Regional Grand Masters – Grand Lodge of India

RW BRO T.N. MANOHARAN

R.W. Bro Vinjamur Govindaraj Madhusudan, hailing from Sriviliputhur, Tamil Nadu, was born as the eldest son of W. Bro. V. Ranganath, who headed the operations for Cadbury India Limited in South India, and Mrs. V. Sitalakshmi, on the 3rd of December, 1964.

He was initiated as a Lewis by his father on 20th May, 1983 in Lodge Om Vighneswara No. 218. He is a third generation Mason.
In the year 1994, he was installed as the Worshipful Master of Lodge Om Vighneswara No. 218 and went on to win the Best Worshipful Master’s Trophy in the Southern Region. His Lodge was adjudged the 2nd best Lodge in the region in the same year.
In the year 1999, he was installed in Mark Lodge Om Vighneswara No. 63. He went on to win the Best Worshipful Master’s Trophy in the Southern Region. Mark Lodge Om Vighneswara was adjudged the best Mark Lodge in the Region.
In the same year, he was installed as MEZ in Chapter Om Vighneswara No. 82. Chapter Om Vighneswara was adjudged the 2nd best Chapter in the Region.
In the year 2006, he was installed as WCN in RAM Lodge Om Vighneswara No. 63. The Lodge was adjudged the best RAM Lodge in the Southern Region.

He has held several important positions in the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India as well as the Grand Lodge of India. He has officiated as the R G D of C for four Regional Grand Masters of Southern India, and as Grand D of C for four Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of India. He served as Assistant Regional Grand Master for the Chennai area in the year 2007.

In the year 2000, he was elected to the Regional Board of General Purposes with the maximum number of votes polled. In the year 2014, he was elected to the Grand Board of General Purposes from the Southern Region with a record margin.

He has served as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of India and has several impressive orations to his credit.

He is a businessman and an agriculturalist. After studying engineering and management from the Bangalore and Annamalai Universities respectively, he joined the family business in retail management logistics and has since diversified into finance and real estate.

He is happily married to Aruna, a research scholar in English. They are blessed with two daughters.

RW BRO PERVEZ S. KAIKOBAD

R W Bro. Pervez Sherosh Kaikobad was born on 25^th December 1964 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He completed his schooling from La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata. He was elected as an Associate member of the Insurance Institute of India in 1991 and qualified to act as a surveyor in marine matters. He passed with distinction the Institute of International Container Lessors Marine Cargo Container Inspector’ s examination in 1987.

He was initiated into Freemasonry on the 5^th of March 1991 by his father R W Bro. Sherosh Kaikobad Kaikobad into Lodge St. Mary No. 75 and is a second-generation Mason. He went on to be installed as the Master of the Lodge in 1995.

He was exalted in to the Royal Ark Masonry in R.A. Chapter Shamrock Rose & Thistle on 22^nd January 1997, advanced into Mark Masonry in Mark Lodge Keystone on 3^rd November 1999 and was elevated to the RAM in RAM Lodge Anil Banerjee on 7^th November 2005

He was installed as the Regional Grand Master of the Regional Grand Lodge of Eastern Indin on 4^th February 2023 at Kolkata

RW BRO DR YAGNESH S THAKAR

The journey began on 30th May 1998 when R. W. Bro. Dr. Yagnesh Thakar was initiated as Entered Apprentice Freemason in Lodge Gondwana no. 226.

Then climbing up the ladder step by step, he became the Worshipful Master of Lodge Gondwana no. 226 in the year 2002.
Apart from Lodge Gondwana no. 226, R. W. Bro. Dr. Yagnesh Thakar is member of Nagpur Past Masters Lodge no. 342 and Founder Master of Lodge Vidarbha no. 470. He is the founder worshipful Master of Lodge Vidarbha no. 470.
During his mastership, the Lodge too received the award of Best Lodge of the Region and also qualified for Grand Master’s Seven Star program. He has received many awards. Some of them include Best Secretary Award of the Region and Yograj Gurwara Trophy for the best Mason of the Region thrice. He is also the recipient of Regional Grand Master’s silver salver for contribution to Freemasonry.
Dr. Yagnesh Thakar was the organizing secretary of Grand Festival 2018 and also in 2020 at Nagpur. He was also organizing chairman of ARGM Training Seminar of Grand Lodge of India in Jan 2020.
Dr. Thakar has conducted and participated as faculty in many training seminars for masons at local, regional as well as National level.
He has held many active ranks in the RGLWI. He was RGDOC for three years, ARGM for three years, Dy RGM and also Pres RB of GP.
He has been installed as the Regional Grand Master of Regional Grand Lodge of Western India on 27th Feb 2021 for the tenure of 2021-23. Likewise He is also installed as Grand Superintendent of Western India in Supreme Grand Chapter of India and Regional Grand Master of Regional Grand Mark Lodge of Western India.

In Grand Lodge of India Dr. Thakar holds the rank of P.A. G. M. He was also the elected member of Grand Board of General Purposes for four years.

He has always been very active in Grand Board of General Purposes and Regional Board of General Purposes as and when he was nominated or elected.

R. W. Bro. Dr. Yagnesh Thakar is the member of all Royal Arch Chapters, Mark Lodges and RAM lodges of Nagpur.

R. W. Bro. Dr. Yagnesh Thakar has always believed that ‘Service to humanity is the best work of life’ and that he does it very silently. He has done innumerable service projects right from the time he was just the master mason.

Dr. Yagnesh Thakar is Consultant Medical Microbiologist and owns fully automated Microbiology Laboratory, Vishakha Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Nagpur and also co-owner of Nagpur Molecular Disgnostic & Research Laboratory, Nagpur.

He is also a visiting consultant at Care Hospital, Nagpur.

Dr. Yagnesh Thakar is a former Professor in Dept. of Microbiology, Peoples College of Maedical Sciences, Bhopal and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur. He has worked as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of Microbiology at Government Medical College, Nagpur.

He has done his M.B.B.S. & M.D. in Microbiology, from Government Medical College, Nagpur.

He has authored two books on Medical Microbiology and has co-authored two manuals on Immunology.

He is the Past President of Maharashtra State of Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists and also Vidarbha Association of Medical Microbiologists. He is life member of Indian Medical Association, Academy of Medical Sciences and has many other academic affiliations. He is also past President of Jaycees and Lions Club where he has received many awards.

RW BRO SANJIV GANDHI

R. W. Bro. Sanjiv Gandhi was born on 12 th May 1952 in Dehradun. He had his Graduation in Commerce from Delhi University and thereafter qualified as Chartered Accountant.R.W. Bro. Sanjiv Gandhi saw the light of freemasonry on 31 st January 1992 in Lodge Triune Brotherhood No. 42 and adorned the Eastern Chair in the year 1998 and thereafter held the office of Treasurer. He is also member of Lodge Dharma No. 208, Lodge Mewar No. 259 and was a founder member of Lodge Lewis No. 383.

He was appointed active Asstt. Regional Grand Master of Regional Grand Lodge of N.I. the position he held from 2013 to 2015. At present he holds the rank of Active Dy. Regional Grand Master in the RGL of NI and P.Dy. G. Master in Grand Lodge of India. He held the post of Grand Treasurer of Grand Lodge of India from 2018 to 2021.

He was exalted in to the Royal Ark Masonry in R.A. Chapter Faridabad No. 70 on 19.12.1996 and was a founder member of R A Chapter Accountants No. 110 and was installed Principal Z; in the year 2005-06.At present he holds the Active Rank of 2nd Regional Grand Principal in the Regional Grand Chapter of N.I and Past 2nd Grand Principal in Supreme Grand Chapter of India.
He was advanced to the Mark Masonry in Mark Lodge Raisina No. 87 on 18.02.1999. He was one of the founder members of Mark Lodge Star of Delhi No. 103 and Mark Lodge Accountants No. 107and occupied the Eastern chair in Mark Lodge Accountants No. 107 in the year 2004-05. At present he is holding the rank of Past Dy. Regional Grand Mark Master in the Regional Grand Mark Lodge of N.I and Past Dy. Grand Master in Grand Mark Lodge of India.

He was elevated to the RAM in RAM Lodge East and West No. 33 on 24.04.2003. He was also one of the founder members of RAM Lodge Star of Delhi No. 103, RAM Lodge Accountants No. 107 and RAM Lodge Anchor No. 91. He occupied the office of W.C.N. in RAM Accountants No. 107 in the year 2007-08. He is a RAM Regional Grand Officer and Senior RAM Grand Officer.

He held the various offices in other Masonic Bodies, such as Member of Managing Committee and Treasurer of Masonic Fraternity of New Delhi, member of Managing Committee; Vice President of General Williams Masonic Poly Clinic and Secretary of The Fraternity Club.

His organizational capabilities are well recognized as he successfully managed the affairs of several Annual and Half year Meeting in his capacity Chairman of Steering Committee for several years. He has, recently, been entrusted with the responsibility of reviving the Rohilla Star Masonic Charitable Dispensary at Faridabad with has been non-functional for quite some time

He is married to Manju, who is an educationist by profession and manages a Primary School. They are blessed with a son who is happily married and settled in US, and employed with Coca Cola Corporation as H.R.Head for Latin America. W. Bro. Rishav Gandhi was initiated in Lodge Star of Delhi No. 328 and later occupied the eastern chair in the Lodge. W. Bro. Rishav Gandhi was also a founder W. Master of Lodge Lewis No.383.

In view of his leadership qualities, humble nature and services rendered by R.W.Bro. Sanjiv Gandhi to Freemasonry, M.W.Bro. Anish Kumar Sharma, OSM, M.W.The Grand Master of Grand Lodge of India was pleased to appoint him The Regional Grand Master of the Regional Grand Lodge of Northern India for the ensuing term. He will be installed in the forthcoming Investiture Meeting in February, 2022.