The Bharat Scouts and Guides is the national Scouting
and Guiding association of India.
Scouting was founded in India in 1909 as an overseas
branch of the Scout Association and became a member of
the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1938.
The BSG serves 2.88 million Scouts (as of 2011) and
1.29 million Guides (as of 2005).
Scouting was officially founded in British India in
1909, first starting at the Bishop Cotton Boys' School in
Bangalore. Scouting for native Indians was started by
Justice Vivian Bose, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Pandit
Hridayanath Kunzru, Girija Shankar Bajpai, Annie Besant and
George Arundale, in 1913.
The first Girl Guides company was founded in Jabalpur in
1911.
Nov 07, 1950: A first success
of the attempts of Indian leaders to unify India's scouts
and guides was the merger of the Boy Scouts Association in
India and the Hindustan Scout Association forming the Bharat
Scouts and Guides on this day.
Aug 15, 1951:
All
India Girl Guides Association joined the BSG.
The United Nations selected the Bharat Scouts and Guides as
honorary "Peace Messengers" for their significant and
concrete contributions to the International Year of Peace in
1986.
The mission of Scouting is to contribute to the
education of young people, through a value system based on
the Scout Promise and Law to help build a better world where
people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a
constructive role in society.
Bharat Scouts
Bunnies - ages 3 to 5
Cubs - boys, ages 5 to
10
Scouts - boys, ages 10 to 17
Rovers - boys, ages 15
to 25
Bharat Guides
Bulbuls - girls, ages
5 to 10
Guides - girls, ages
10 to 17
Rangers - girls, ages
15 to 25
Additionally, there are four special branches:[10]