada Srinivas was presented the certificate of merit given by RGL for the RWC stage I year 2007 by W.Bro.T.K.Ramachandran for explaining the working tools.

W.Bro.A.Suryanarayana Rao the present Regional Grand Secretary attended the Lodge.

Congratulations to our honorary member Rt.W.Bro.Dr.B.Biswakumar on his being conferred the order of service to freemasonry in our R.G.L investiture meet held at Vizag by our Grand Master.

W.Bro.K.Kasthuri was installed by W.Bro.K.S.Sreekanth as the worshipful master of mount mark Lodge No: 50 in the August presence of Rt.W.Bro.M.V.Raghunathan the deputy Regional Grand Mark Master representing the Regional Grand mark Master Rt.W.Bro.V.Narasimham.

Club 99

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.

One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while

A lowly servant had so much joy. The King asked the servant, “Why are you so happy?"

The man replied, “Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies."

The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the servant's story, the advisor said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

" The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.

The advisor replied, “Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep."

When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... So many gold coins!

He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, “What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins! "

He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.

From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, “Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club. "

He continued, " The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life ."

We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires. That's what joining The 99 Club is all about." 

1. Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.
2. It’s Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude, which makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.
3. Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world - that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you do not understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves!
4. It's The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.
5. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realised God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
6. Don't Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
7. Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.
8. Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
9. Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
10. Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
11. Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin - to say that you are weak, or others are weak.
12. You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
13. Learn Everyday: The goal of mankind is knowledge... now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man 'knows', should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils'; what man 'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.
14. Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.
15. Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.

 Bro. M.Balaganesh - Secretary                               Editor -  W.Bro. L. Ramani