An energetic AGM in Assam & Arunachal Region, India
As has been reported before, the TOS in India has over one hundred active TOS groups divided into 20 regions. Are the Annual General Meetings of these groups and regions rather classic, not to say dry affairs where administrative reports are read, votes taken and then tea served? Let us see for ourselves by reading this description of the AGM of Assam & Arunachal Region held at the beginning of April.
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Regional President, Jatindra N. Patowary writes: “Given that our region is tucked away in the easternmost part of India, we were lucky to have not one but three out-of-state guests with us for our AGM: Mr B.L. Bhattacharyya (National Director of the TOS in India), S.K. Agrawal (National Secretary) and P.S. Mital (former National Secretary), all outstanding TOS workers and excellent speakers. Their first duty was to be ready to set out at 7.30 a.m. for the outlying village of Bhadra-Arora. The team included the Regional President, the Regional Secretary Ramesh Chandra Dev Sharma, the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Pragjyotishpur Theosophical Lodge, the Vice-President of the Assam Theosophical Federation and a member of the local lodge, veterinarian Dr S.R. Talukdar. Bhadra-Arora is an impoverished village where medical help in time of need is hard to find. |
“To mark our AGM, a special session of free medical check-ups was arranged by the TOS in co-operation with the Mobile Medical Unit of Nalbari District led by Dr Biren Talukdar. 280 patients were treated by a large team of volunteer doctors and nurses, including the taking of X-rays, E.C.G.s, the administration of injections and of course the distribution of free medicines. A complimentary lunch was served for all. In the afternoon, our three special guests delivered talks entitled TOS – What and Why and What is service and why is it required?. Afterwards 15 garments for ladies and 20 shirts for men were presented to needy villagers. We then returned to Guwahati.
“The next day we started out at 7 a.m. for the village of Morangabari in another poorly served rural area where veterinary doctor, Pranjeet Baruah, and his staff were waiting. Immediately a livestock clinic was started at which 110 cows were treated. Free medicines were also distributed to the villagers in accordance with their medical needs. The cost of all these activities was covered by the TOS. At 2.30 p.m. on this second day, our formal AGM was held. Yes, administrative reports were read and voting took place but no tea followed! Instead, another meeting was conducted at which the Shreecharan Barua Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr Jyotsna Bhattacharjee, M.A. (Kolkata), M.A. (Oxford), Ph.D., former Head of Philosophy at Cotton College, Guwahati. Dr Bhattacharjee delivered a rousing talk on World Crisis and Spirituality which was enthusiastically received. This was followed by talks to a packed auditorium from our three other special guests. The subjects of these talks were Life is Service and How the TOS can help the TS grow. Before the closing of the meeting, gifts were presented to individuals nominated by the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped (Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India): four tricycles, four wheel-chairs, three pairs of crutches, two elbow crutches and five hearing aids. A life member of the TOS, Mrs S. Patowary, also donated six complete school uniforms for students of a north Guwahati educational establishment. The AGM was closed with a sweet song by a young boy, Abhinab Rishi, followed by a vote of thanks and a prayer delivered by the Regional Secretary.”
For Westerners, this kind of AGM is certainly different, isn’t it?
Mr Patowary extends a warm invitation to come to his region – and he’ll even provide visitors with a cup of tea!
 A wheelchair is presented to a mentally handicapped child. |
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