“The greatest contribution to education in the 20th century was made not by an educationist but by a soldier, who founded the Scout Movement,” said George Bernard Shaw.

Lord Baden Powell blew the kudu horn on Brownsea Island in England on August 1, 1907, to open his experimental Scout camp for 20 boys.

Today, Scouting is a million times bigger and involves girls and boys, women and men from every region, culture and nearly every country in the world. The Scouting Movement, which began on a small scale, has now grown into one of the largest disciplined uniformed youth organisations of the world. This August 1, 2007, the World Scouting completes 100 years!

The ideas of Baden Powell, emulated in his book ‘Scouting for Boys’, and the programme designed by him, proved to have a universal appeal for young people. And it soon spread throughout the world. Today there are more than 280 million Scouts/Guides in- 216 countries and territories.

“Wake up! Get busy! You have only one life to live, so make the best of every minute of it” - these words of Baden Powell epitomise the essence of the Scouting Movement, thereby highlighting its motto, which is:
Something to learn every day
Something to do every day
Songs to sing, stories to tell and Help others too…

“I am thrilled that the Scouting Movement is completing 100 years. It is a wonderful human resource development movement that stands for peace, sacrifice, and integrity. Scouting is very relevant today because it stands for basic human values,” said Kondajji B Shanmukhappa, State Chief Commissioner, The Bharat Scouts and Guides, Karnataka.

Scouting In India
“If I had a dozen sons and daughters, I would send every one of them to Scouting and Guiding,” said Dr Annie Besant.

In 1909, a Boy Scout Troop was seen for the first time in India in Bangalore in the Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, in the then Civil and Military Station. A retired Army Officer, Captain T H Baker, started it. Similar Scout Troops were also started at the same time in Jabbalpur and Kirkee. However, these troops were open only to European and Anglo-Indian Boys.

The Scout Movement in India was officially launched on March 21, 1917. A number of Scout associations before Independence, such as The Boy Scouts Association of India, The Indian Boy Scout Association, The Hindustan Scout Association and the Girl Guide Association of India had agreed to merge and were signatories to the formation of an organisation called the Bharat Scouts and Guides of India on October 24, 1950.

However, the dream of the unified National Scout and Guide Movement could become a reality only in independent India on November 7, 1950 and the Bharat Scouts and Guides was formed. Now there are 46 State associations including the Revenue States, the zones of the Indian Railways, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Sanghatan functioning as affiliated organs of the National Association. There are more than 36 lakh Scouts and Guides in India alone!

Scouting in Karnataka
“I pray that every home in India may have children like Scouts and Guides,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

Scouting started in the erstwhile State of Mysore under Royal Patronage in 1917 as The Boy Scouts of Mysore, with the then Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar as its patron and his brother Yuvaraja Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar as the Chief Scout of Mysore. The former Princely State of Mysore issued a Government Order dated October 3, 1917, directing that Scouting be started in all the schools of the State.

Moreover, the Girl Guides of Mysore, the sister organisation, was started ten years later in 1927 with the Yuvarani of Mysore as the Chief Guide and Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar as the Chief Cub of Mysore. Both the organisations flourished in the subsequent years with good support from various departments of the Government of Karnataka. However, all the district associations remained as separate and distinct organisations until their merger with the present Bharat Scouts and Guides in 1952.

During their long existence in the State over the years, both Scouting and Guiding marched steadily forward to reach their present status in numbers and quality. The strength of the two wings of the movement for the year 2005-06 is 2.50 lakh.

“Once a scout always a scout,” remarked Professor M Suryanarayanappa, President Silver Elephant Awardee. It is the highest award given in India to a Scout.

“I joined the Scout Movement as a rover while I was pursuing my BCom in Ramnarain Chellaram College, Bangalore in 1953-55. In the year 1954, I attended the first National Jamboree held in Hyderabad, when the first prime minister of our country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru attended it. Since then it has been a long association with the Scouting Movement for me,” ruminated Suryanarayanappa, who retired as the Principal of Vivekananda College, Puttur, in 1993. He is still active in the Movement.

Jamboree is an international term used to describe a large gathering of Scouts, since 1920, when Lord Baden Powell planned to hold a special event to bring together Scouts of all nationalities and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the camp on Brownsea Island. World Scout Jamborees have been held almost every four years, except during the Second World War.

“Completion of a 100 years for any movement is a fete in itself. It indicates that the Movement has survived changing circumstances. The very fact that Scouting and Guiding still attracts boys and girls across the globe is an indication that the movement has updated its activities to suit the needs of the present society,” observed T S Lucas, Assistant State Commissioner (Planning and Development), Karnataka.

“It is a priceless feeling to be a part of the Centenary celebrations of the Scouting Movement. I joined Scouting in 1941 as a boy of 12 years, the same year, when Lord Baden Powell passed away on January 8. Now to see the movement complete its 100 years in my own lifetime is an exhilarating experience,” recounts 79-year-old Lucas, a retired principal of the HAL High School, Bangalore. He was honoured with the Silver Elephant Award in 1993 by the then President of India Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma.

“Optimism and the ability to manage almost everything from material resources to human resource have been the greatest contributions of Scouting to my personal being. It has left an indelible mark in my life,” observed Mr Lucas.

Why is it essential to be part of Scouting/ Guiding?
“It is a national service, which anybody can contribute towards. Also, it is one of the most purposeful ways of putting one's leisure time into use. Moreover, the visibility and image of earlier scouting, i.e. the philosophy of helping people, should be the guiding factor for anybody to join the Movement,” observed Mr Lucas.

“Roping in all kinds of people, young and old, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, rural and urban, can strengthen the Scouting Movement. Also by overcoming too much of dependence on schools and by strengthening 'open units' can the base of the movement be broadened,” opines Mr Shanmukhappa.

“The Government of Karnataka has been very co-operative towards the Scouting Movement. The granting of 100 acres of land each at Doddaballapur and Davangere is a testimony to it. Moreover, the Government has granted nearly Rs 2 crore for various infrastructure developments,” he added.

Scouting's Sunrise - August 1, 2007
With the centenary theme being “One World One Promise,” at a unique event on Brownsea Island, Scouts representing every National Scout Organisation and many Scouting Territories will gather to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Scouting and launch the movement into its second century on Wednesday, August 1, 2007.