Freemasons lends aid to petty traders in Hyderabad

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

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

Many Masonic members such as Janaki Ram Sharma, P.S. Moorthy and others including non-Masons participated. Freemasons selected 50 talented, hardworking, poor but who lacked the right tools for the job from among 683 people who applied.

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Some of the beneficiaries had lost their bread earner, some wanted to contribute additional income to the family and some 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 and others.

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.

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, a press release said.