By Tan Hui Yee
Correspondent
tanhy@sph.com.sg

 

IN THE dimly lit, wood-panelled bar lined with dark leather sofas on one end, a gathering of middle-aged men in tuxedos sip ginger ale and Coke as they chat about the day’s events.

Pictures of masonic tools like the square and compass hang on the wall. Diana Ross’ cover song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” plays in the background.

But the relaxed mood turns sombre when the 1970s tunes are swapped for Bach’s “Air on the G String”. One by one, the men shuffle out of the bar and head to the Temple upstairs.

The Freemasons’ meeting has just begun.

The global fraternity of men, which started in medieval Europe when stone masons got together to protect their trade secrets, is today still clothed in an air of mystique that baffles most outsiders.

Most intriguing are their regular allegorical plays, conducted by tuxedo-clad, masonic-apron donning members to impart moral and ethical lessons on newcomers.

New and long-time members interviewed both say that curiosity played a large part in them joining the organisations.

Eighty-four year old Hatim Nakhoda, who heads the Islamic Fellowship Association, asked his good friend G.E. Bankuwala more than 50 years ago why he kept packing regalia to attend meetings in Coleman Street - where the Freemasons Hall is located.

He told Mr Nakhoda: “If you are a religious person, and you believe in Allah, and this will be good for you. All are good men, but Freemasonry will make you a better man.”

The multi-faith Freemasons do not make open calls for members, but extend personal invitations after judging them to be of good character.

Meanwhile, Freemason Shiva Banerjee, 74, says: “My initial willingness to join became more a final solution to curiosity.”

Once in, they found a world that extended beyond rituals, to include charity work and lectures on philosophy.

Haematologist Ronald Ng, 62, who became a Freemason in 1996, says: “There is a lot of the human touch. You gain a greater understanding of life.”

Read the full story on Singapore's Freemasons in The Straits Times today.