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M.W Bro. Dr. Balaram Biswakumar, MW The Grand Master, RW Bro. Sisir Kumar Ghosh, RW The Regional Grand Master of Eastern India, RW Bro. Zawareh Wadia, The Dy. Regional Grand Master of the Western India W.Bro. Dr. Kartikeya Varma, Representative of RW the District Grand Master of Madras, RW Brethren, VW Brethren, W. Brethren and my dear Brethren,
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this beautiful city of Cannanore, a jewel on the west coast in the state of Kerala. We are assembled here for the Annual Investiture meeting of our Regional Grand Lodge, for the first time in the history. I am sure this gives all of you an opportunity to visit this historic city and interact with the lively, energetic and enthusiastic Brethren of Kannur, as it is now called.
I also extend a hearty and warm welcome to our beloved MW Brother Dr. Biswakumar, MW The Grand Master. It is also my pleasure to extend a warm invitation to the visiting Regional Grand Master, RW Bro. Sisir Kumar Ghosh from the Eastern India, RW Bro. Zawareh Wadia, Dy. Regional Grand Master from Western India and RW Bro.Dr. K.K. Varma, representative of RW Bro. KRN Menon, RW the District Grand Master, District Grand Lodge of Madras.
I congratulate the new team of officers of the Regional Grand Lodge invested this evening and look forward to their positive participation as active officers. At the same time, I also express my grateful thanks to the to the outgoing officers who have excelled in supporting the Regional Grand Lodge with their active participation.
Brethren, I am glad to report that your Southern Region had excelled in all the fields of Masonic activities throughout the Region. Practically every Masonic centre and every daughter Lodge had relentlessly participated in conducting the Rituals and ceremonies in the Lodges, Charity activities out of the Lodges and Masonic education & workshops as well.
All the Lodges have been administered well with the Returns submitted to the Grand Lodge and the Regional Grand Lodge in time without leaving behind any dues. Almost all the Lodges have celebrated the Universal Brotherhood Day and the detailed reports have been published in the Masonsouth, the official Newsletter of the Regional Grand Lodge. Thanks to the editorial team, all the four issues of Masonsouth have been brought out covering every event in the region with more photographs and wider coverage.
Barring one or two, all the ARGM’s have conducted Area meets in their respective areas, in all, eight meets. The area meets have proved to be an excellent occasion for the Brethren, particularly the Master masons and below to interact with the Brethren of other Lodges in their own area and provided an excellent platform for interaction, Masonic education, performance review, getting new ideas etc.. But above all, the area meets gave many a Brethren an opportunity to demonstrate and display their organizational skills and acquire leadership qualities. No doubt, they have prepared many Brethren as future leaders. My hearty congratulations to all the Assistant Regional Grand Masters for their support.
On the whole, the strength of the Region had grown from 8,628 at the beginning of the year to 8,853 as of now. Most of the Lodges have had initiation ceremonies conducted, but due to minor loss of members due to resignations, cessations etc., the net growth is not as expected. Overall, the Region, however, had a net growth of membership of 225 with 557 Initiations and joinings. Most of the Lodges have participated in the first stage of Ritual Working competition and 36 have qualified for the second stage. I congratulate all the Participants and the participating Lodges.
We had two Craft Lodges, Lodge Western Star no. 363 and Lodge GK Selvarajan no. 365 consecrated and brought into our fold during the year, taking the number of craft Lodges in the Region to 127.
Brethren, as Freemasons, we are expected to inculcate the four cardinal virtues and imbibe the same in our day to day life.
Temperance is one of the four "cardinal" virtues, considered central to the human behavioural pattern. It is an important tenet of the moral codes many world religions preach. It is the practice of moderation of temperament and held to be vital to the society even in the ancient culture.
Classically, temperance is defined as governing natural desire for the pleasure of senses according to the bounds of reason. No virtue, could be sustained, in the face of inability, to control oneself, if the virtue is opposed to some desire; this is why it is classified as a cardinal virtue, as opposed to the theological virtues.
The virtue of Temperance is wisely impressed upon the mind, by its reference to the most solemn portion of the initiation ceremony.
The virtues of abstinence, chastity, and modesty are considered sub-classes of the virtue of temperance, as it governs the practice of eating food and drinking beverages and the restraint of vanity.
Reasons why we should practice this manly virtue include longer life, have better health, be strong willed and modest.
Without the constant abuse of gluttonous activity on our bodies such as over eating, over smoking, over drinking, over doing anything, we stand a much better chance to grow old gracefully and live much longer. Of course, any vice we have in our lives should be done in moderation and this goes for any activity – whether it be a traditional vice or something less apparent such as working. Even the workaholics have to show good temperance to know when to relax and when to play.
The greatest man is he who chooses the Right with invincible resolution, who resists the temptations from within and without, who bears the heaviest burdens cheerfully, who is calmest in storms and most fearless under menace and frowns, whose reliance on truth, on virtue, on God, is most unfaltering;
A strong man is the one with a strong will to do what is right. Showing restraint, moderation and contentment when all others are giving into their temptations is a clear message to all around us that your are a man with convictions. You know what is best for you and will not be deterred.
A key trait of a Freemason is to show modesty in one’s success. The ability to control one’s celebration in victory shows wonderful temperance. Modesty is also a key virtue that we explore. This virtue can also be described as having great humility.
If you don’t or can’t show restraint for yourself, then do it for others – especially your children, your students, your followers, people who love you.. They give their love and respect to you unconditionally, then there is no better way to pay them back for their love and respect by practicing the virtue of Temperance and being a good role model.
The act of showing temperance is often related to those who have great self control and self discipline.
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. Self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterwards.
There are a host of emotions that are left out in the treatment of temperance, which include fear, daring, hope, and despair. Life brings with it all sorts of difficulties, and it is through these emotions that we relate to them. To relate to these difficulties, well, requires that these emotions be moderated by the appropriate virtues, namely fortitude.
The virtue of temperance is thus not enough for emotional well-being, since temperance deals with the greatest pleasures, not the greatest difficulties. Rather, it is the quality of fortitude to remove the obstacles that withdraw the will to face the difficulties that give rise to fear and sorrow.
Difficulties do arise in life that become obstacles in the quest for the Supreme Good. Hence, the need for a host of virtues that will enable us to overcome these obstacles. It demands that our life become a quest for the Supreme Good, that is, for Supreme God. It is this quest that brings movement and meaning to human life.
Fortitude binds the will firmly to the good of reason in the face of the greatest evils.
Fortitude is the virtue that moderates the emotions of fear and daring in accordance with right reason.
Brethren, that must have given us some insight into the cardinal virtues, we have always been talking about, as Freemasons.
RW Bro. A.Gopalan Nair, my Dy. Regional Grand Master is the one who had identified Cannanore as a potential place to host this Annual Investiture meeting. He had been of great support to me all through the year. I thank him for the same.
I am also thankful to the Freemasons of Cannanore and the neighbourhood for readily coming forward to host this Annual Investiture meeting today. I congratulate the organizing committee lead by the Chairman Bro. Thomas Joseph and the organizing secretary Bro. Mathew Thomas ably assisted by numerous chairmen and members. I also thank all the participating Brethren here today for the overwhelming response, having traveled long distances from all corners of our Region and beyond, despite limited connectivity and farther location. I have every confidence, once you experience the frangrance of Brotherhood during your stay at Cannanore, you will forget all the ordeals you have suffered in reaching this place and go back with fond memories.
I once again express our sincere gratitude on behalf of all of us to MW The Grand Master for having spared his valuable time and gave us the pleasure of his gracious presence. I also express my thanks to the visiting Regional Grand Masters and the representatives of the Regional Grand Lodge of Western India and the District Grand Lodge of Madras for their visit and participation.
Brethren, before I conclude, I have a few pleasant tasks to be performed. Your Regional Grand Lodge has now brought out a comprehensive Directory of all Masons in a CD format, which includes even the details of higher degrees as well. I am convinced, you will be amazed with the contents and the ease with which you can access data in the CD, it will be a boon for all the freemasons, particularly the secretariats of the lodges and the Regional Grand Lodge. I congratulate the efforts of W.Bro. Suryanarayana Murthy, the Regional Grand Secretary and W.Bro. Marthanda Moorthy who have toiled days and nights to bring out this CD in a record time and that too in a comprehensive manner.
May I now request MW The Grand Master to kindly release the Directory.
Brethren, the organizing committee of Kannur RGL meet have brought out a souvenir on the occasion of hosting this meeting and it is my pleasure to request MW the Grand Master to release the same.
May I also request MW the Grand Master to release the latest issue of Masonsouth, the news letter of the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, which had been broughtout on this occasion.
Thank you my Brethren
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