As an organisation started by Dr Annie Besant turns 100, its Mumbai branch finds fresh feet to carry on the good work ……..Jinal Shah

Had it not been for the Theosophical Order of Service, thousands of children worldwide would have never known their right to education. Now, as the organisation turns 100, a small group of members are keeping its principles alive in Mumbai.

Started by Dr Annie Besant in 1908 with the object of alleviating human misery and suffering by rendering selfless service, the TOS took root in Mumbai in 1969, thanks to the initiative shown by the Toddywalla family. “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,” says Rusi Toddywala (80), a retired executive who has dedicated his life to the theosophists’ work.

But the endeavour does not end here — the Toddywallas now have new helping hands. The children who were the first beneficiaries of TOS in Mumbai, or the first generation of sponsored children, have now grown into successful professionals and in turn are coming forward to sponsor other children. As Freny, Toddywalla’s wife, describes it: The “deeply rooted” system of service continues to grow.

“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. Now, it is pay back time,” says Adil Driver, who holds a degree in computer engineering and currently works for an IT company. “The sponsors only have to loosen their purse strings — Rs 2,500 per child — but for the children it meant either education or no education. 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,” Adil says.

“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 of the child to the sponsor. Our vision is to educate and uplift the poor and the downtrodden,” says Toddywalla.

Always excited when he talks about the work of the TOS, he says things got particularly tough a decade ago when an international institutional sponsor pulled out in 1995. “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,” says Freny (66). It was a large contribution that suddenly dried up. “But we managed to pull in funds from influential people in Mumbai and then the wheels started churning,” she adds. “I am glad that those kids we tried to help are now coming forward. We have about 10 to 15 such kids.”

“When I get letters from my sponsored child, I remember my days when I wrote thanksgiving letters to my sponsors,” says Adil.

While the TOS Mumbai is four decades old, its 200-odd members will join the international centennial year celebration with a fresh resolve of compassion and service.

Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott founded Theosophical Society in 1875. They later moved to India and established the headquarters of the movement in Chennai. Their objective was to work for humanity, without making any distinctions on the basis of race, community or creed Dr Annie Besant founded Theosophical Order of Service, an allied organisation of the Theosophical Society in 1908, with the object of alleviating human misery and suffering by rendering selfless service

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