Quaker South Asia Interest Group history

There has been Quaker interest in South Asia for many years. 

Many Quakers have served with Quaker based projects and many more have undertaken work to support work in line with Quaker values.
Can you help us with information about that involvement?

Many thanks for what you can share.

It is thought that the first Quaker visit to India was in 1657. Marjorie Sykes documented a lot in her books "An Indian Tapestry" and "Quakers in India". 

The Quaker settlement at Rasulia was established in 1891.

Many individual Quakers supported the Gandhian movement for independence from Great Britain, with witness being given both in Great Britain and in India. Gandhi visited Friends House during a visit to England.

Laurie Baker was a very active Quaker architect working in Kerala, many of his buildings can still be seen today.

In recent years opportunities have been sought by Quakers to bring about peace and reconciliation in South Asia with some work being undertaken in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma and Nagaland.

In recent years the amount of Friends House staff time available for South Asia has declined as resources are matched to the many concerns voiced by Members of Britain Yearly Meeting. This has meant Quakers anxious to maintain active links to South Asia have to come together to share news, ideas and provide support for initiatives as best they can. The Quaker South Asia Interest Group seeks to provide a focus for those concerns.