‘I still act. Only the stage is much bigger now’
| Date :26-Jun-2024 |
By Amol Maokar
HE TOO was a theatre actor, like his brother, in his younger days. Although his stint was much smaller than his brother’s is, he believes that it taught him invaluable lessons of discipline and sincerity for life. “I learned how an actor must remain constantly alert and responsive once on stage. That lesson continues to guide me even today. So, in a way, I still act, but on a bigger stage, and at a larger scale. But, now I do not get to leave the stage even for a moment,” concedes Subhash Saraf. That he is the elder brother of much-loved veteran actor, Maharashtra Bhushan Ashok Saraf, is only one fact. The work of Subhash Saraf is as tall as the name his younger brother’s fame could bring him. Silently, he has built a mound of missions over the years. And, he hasn’t gathered even a bit of bitterness. He replies to each query with a consistently compassionate smile.
Anointed as the Regional Grandmaster of Regional Grand Lodge of Western India early this year, the unassuming Subhash Saraf has been an active Freemason for over three and a half decades. Although a practising Chartered Accountant since over 40 years, he is associated with several other charitable trusts across the nation, and working relentlessly for people’s welfare. Asked where he developed this passion for social welfare, Saraf says, he learned at a young age that social service connects one with the Divine. “I inherited the belief in the Supreme Power from my father who bequeathed to me the correct way of worship. He would say, a person who is truly spiritual is always on the field, working for people,” Saraf says. Even at 70, Subhash Saraf is following that mantra, like a good son.
A friend introduced Saraf to Freemasonry over 36 years ago. Although Saraf didn’t know the depth at which it operated then, he liked the vibe of the lodge for its discipline and its peaceful procedures. “I can now tell you that it felt peaceful because the religion of Brotherhood is above societal and cultural norms. At the time of initiation, I saw books of various religions kept there, which symbolises that Freemasonry neither forces any person to give up one’s faith, nor does it tilt towards any individual’s way of worship,” he explains. “It is more of a spiritual organisation, which follows the principle of the Sanskrit phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’,” he adds. Saraf speaks proudly about the Brotherhood which, he says, has been unnecessarily stamped as a ‘secret society’ after a few popular novelists depicted a fictional Brotherhood with dark secrets and scary rituals. It is, on the contrary, a fairly transparent community of modest and helpful people who believe in God. Currently, as a Regional Grandmaster, Saraf shoulders the responsibility of 81 lodges located across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
After taking over, his first project was to make India a Thallasemia-free society, along with several other charity works Freemasonry had been performing. Over 80 per cent people of India aren’t aware of the urgency to prevent Thallasemia; whereas 12,000 to 15,000 Thallasemic majors are born each year in India, he informs ‘The Hitavada’. “Our ‘Thallasemia Warriors’ work dedicatedly to create awareness about the disease as well as help people prevent or treat it,” he says. An expensive automated external defibrillator (AED) has been installed at Mumbai’s Freemasons Hall help people, for instance, he adds. How does he manage time while juggling multiple roles? “I do not have to do any time management. I believe that time itself manages us. Time is within the purview of the Divine, who gets done from us what we are supposed to do. All we have to do is submit ourselves to the Supreme Power with all sincerity. That way, I don’t even have to remember the good work I did, because it’s God’s work. It’s He who is doing, through me,” Saraf concludes.