Page 7 - northmasondigest

October 2019

Masonic Temple - Noida

RW Bro AK Sharma is laying lot of stress on the good look and ambience of the Masonic
Properties in the Region. Apart from giving a right atmosphere for conduct of masonic
business in the meetings, the ambience will retain the younger brethren in
Freemasonry and impress & inspire the prospective candidates to join our noble
Institution. It is, therefore, very important that our temples and the masonic
properties should be in good & presentable condition.
With a view to meet the brethren of Lodges in NOIDA and to get a first-hand idea of the
condition of the Masonic Temple, RW Bro AK Sharma, RW the Regional Grand Master
visited the Amrit Masonic Spastics Center at NOIDA along with RW Bro PuneetSohal,
the Dy RGM, in the month of April. On seeing the sad condition of the Temple on the 2nd floor of the building he decided to have the
temple renovated at the earliest with the financial assistance from Premises Fund of the Region, some individuals and the brethren of
NOIDA. RW Bro PuneetSohal and RW Bro PK Sharma, both architects, were assigned the job of designing the temple and
management of Construction respectively. With their hard work and the assistance of fund contributors the renovation of the Temple
was completed in less than two months.
The Temple was inaugurated by MW Bro Rajeev R. Khandelwal, OSM, MW the Grand Master in the presence of RW Bro AK Sharma,
RW the Regional Grand Master and many distinguished brethren from NOIDA and Delhi on 19th September 2019.
The economy and elegance of the design of the temple, including the decorative elements, will serve as the role model for the
renovation of other temples in the Region.

Family Retreat
Lodges Raisina Hill 322, HH The Nawab of Rampur 178, East & West , Imperial 96 at Hotel Chatrium Royal Lake, , Yangon on 24th
August, 2019 with Brethren & Families of Lodge The Punjab 443 ( Most of members based in Malaysia & other countries) .
Thereafter families of Delhi lodges spent 2 days at Bangkok.

TRACING BOARDS
There was no organized furnishing arrangements in lodge rooms as prevails in the present days, although some of the articles
of furnishing, such as candlesticks and even “hirams” or gavels, were sometimes valuable and costly. There were no elaborate
Tracing Boards, but when occasion demanded their use, the centre of the room was cleared, the brethren sat four-square
round the lodge, while some chosen brother traced designs with a stick upon the sanded floor or drew them with chalk.
Evidently the Lodge of Friendship was one of the earliest, if not the first, to use tracing Boards, as we understand that term to-
day, as evident by the following minute of the Lodge of Emulation, No. 21, dated 15th November, 1813 :-
Brother Whitford, Past Master, proposed that lodge boards similar to those adopted by and used in the Lodge of Friendship
should be prepared for the use of this lodge, which was seconded by Brother Percy and carried in the affirmative.
-source “Old Lodge Nights and Ancient Customs” by Bro. Albert F.Calvert, P.G.Std.