Selfless service

Started by Dr Annie Besant a 100 years ago in 1908 with the object of alleviating human misery and suffering, the Theosophical Order of Service (TOS) continues to render selfless service. Among the small group in Bombay that is striving to keep these ideals alive since 1969 is the Toddywalla family, reveals The Indian Express (IE) dated October 20, 2008. "Our motto is ‘a union of all who love, in the service of all that suffers.’ We see it as our moral obligation to work for the underprivileged,” explains Rusi Toddywalla, an 80-year-old retired executive who has dedicated his life to the theosophists’ work, helping thousands of children to realize their right to have an education.

The Toddywallas now have helping hands — the children who were the first beneficiaries of TOS in Bombay who have grown into successful professionals and are coming forward to sponsor other children. The "deeply rooted” system of service continues to grow, Freny, Toddywalla’s 66-year-old spouse states.

Adil Driver, who holds a degree in computer engineering and currently works for an information technology company recalls: "When I was in my third standard, my family was facing a financial crisis. Forget about my studies, we didn’t know where our next meal would come from. Luckily, my mother contacted TOS and they put me through to a sponsor.” For Driver, "Now, it’s payback time… That’s why I promised myself that I would sponsor a child every year. I started with one child and am trying to add one more child every year,” he told IE. The sponsors only have to spend Rs 2,500 per child, but for the children it makes all the difference between having an education or not, Driver added.

Dedicated Theosophists Rusi (far left) and Freny Toddywalla

"Our vision is to educate and uplift the poor and the downtrodden,” says Toddywalla who elaborates on how TOS goes about doing this. "We basically work for education of poor and deserving children, currently 450 in number, and also for the welfare of their families. We select a child after necessary investigations and after taking recommendations from the school principal. We provide a case history of the child along with a photograph… to the sponsor.”

Things got particularly tough a decade ago when an international institutional sponsor pulled out in 1995 when instead of rendering aid to individual cases they chose to finance community development projects. "They had informed us well in advance, and even continued to sponsor a few kids until 2005. But we were not sure how to carry forward this service,” Freny informed IE. It was a large contribution that suddenly dried up, "but we managed to pull in funds from influential people in Bombay. Besides extending sponsorship aid, the Toddywallas like to involve the youngsters in the TOS annual colloquium-educational training camp, the last such being held at Deolali’s Leslie Sawhney Centre from October 25-29, 2008 on the theme: "Let us learn to write our hurts on sand and to carve our benefits on stone.”

Yet another annual feature is the commemoration of the death anniversary of Jamshed Mehta, the much loved and respected mayor of Karachi who inspired legions with his simplicity and embracing attitude.

While the Bombay branch of TOS is four decades old, its 200 or so members will join the international centennial celebration with a fresh resolve of providing compassion and service, the IE report reveals.