Figure 1.--This image shows an Scout group in Jubbulpore during the 1910s. This troop was composed of both British and Indian boys. We are unsure how common this was.

Annie Besant was heavily involved in getting the Boy Scout movement under way in India. When Scouting was founded and introduced to India the country was a British colony--this period in its history being called the British Raj. I believe that when Scouting was founded that there were not only Indian troops, but also a few troops for the children of colonial officials. We are unsure to what extent these troops mixed. One photograph from the 1910s taken in Jubbulpore clearly shows a troop composed of both English and Indian boys. I am unsure at this time to what extent the current generation of Indian boys have joined the Scouting movement.

The 1900s

Annie Besant was heavily involved in getting the Boy Scout movement under way in India. When Scouting was founded and introduced to India the country was a British colony--this period in its history being called the British Raj. Scouting in India was officially founded in India in 1909, only a few years after Baden-Powell founded British Scouting. The first Indian Scout troop was organized at the Bishop Cotton’s Boys School in Bangalore. Indians were not permitted to join Scouting. Only British boys were allowed to be Scouts. Many English colonial officials, military officers, and businessmen brought their families with then to India. The first Indian Scout troops were formed for these children. The British Scout association in India was named, "the Boy Scouts of India".

The 1910s

While Scouting in India began in 1909, it was not at first a program for Indian boys. The early British Scouting movement did not at the onset adopt the inclusive international appraoch that it was to eventually settle upon. Scouting in India was at first exclusively for British and foreign boys. Scouting for native Indians was founded by V.V.N.Bose, Madanmohan Malvia, Hridyanath Kunju, Dr. Annie Beasant and G.S.Arundale, in 1913. They founded the "Hindustan Scouts". The separate Girl Guides were called the "Girl Guides of India." I am not sure to waht extent Scout troops were integrated or British and Indian troops associated with each other. One photograph from the 1910s taken in Jubbulpore clearly shows a troop composed of both English and Indian boys (figure 1). I am not sure, however, how common this was. Indian Cubbing began in 1916, the same year as in Britain. The Rover program was organized in 1918.

The 1920s

The 1930s

The 1940s

India achieved its independence from Britain in 1947.

The 1950s

The Bharat Scouts and Guides was officially formed on November 7, 1950 and Scout activities began on August 18,1951. Prior to the Bharat Scouts and Guides, there were several Scout Associations operating in India. The Bharat Scouts and Guides became a member of the World Bureau (WOSM) in 19??.

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

Scouting is the most important youth movement in India due to its traditional and abiding values. There were nearly 1.6 million Scouts and Guides in India during 1998 making it the largest national Scout organization in the world.