Information on the Bharat Scouts & Guides

Until 1916, Guiding and Scouting were only for European or Anglo-Indian boys and girls living in India. The first Indian Guide Company, however, appears to have been started in Pune in 1916.

Bharat is the ancient Sanskrit name for India

Guides belong to a joint Movement for boys and girls known as The Bharat Scouts and Guides.

The address of their National Headquarters is:

Guides and Scouts come together for Jamborees, campfires and other special events but their trainings, meetings and camps are carried out separately. Most Guide companies are sponsored by schools and girls meet either during or after school hours with teachers as their Guide Leaders.

Service is a very important part of Guiding in India. Guides take part in nationally sponsored campaigns for literacy and leprosy awareness among others. Rangers are also called upon during times of emergency when their skills are put to the real life test.

Camping is becoming increasingly popular and every state has its own camping ground in addition to the national campsite.

There are three branches in Guiding: 

Bulbuls aged 6 to 10
A Bulbul Flock consists of 12 to 24 girls divided into groups called sixes, each named after a different bird.

Before enrolment, a Bulbul must pass her Tenderfoot Test. She then progresses towards becoming a one- and two-star Bulbul, by working through a range of tests.

The Bulbul Motto is - Do Your Best 

Guides aged 10+ to 18
A Guide Company has between 12 and 32 girls divided into patrols of not more than eight girls in each, named after different flowers

A Guide must pass her Pravesh Test prior to enrolment. She then works through five levels before earning the Rashtrapati Guide Award, the highest award for the Guide age group.

The Guide Motto is - Be Prepared 

Rangers aged 18+ to 25 
A Ranger Team consists of 4 to 24 girls.

After investiture a Ranger practices her promise of duty to God and country, particularly by giving service to her community. She works towards the highest achievement for her section, the President’s Ranger.

The Ranger Motto is - Service 

Uniform:

Bulbuls and Guides both wear either a royal blue dress with brown leather belt and group scarf or a royal/navy blue skirt with white blouse and group scarf.

Rangers wear a white salwar kamiz (baggy trousers and long top) with a royal blue dupatta (an oblong long scarf worn over the shoulders), a brown leather belt and their group scarf.

Guiders wear a royal blue sari, white blouse, brown leather belt and the scarf of their unit, district or position.

All sections wear The Bharat Scouts and Guides woggle, a cloth promise badge and black shoes.

Symbols:

The promise badge is a cloth badge with the trefoil superimposed on the fleur-de-lis with the Ashoka Chakra with 24 spokes (spinning wheel denoting to be progressive all the 24 hours) in the centre of the trefoil.

The colours are blue for Bulbuls, green for Guides and red for Rangers.

For details of the Promise and Law and more information on the programme, why not visit the website of The Bharat Scouts and Guides or refer to Trefoil Round the World, an informative book published by WAGGGS.

You can also visit the Bharat Scouts and Guides section of the WAGGGS Website.