About Bharat Scouts & Guides

The Bharat Scouts & Guides is a voluntary, non-political educational Movement for young people, open to all without distinction of origin, race or creed, in accordance with the purpose, principles and method conceived by the Founder Lord Baden- Powell in 1907.
The purpose of the Movement is to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of the local, National and International communities.

The Genesis of Scouting and Guiding in the World

The Boy Scout Movement had a simple start in the year 1907 when a 50 year old Maj. General of Army Lord Baden Powell conducted an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Southern England with 21 boys. All the boys were from different social back grounds. The boys arrived on 25.7.1907 for the camp which was inaugurated on 29th and closed on 9th August 1907.The successful conduct of the camp and publication of the Book "Scouting for Boys" in 1908 marked the start of the Boy Scout Movement. In the year 1909 on 4th September, Crystal Palace Rally was held. It was a unique gathering of about 11,000 scouts.The rally was held, a year and a half after the publication of Scouting for Boys and two years after Robert Baden-Powell's demonstration on Brownsea Island Scout Camp. Several hundred girls including one patrol of girl scouts wearing the boy Scout uniform appeared and wanted to join the Scout Movement. Lord Baden Powell decided to start a movement for Girls with the help of his sister Agnes Baden Powell. In 1910, a movement for Girl Scouts was formally founded.

Scouting in India

Scouting started in India in the year 1909, when Captain T.H.Baker established the first Scout Troop in Bangalore and got it registered with imperial Headquarters, London. Subsequently, Scout Troops were formed at Bangalore,Calcutta, Kirkee (Pune), Simla, Madras, Jabalpur, Lonavla (Mumbai) and registered with the Imperial Headquarters during 1910 and 1911. These units were open to European and Anglo Indian Children only. The first Guide Company in India was started in Jabalpur, Central India in 1911. Within a short span of 2 years, many more guide companies were formed in Howrah, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and other cities but were directly under the control of Imperial Headquarters, London. The first Company of Indian Girl Guides was formed in 1916 at Pune. Later on, many Guide Companies were formed in different cities. In 1917, Lady Abala Bose, wife of the famous scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, was appointed as the first Indian Guide Commissioner for Indian guides. As the Scout Movement was not initially open to the Indian boys, Nationalist leaders of India decided to offer Scouting activities to Indian Boys and Sewa Samiti Scout Association was formed with Headquarters in Allahabad by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Pandit Hriday Nath Kunzru and Pandit Sriram Bajpai. Dr.Annie Besant with the help of Shri G.S.Arundale started a seperate Scout Association for Indian Boys in Madras. The first Wood Badge Course was conducted in Calcutta in 1922.A Scoutmasters` training camp was conducted aatPachmarhi in May 1923. Mr. Vivian Bose had attended the first Wood Badge camp held at Pachmarhi. The first formal Jamboree of Boy Scougts was held in Delhi from 1st to 7th February, 1937.Efforts were made for unification of different scout groups existing in India during the visit of Lord Baden Powell to India in 1921 and 1937 but failed. Major reason for the failure in unification was the promise clause which included the word "Duty to King". Our Patriotic sentiments of our Nationalist leaders did not approve the allegiance to the British Empire and instead it was insisted that allegiance loyalty to the Country should be part of the Scout Promise.

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