The Bharat Scouts and Guides
India’s national Scouting and Guiding association, providing values-based youth development through outdoor learning, service, leadership and community participation.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) is India’s national Scouting and Guiding association. It brings together the country’s principal Scout and Guide traditions under a nationwide youth-development framework recognised by the Government of India. Rather than operating as a commercial consumer brand, BSG functions as a membership-based educational and civic organisation. Its activities are delivered through local units, schools, districts, states and national programmes, with separate Scout and Guide sections and selected coeducational activities such as rallies, jamborees and conferences. The origins of Scouting in India date to 1909, when a Scout group was established at Bishop Cotton Boys School in Bangalore during the period of British rule. Early Scouting was initially restricted largely to British and other foreign boys. Indian leaders, educators and public figures subsequently worked to extend the movement to Indian youth. Among those associated with this expansion were Vivian Bose, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Hridayanath Kunzru, Girija Shankar Bajpai, Annie Besant and George Arundale. Indian Scout organisations developed in several regions, including Madras, Mysore, Baroda, Hyderabad, Bengal and Allahabad. The movement also developed Cub and Rover sections, broadening participation across age groups. Guiding began in India in 1911 with the establishment of a Girl Guide company at Christ Church School in Jabalpur. The All India Girl Guides Association was formed in 1916 and opened participation to Indian girls that year. It became one of the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928. The development of Scouting and Guiding was shaped by the country’s political transition, social diversity and the gradual removal of racial restrictions. In 1938, the Boy Scouts Association in India became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. After independence, national leaders and movement officials pursued the consolidation of India’s fragmented Scout and Guide bodies. The Boy Scouts Association in India and the Hindustan Scout Association merged on 7 November 1950 to create the Bharat Scouts and Guides. The All India Girl Guides Association joined the unified organisation on 15 August 1951. This consolidation gave BSG a national identity and a common structure for youth training, advancement, service and international representation. BSG’s educational purpose is expressed through the Scout Promise and Law and through a mission focused on helping young people become self-reliant individuals who make constructive contributions to society. Its programme combines character education, outdoor skills, teamwork, citizenship, environmental awareness, service and leadership. Participation is organised into age-based sections: Bunnies for younger children, Cubs and Bulbuls for boys and girls generally aged five to ten, Scouts and Guides for approximately ages ten to seventeen, and Rovers and Rangers for young adults from approximately seventeen to twenty-five. The association also maintains specialist or extension branches, including Sea Scouting, Air Scouting, Extension Scouting and the Venture Club Scheme. The organisation’s highest section awards include the Golden Arrow for Cubs and Bulbuls, the Rashtrapati Scout and Rashtrapati Guide Awards, and the Rashtrapati Rover and Rashtrapati Ranger Awards. Its emblem uses the Ashoka Chakra, linking the movement to Indian national symbolism. BSG has also hosted significant international events, including the 17th World Scout Conference in New Delhi in 1959. The Sangam World Girl Guide/Girl Scout Center in Pune opened in 1966 and serves as an international centre associated with Guiding. The association has received international recognition for its civic contribution. In 1986, the United Nations selected BSG as an honorary Peace Messenger in connection with the International Year of Peace. The organisation also supports participation by young people with disabilities and maintains units for Indian citizens in several Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. The available reference material identifies Dr. Krishana Kumar Khandelwal as Chief National Commissioner from 2017 onward, but does not provide a current membership figure or a more recent leadership update. BSG remains an active national youth organisation with a broad network of educational, social, outdoor and service-oriented programmes.
History
Scouting in India began in 1909 at Bishop Cotton Boys School in Bangalore. During the early period of British rule, participation was largely limited to British and other foreign boys. Indian educators and public figures subsequently established or supported organisations intended to make Scouting available to Indian youth. Important early contributors included Vivian Bose, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Hridayanath Kunzru, Girija Shankar Bajpai, Annie Besant and George Arundale. A number of regional associations emerged during the 1910s, including the Indian Boy Scouts Association in Madras, the Boy Scouts of Mysore, the Boy Scouts of Baroda, the Nizam’s Scouts in Hyderabad, the Boy Scouts of Bengal and the Seva Samiti Scout Association. In Bengal, J. S. Wilson and Alfred Pickford worked to expand access to Indian boys despite official restrictions. Lord and Lady Baden-Powell visited India in 1921, and the visit helped lead to the consolidation of most Scout organisations into the Boy Scouts Association in India. The Seva Samiti initially remained outside that merger. The parallel history of Guiding began in 1911, when the first Girl Guide company was established at Christ Church School in Jabalpur. More than fifty companies were reported by 1915. The All India Girl Guides Association was formed in 1916 and opened membership to Indian girls. It joined the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928 as one of that organisation’s founding members. Its international membership was renewed after Indian independence and partition in 1948. The relationship between Scouting, national identity and political change became especially significant during the late colonial period. In 1938, some members left the Boy Scouts Association in India amid rising nationalism and helped establish the Hindustan Scout Association with the Seva Samiti Scout Association and the newly formed India National Scout Association. The Boy Scouts Association in India nevertheless joined the World Organization of the Scout Movement in the same year. After independence, Indian political leaders and Scout and Guide officials sought to unify the country’s organisations. On 7 November 1950, the Boy Scouts Association in India and the Hindustan Scout Association merged to form the Bharat Scouts and Guides. The All India Girl Guides Association joined on 15 August 1951, completing the principal national consolidation. The organisation became the central national platform for Scouting and Guiding in India. BSG developed a structured programme for children, adolescents and young adults. Its sections include Bunnies, Cubs, Scouts, Rovers, Bulbuls, Guides and Rangers. The movement also supports Sea Scouting, Air Scouting, Extension Scouting and the Venture Club Scheme. Its activities include camping, outdoor skills, ceremonies, advancement, public service, citizenship education and leadership development. Scout and Guide units are generally separate, while large gatherings and certain activities may be coeducational. The programme also includes participation by young people with disabilities. International engagement has been an important part of BSG’s history. New Delhi hosted the 17th World Scout Conference in 1959. The Sangam World Girl Guide/Girl Scout Center opened in Pune in 1966, based on an idea developed during an international commissioners’ meeting in New Delhi in 1956. In 1986, the United Nations named BSG an honorary Peace Messenger in recognition of its contribution to the International Year of Peace. The association’s emblem incorporates the Ashoka Chakra and uses green and saffron, connecting its identity with Indian national symbolism. Its advancement system culminates in awards such as the Golden Arrow, the Rashtrapati Scout and Guide Awards, and the Rashtrapati Rover and Ranger Awards. The available historical record lists a succession of national commissioners, with Dr. Krishana Kumar Khandelwal identified as Chief National Commissioner from July 2017 onward. BSG also maintains overseas units serving Indian citizens in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- 1986
Named a United Nations Peace Messenger
[1]The United Nations selected BSG as an honorary Peace Messenger during the International Year of Peace.
- 1966
Sangam World Centre opens
[1]The Sangam World Girl Guide/Girl Scout Center opened in Pune, Maharashtra.
- 1959
World Scout Conference held in New Delhi
[1]BSG hosted the 17th World Scout Conference in the Indian capital.
- 1951
Girl Guides join the national organisation
[1]The All India Girl Guides Association joined BSG on 15 August.
- 1950
Bharat Scouts and Guides established
[1]The Boy Scouts Association in India and Hindustan Scout Association merged on 7 November to create BSG.
- 1938
Indian Scouting joins WOSM
[1]The Boy Scouts Association in India became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
- 1928
Indian Guiding joins WAGGGS
[1]The All India Girl Guides Association became a founding member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
- 1911
First Girl Guide company established
[1]The first Girl Guide company in India was founded at Christ Church School in Jabalpur.
- 1909
Scouting begins in India
[1]A Scout group was established at Bishop Cotton Boys School in Bangalore, marking the beginning of organised Scouting in India.
Products and positioning
A national, non-commercial youth-development movement focused on character, practical skills, service, leadership, outdoor education and responsible citizenship.
Early-childhood programme
Bunnies
A young-children programme for boys and girls approximately three to five years old. It introduces children to group participation, simple activities and the values associated with the wider Scout and Guide movement.
Junior youth programme
Cubs and Bulbuls
The junior sections for boys and girls, generally covering ages five to ten. Activities emphasise learning by doing, play, basic outdoor experience, cooperation and early personal responsibility.
Core youth programme
Scouts and Guides
The central adolescent programme for boys and girls approximately ten to seventeen years old. It combines the Scout Promise and Law with camping, practical skills, teamwork, citizenship, service and progressive leadership responsibilities.
Young-adult programme
Rovers and Rangers
The senior sections for young men and women generally aged seventeen to twenty-five. Rovers and Rangers extend the movement’s emphasis on service, leadership, community involvement and personal development into young adulthood.
Specialist programme
Specialist branches
BSG provides additional pathways through Extension Scouting, Sea Scouting, Air Scouting and the Venture Club Scheme. These branches adapt the movement’s educational and service principles to specialist interests and wider participation.
Brand decisions
1951
All India Girl Guides Association joins BSGM&ABackground
The post-independence consolidation of India’s youth movements remained incomplete until the principal national Guiding organisation joined the new association.
Action taken
The All India Girl Guides Association joined the Bharat Scouts and Guides on 15 August 1951.
Aftermath
BSG became the unified national platform for both Scouting and Guiding in India.
1950
National Scout organisations mergeM&ABackground
India had several Scout bodies with overlapping aims and different historical backgrounds. After independence, political and movement leaders sought a unified national organisation.
Action taken
The Boy Scouts Association in India and the Hindustan Scout Association merged on 7 November 1950 to form the Bharat Scouts and Guides.
Aftermath
The merger created the principal national Scouting and Guiding association in India; the All India Girl Guides Association joined the following year.
Recent events
- 1986
BSG recognised as a Peace Messenger[1]
Other
The United Nations selected the Bharat Scouts and Guides as an honorary Peace Messenger for contributions associated with the International Year of Peace.
- 1966
Sangam World Centre opens in Pune[1]
Other
The Sangam World Girl Guide/Girl Scout Center opened in Pune, Maharashtra, following an international Guiding initiative developed in New Delhi.
- 1959
BSG hosts World Scout Conference in New Delhi[1]
Other
New Delhi hosted the 17th World Scout Conference, marking a major international event for India’s national Scouting organisation.
- 1951
All India Girl Guides Association joins BSG[1]
Other
The All India Girl Guides Association joined the unified national organisation on 15 August 1951.
- 1950
Bharat Scouts and Guides formed through national merger[1]
Other
The Boy Scouts Association in India and the Hindustan Scout Association combined on 7 November 1950, creating the Bharat Scouts and Guides.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-bharat-scouts-and-guides · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled