Tiruchy: More than 3,000 enthusiastic boys and girls have gathered at Trichy, Tamil Nadu, to respond to a call to help heal the world with love.

“We are here to change ourselves and the world around us,” said Kulandai Francis, chief guest at the Boscoree, the triennial gathering of scouts guided by Salesian priests and nuns.

Francis, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner and president of an NGO, urged the scouts and guides not to be carried away by pride after gaining success, or get dejected by failure. He asked them to face distress bravely and never to give up hard work.

Salesian provincial Father Albert Johnson opened the latest Boscoree on December 30 that started 12 years ago. The event is scheduled to end on January 3.

Father John asked the participants to “heal the world with Love,” the theme of this year’s Boscoree.

The latest Boscoree coincided with the 200th centenary year of the birth of Saint Don Bosco, the founder of Salesian religious congregations. As many as 3,225 participants belonging to 160 scout troops and guide companies from the Don Bosco Institutions all over India are participating in this mega event, with 260 organizers including Salesians, Salesian Sisters, Rovers and Rangers.

The program with the scouts and guides displaying march past, and the provincial of received the salute of honor.

The launch began with the hoisting of the National Flag, National Scout Flag and the Don Bosco flag respectively by three veteran Scout Masters who attended all the eleven Boscorees.

Sr. Magnificat, provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Chennai, invited the scouts and guides to inculcate empathy and love to heal the world.

Arun Thamburaj, deputy collector of Thanjavur and a former student of Salesians, advised the Scouts and Guides to own their failures and share their success. A former scout wished everyone to be sincere, honest and live with precision and smartness.

The Salesian priests and nuns follow Don Bosco’s educative method. Lord Baden Powell, who founded the Scout Movement was a contemporary of the saint.

The two men share many characteristics in their method of educating the youth. So, the Salesians adopted the scouting.

The Salesians started St. Antony’s School in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, with a unit of scouts way back in 1921.

The unit won appreciation of local people as it helped at public functions. When Powel visited India, the scouts of St Anthony’s School Thanjavur, emerged fist with their brass band from among 110 schools.

The first major gathering of scouts from different troops from Salesian institutions In India took place in 1966 when scouts from five cities met at Kovalam near Chennai under the guidance of Father Mcferran.

The need for a national gathering for scouts and guides of Salesian institutions emerge at Kristu Jyoti College, Bangalore. The first such meeting took place in 1974 at Doddapllapur, Karnataka. The gathering was called “All India Don Bosco Scout Camp’ wit the theme, “To Love.” A train strike prevented many from attending it.

Two years later, scouts and guides came to Don Bosco Matunga, Mumbai, to celebrate the school’s silver jubilee. Since then the meet is known as Boscoree. Some 400 people from all over India attended it.

In 1979, the Guwahati province organized the third gathering and some 800 people attended it. As the gathering incurred heavy expenses, the Boscoree was set aside until 1988 when it was revived to mark Don Bosco’s death centenary.

The Bangalore province organized the mega Event at Doddabellapur with the theme, “To Renew.” About 600 people attended it. It was then decided to hold the program every three years under the Salesian Provincial of South Asia.