The Theosophical Society is very fortunate to have some outstanding libraries. The ones in Adyar, Sydney, and Wheaton are well known to all, but there is another, probably lesser known, that certainly deserves our attention.When travelling through Holland, next to visiting the beautiful International Theosophical Center in Naarden, a visit to the National Headquarters of the Dutch Section in Amsterdam is a must. It is located in de Tolstraat 154, close to the river Amstel, the river after which the capital of Holland was named, and in the middle of de Pijp, a picturesque city district. A few years ago the headquarters building was fully renovated; it houses the three main departments of the Dutch Section. The library, the administration of the TS, and the bookstore are all situated on the ground floor. All three departments are fully integrated. When you are in the library, for example, you can easily walk into the TS office where the bookstore is also operating; all departments are freely accessible, which gives an open and truly holistic feeling.
Heartbeats of Africa
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- Published: Sunday, 13 December 2009 13:16
A visit to the international website of the Theosophical Order of Service is a veritable breath of fresh air http://international.theoservice.org/
It brings reports on a surprising variety of activities that show the commitment of Theosophists to service and their belief in the transformative value of Theosophy in the world.
Here is a report on just one of the projects supported by the TOS in Tanzania:
One out of every 200 children born in developing countries suffers from a repairable congenital or rheumatic heart defect. In Tanzania, at any given time, more than 7,000 children and adolescents await surgery. This African state is wanting in specialised paediatric cardiac facilities. Left untreated, the children die before their 21st birthday. There is an urgent need to send them abroad for open heart surgery.
This past winter staff volunteers at Olcott, the national center for the Theosophical Society in America, in Wheaton Illinois, pitched in to prepare the auditorium for renovation, tackling the demolition phase with relish and enjoying the opportunity to shift roles and do some physical work instead of sitting at their desks. Every staff member contributed to the overall success of this project, and it was a great team-building exercise–coordinated by the maintenance department. Designed to make the space more welcoming and accessible for guests, the renovation included demolishing a large non-loadbearing post, ripping up old carpet, and tearing out the old fixed stage. Now the finished project sports new carpeting, improved 
audio visual equipment, a new moveable stage, and increased seating capacity. Funded through the contributions of many members for this purpose, the project brought new life to all the activities held in the renovated auditorium. Staff and visitors alike have been touched by the fresh and inspiring feel of the clean, expansive space. At first, many of the staff would walk up to the third floor every day or so just to be sure it was still there, and it is one of the first places to take visitors to see.
Can you imagine being a member of a country with over a hundred active TOS groups? Our Indian sisters and brothers can because they are members of one! Total individual membership of the TOS in India is over 6,000 and growing. The National Director, Mr Birendra Bhattacharyya, spends several months each year on the road visiting groups to oversee and support them in their activities. Even with a team of some 18 regional secretaries to help him, his hands are still very full.
The Golden Link School is now renamed Golden Link College with the opening of its modest college department with two course offerings: Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Elementary Education. The first batch of college students consists of 12 freshmen and 7 sophomore students. Most of them have applied for scholarship grants as they mostly come from very poor families. There were many other applicants who applied but did not meet the minimum entrance qualifications of Golden Link.
