It was with the formation of the Tyrrell Leith Lodge on April 22, 1886, that Freemasonary found a foothold in this town. Yet the occasional visit to the Freemason hall for a wedding was as close as most people came to knowing the Freemasons.

Now, the recent visit of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India (the highest of the high in our country), who was in the city over the weekend to attend a special meeting of the Regional Grand Lodge of Western India, may clear some of the air of mystery surrounding the organisation.

``Freemasons have been around for centuries - in fact, according to one version, they were formed while the Temple of Solomon was being built. Whatever may be the story of the formation, Freemasons were originally a guild of masons, who while teaching their apprentices about masonary, also instilled in them the principles of charity and brotherhood,'' says Mathur.

The mystery and secrecy that surrounds the organisation in India, according to Mathur, arose principally because when Freemasonary arrived in India about 250 years ago, it was primarily an European affair. Only a hundred years later was the first Indian allowed in. To keep the flow of Indians to a minimum, new members, as well as old, were encouraged not to disclose any of the happenings inside a Lodge (as a masonic gathering is called).

``We are a fraternity who want to improve the character of a person. We believe that every person has goodness within himself, and we try and bring out that inherent goodness and convert it into action,'' says Mathur.

Any person above 21 years of age can become a Freemason. He needs only one qualification, he must believe in God. Religion, caste or creed do not play any part in the selection process.

Then the candidate must approach the Lodge and be proposed and seconded before the ballot is cast. If accepted, the new member goes through a masonic initiation ceremony.

Speaking on the social importance of the Freemasons, Mathur pointed to numerous charitable efforts the Freemasons are attached with, starting from a Polyclinic and primary school in New Delhi, to their efforts after the Kutch and Kankinada cyclones. ``Our charitable efforts are not as publicised as others, because we do not believe in publicity, but the underlying theme of charity is very strong among Freemasons'', he said.

All the Lodges in India come under the Grand Lodge in New Delhi which was formed in 1961 (before this the Freemasons had to look to the Grand Lodge in the United Kingdom). Grand Masters lead their lodges at different levels, with the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India heading a council consisting of between 40 and 45 members.

There were 15,070 Freemasons in India at last count (on January 1, 1999), of whom 140 are from Vadodara.

The Vadodara chapter (there are two lodges in the city, No 43 and No 239) has already pledged Rs 4,00,000 towards charity this year, and efforts are on to convert the old masonic temple into a polyclinic.

On Saturday, it gave away talking watches and tricycles for the physically challenged, after the special meeting.

For details about Freemasons, one can contact the Tyrell Leith Lodge No 43 or the Lodge Baroda No 239.