Freemasons Gift Tools to Traders and Street Vendors for Better Livelihood

Hyderabad: Anish Kumar Sharma, the Grand Master, the head of Freemasonry in India gave away tools to 50 petty traders, pros, and street vendors drawn from different professions from across Telangana to help them in their jobs for better earnings in a function held at Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Building in Goshamahal Nampally on Friday evening.

Many Masonic dignitaries, members such as Janaki Ram Sharma, P.S. Moorthy and other graced including non-Mason Ms Rakhi Kankari.  

Freemasons selected 50 talented, hardworking, poor but who lacked the right tools for the job from among 683 people who applied.

Some of the beneficiaries lost their bread earner.  Some of them wanted to contribute additional income to the family. Some of them were talented but poor and needed tools and implements to discharge their professional duties.  

These tools were presented under Freemason’s signature initiative ‘Gift-A-Livelihood’. It was their 9th leg of the initiative, where they gave away Iron Boxes, Sewing Machines, Pico Machines, Tools Kits to Carpenters, Electricians, Scooter Mechanics, Barbers, Dhobis, tiffin centre material to those who wanted to start a tiffin centre including a physically challenged Varalakshmi.  Most of the beneficiaries were from the poorest of the poor backgrounds.

The cost of the project was 3.75 lakh.  Freemasons have so far helped 730 petty traders and gave away tools worth Rs 43. 7 lakh in eight legs.  The funds for the project were contributed by the members of the Freemasonry.  

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Anish Kumar said Livelihood is the best gift one can ever give to any.  He appreciated Freemasons in Hyderabad areas for the yeoman service.  

Gift-A-Livelihood, an initiative which was started small during the pandemic to help people regain their livelihood has now grown so much that the initiative is being replicated by Masonic arms across India as well as communities at large.  

The 9th leg of Gift-a-Livelihood was organized on the eve of Grand Festival 23 being held in the city on November 25 and 26th, where 1200 Freemasons from across India and representatives from 7 different countries are participating, said D. Ramchandram, P. Veerabhadrudu, Vijay Kailash Beerwal, Madduletti. M. Rajkumar.  It is the first-ever annual congregation of Freemasonry in Telugu states is being organized in the 62-year history of the Grand Lodge of India, the apex body of Freemasons in India.   

50 identified beneficiaries were provided tools worth around Rs 7000/- each of their choice to carry forward their chosen profession.  Be it iron boxes (istri pette), sewing machines, utensils for tiffin centres, drilling, welding machines, cutters, for electricians, carpenters, plumbers, tools for scooter mechanics, push carts for street vendors, stationary material, bangles for stores etc were given away.  The idea is to help poor and small-time professionals, women who want to carry out some activities from home so that they will earn a better and more sustainable living.

Gift-a-livelihood is a novel initiative of Freemasons.