By Arvind Vora
“The Grand Lodge Sixty Year Masonic Service Award” was bestowed upon Col. Rajinder Pal Singh Bhalla on Friday, June 14, 2024, at the Morton Masonic Lodge, Richmond, TX. At the age of 93 years, he made profound remarks to his friends and fellow masonic officials and members.
“Today looks like the other day when on January 6, 1964, my father initiated me to this noble fraternity at one of the oldest lodges in India – Northern Star Lodge #21 at Ferozepur Cantonment that had received its Warrant on October 17, 1873. – 151 years ago!”
His two brothers were also initiated by his father though only Raj carried the torch to date. As part of the ceremony, he was led to alter where the Bible is placed in America. He said that in India, the altar has four books: Gita, Quran, Guru Granth Sahib, and Bible; today here in Masonic Lodge we have Granth Sahib at the Altar. Upon receiving the Sixty Year Pin he promised to wear very proudly.
On June 27, 1964, he was raised to the degree of Master Mason at the Grand Lodge of India in New Delhi. He found Free Masonry imbibing a similar spirit of brotherhood as in the military. While elaborating he found the tenets of Free Masonry: Love, Relief and Truth also resonate with the teaching of his faith – Sikhism. He said, “In Masonry, we continue to seek Knowledge and Truth. Over the past sixty years, Masonry has helped me become a better person in every facet of my life. It also gave me an opportunity to meet the finest upright people in Australia, Long Island where I was Master of the Lodge in 1982 and then in Texas at our wonderful historical Morton Masonic Lodge 72 which is 173 years old. It gives me fulfillment that I followed in the footsteps of my father, who later became Grand Sword bearer of the Regional Grand Lodge in Punjab.”
He extended his heartfelt thanks to Masonic members for arranging the ceremony, to his friends for joining, ending with “I owe a great debt of gratitude to my wife Kanwal, throughout a pillar of support and inspiration to me in my activities, so very essential and vital.”
Raj Bhalla made headlines in 2020 by donating a million dollars to many charities including half a million to Houston Methodist Hospital. In 1992 he was a Chairman of the Membership Committee of the India Association of Long Island, during Arvind Vora’s presidency.
