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Smt. Queen Captain Zenobia Ranji 117

adherence to the traditional and indigenous culture in the programme caught the imagination of the people. Within a few years it became an effective youth movement with troops in other parts of the country affiliated to it.

During his official visit to India the World Chief Scout and the Chief Guide visited Allahabad, and witnessed a combined Rally of the Indian Boy Scouts Association and the Seva Samiti Scout Association organised in their honour on the 5th February, 1921. About, one thousand Scouts from all over U.P. welcomed the Chief Scout on the grounds of Muir College, Allahabad.

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The Chief Commissioner of the Seva Samiti Association, Pandit H.N. Kunzru, accorded a hearty welcome to the Founder in glowing terms. He stressed the importance of keeping the movement out of Government control and official interference. In his reply the Chief Scout assured Pandit Kunzru that he also approved of the views held by him, and stressed the importance of the International character of the Movement, observing:-

“We all belong to a human family. Your own Poet Sir Rabindra Nath Tagore has given out that splendid idea in his lines. God has put men in the world to enjoy kindly nature. We can try and make it a practical proposition by trying to produce worthy citizens among the new generations all over the world. Genuine good feeling and sympathy for one another, and sincere effort for making human fellowship will keep them together”.

In 1921 from the floor of the House, Pandit Kunzru as the member of the U.P. Legislative Assembly put forward a claim for government assistance to his Association. The then Education Minister Shri C. Y. Chintamani accepted the claim pressed by Pandit Kunzru, and divided equally the annual grant in-aid of Rs. 24,000/- between the two Scout Organisations operating in the Province. Besides, with the special grant-in-aid sanctioned by the Provincial Government, the Seva Samiti Scout Association arranged to send Shri Ram Bajpai to Gilwell for his Wood Badge training at the International Training Centre. On his way back Bajpai visited a number of countries in Europe and studied the working of the movement in those places. He revisited these countries again in 1929 to review his old contacts and went over to the U.S.A. to study Scouting in America.

The Seva Samiti Scout Association attracted a number of devoted men to work for the Movement, among those who took a prominent part in building it up were Dr. Mohan Singh Mehta, Dr. D.L. Anand Rao and Shri Janki Saran Verma. The Seva Samiti

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