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What is Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group?
Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group is a Mumbai-based Scout group with roots going back to 1914, when it was founded by Scouter Rustomji Edulji Sethna. Over time it became known as the 18th West Bombay Scout Group, and its Sea Scout Troop was started separately in 1962 by Scouter S.R. Daroona. The group is conducted by Sethna’s Scouting Society, which the site describes as India’s oldest Scout group.
The site functions mainly as a historical and activity blog rather than a current membership or contact portal. Its posts document milestones, including the group’s centenary and the Sea Scout Troop’s golden jubilee, and record service work such as Rovers helping move a large scaffolding structure at Kappawala Agiary.
What the page shows
- A blog format with dated posts, photo credits and press-release-style updates
- Evidence of both land and Sea Scout activity within one group
- A strong emphasis on service, ceremony and institutional memory
- No visible pricing, signup or booking information in the supplied page evidence
Who it is useful for
- Former members or families looking for group history and event records
- Researchers interested in early Indian Scouting or Parsi community institutions in Mumbai
- Current or prospective Scouts trying to understand the group’s traditions and service culture
For a practical next step, read the golden jubilee and centenary posts together: they give the clearest timeline of how the group and its Sea Scout Troop developed. If you need current meeting details or joining information, treat the blog as background and look for a direct contact route through the group or its parent society.
What activities does the Sea Scout Troop of Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group offer?
The Sea Scout Troop of Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group is a water-focused branch of a long-running Mumbai scout group, with its own history and public activities. The page evidence shows the troop was established in 1962 and celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2012, while the wider scout group dates to 1914.
What the troop does, based on the page evidence
- Sea scouting: The troop is identified as a Sea Scout Troop, distinct from the general scout group. That usually means a programme built around water skills, seamanship and service rather than only land-based scouting.
- Ceremonial and community events: The Golden Jubilee celebrations in October 2012 included a formal function, an entertainment show and dinner at Albless Baug, Mumbai.
- Service activities: A separate rover service activity in April 2012 involved a six-member team helping move a 50-foot, four-storey scaffolding at Kappawala Agiary. The page describes the rovers using “brains, brawn and bravado” to shift the structure without dismantling it.
- Documentation and storytelling: The group maintains a blog with posts such as “A 100 Years Ago Today”, press releases and photographs taken by a rover of the troop, which gives a sense of how it records its history and activities.
How to read this
The evidence is strongest on the troop’s identity, its jubilee celebration and one specific service project. It does not list a full weekly programme, so you should not assume details such as regular sailing, swimming or boating sessions from this page alone. If you are considering joining or supporting the group, the practical next step is to contact the group directly and ask what the Sea Scout Troop currently runs, what age groups it accepts, and what water-based activities are available in a typical term. For broader context on scouting in India, you can also look at The Bharat Scouts and Guides.
How can I join Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group as a scout or volunteer?
Joining Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group means contacting the group directly, because this site is a historical blog rather than a membership portal. The page lists no application form, no meeting times and no joining instructions, so the practical route is to reach out through the group’s own channels and ask what is currently open.
What the group actually is
The blog describes a scout group founded in 1914 by Scouter Rustomji Edulji Sethna, later consolidated as the 18th West Bombay Scout Group, with a Sea Scout Troop started in 1962 by Scouter S.R. Daroona. Recent posts cover a centenary and a sea scout golden jubilee, plus a Rover service activity at Kappawala Agiary in April 2012, where six rovers moved a 50-foot scaffolding by hand rather than dismantling it.
That last post is the most useful signal for a prospective volunteer: the group’s active work has included physical service projects, and it communicates with members by SMS and social updates. A volunteer who can help with logistics, supervision or event organisation is as relevant as someone who wants to wear the uniform.
Who each route suits
| Route | Best for | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Scout youth membership | Young people of scout age | Section meetings, badge work, camps and service activities |
| Adult volunteer / scouter | Adults who can commit regular time | Training, running sections, camp support, administration |
| Rover / service volunteer | Young adults, often students | Short-notice service calls, manual work, event help |
| Alumni or supporter | Former members, well-wishers | Donations, photography, archives, event assistance |
Next step
Look for a current contact — email, phone number or social page — on the group’s own site or its most recent posts, and write a short message stating your age, whether you are asking about youth membership or adult volunteering, and how much time you can give. Ask three specific questions: which sections are open, when and where they meet, and whether any registration or uniform cost applies.
If the group cannot take you, the same approach works with another local scout group: search for the district or state scouting association, or start with World Organization of the Scout Movement to find national contacts, and Bharat Scouts and Guides for the Indian organisation.
What is the history of Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group and its centenary?
Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group traces its founding to 1914, when Scouter Rustomji Edulji Sethna established it. Over time it became widely known as the 18-19 Scout Group before consolidating under the 18th West Bombay Scout Group name, and it is described as India’s oldest Scout group, conducted by Sethna’s Scouting Society.
A key milestone came in 1962, when Scouter S.R. Daroona started the group’s Sea Scout Troop. The troop’s Golden Jubilee was then celebrated on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at Albless Baug in Mumbai with a formal function, entertainment show and dinner. The group marked its own centenary in 2014, two years after the Sea Scout Troop’s 50th anniversary, reflecting the two different start dates.
What the group’s activities show
The blog records service work as well as ceremonial events. In April 2012, a six-member Rover team was called in at short notice to help move a 50-foot, four-storey scaffolding at Kappawala Agiary so the western facade could be cleaned, rather than dismantling and rebuilding it. Posts also cover the centenary and Golden Jubilee, including photographs credited to a Rover of the troop.
For anyone researching the group, the centenary is the 1914 founding of the Scout Group, while the Sea Scout Troop’s Golden Jubilee is the 1962 start of that specific troop. The group’s own site, Sethna’s 18th West Bombay, is the natural starting point for its historical posts.
What service projects have the Rovers of Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group participated in?
The clearest service project documented on the group's own blog is the April 2012 scaffolding move at Kappawala Agiary. A six-member Rover team was called in on short notice — the request reportedly came the night before — to relocate a 50-foot, four-storey scaffolding from the eastern side of the agiary to the western front so the facade could be cleaned. Rather than dismantling and rebuilding the structure, the Rovers moved it intact.
Homiar Hathiram, who wrote the account published on the site, framed the effort as a test of "brains, brawn and bravado," and noted that the call went out through a service message on SMS and Facebook. That detail is worth noting for anyone researching scout service programmes: the group's mobilisation model appears to be informal and rapid-response, relying on an existing contact network rather than a scheduled calendar of events.
What this tells you about the group's service character
The Sethna's 18th West Bombay Scout Group describes itself as India's oldest scout group, founded in 1914, with its Sea Scout Troop established in 1962. The blog's service coverage sits within that long institutional history — the Kappawala Agiary entry is filed alongside centenary and golden jubilee posts, which suggests service activity is treated as part of the group's public record rather than a one-off.
For a reader trying to judge the group:
- If you are a prospective Rover or parent, the Kappawala example shows practical, physical, short-duration community work tied to a Parsi religious institution in Mumbai — useful if you want to know the kind of tasks actually undertaken.
- If you are researching scout service history in India, the blog is a primary-style source written by participants, but coverage is selective. The visible blog index runs to five pages, and only some entries describe service projects in detail.
- If you want a fuller picture, the centenary and golden jubilee press releases may list broader activities beyond the single scaffolding account.
Next step
Start with the Kappawala Agiary post for the most concrete service narrative, then work through the blog archive pages to see whether other service activities are recorded. Because the site is the group's own publication, treat dates and descriptions as the group's account rather than independently verified reporting. For context on the wider movement the group belongs to, World Organization of the Scout Movement publishes general information on Rover service programmes.
How can I support or donate to Sethna’s 18th West Bombay Scout Group?
The blog at Sethna’s 18th West Bombay does not publish donation instructions, payment details or a support page. Its posts are historical and activity records: the group’s founding in 1914, the Sea Scout Troop’s 1962 start, the 2012 golden jubilee celebrations, and a 2012 Rover service project moving a 50-foot scaffolding at Kappawala Agiary. So the practical answer is that support is arranged by contacting the group directly rather than through an online giving form.
What support tends to mean for a group like this
- Service help: The Kappawala Agiary post shows Rovers being called in at short notice for physical work. Adults with trades, equipment or transport can offer similar practical assistance.
- Event and logistics support: The golden jubilee involved a formal function, entertainment and dinner, which implies volunteers for organising, catering, photography and setup.
- Donations in kind: Camp gear, uniforms, first-aid supplies, boats or maintenance materials for a Sea Scout troop are often more useful than cash, though this depends on the group’s current needs.
- Alumni and family giving: Former Scouts, Rovers and their families are the natural donor base for a group with a century of history.
- Skills and mentoring: Training in seamanship, navigation, first aid or event management sustains a troop more reliably than one-off gifts.
How to start
Use the contact route published on the site itself — the blog is the group’s own channel — and ask three questions: what the group currently needs, whether it can accept and receipt donations, and who handles accounts. If you are a former member, say so and name your troop or era; that context helps the group route your offer.
A decision criterion
If your aim is to help young people keep scouting active, ask what a specific contribution would fund — a camp, a repair, a piece of equipment — and give against that. If the group cannot specify a use, offer volunteer time or in-kind goods instead of an unrestricted transfer.
For wider context on the movement’s structure and recognition, the official sites of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the Bharat Scouts and Guides explain how national Scout organisations are constituted and how local groups relate to them.
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