The Delhi Quaker Worship Group has been a welcoming place for travelling Quakers to worship peacefully amidst the chaos of Delhi since 1943, with Quaker roots reaching back long before its official creation.
Originally located in a modest house at 772 East Park Road, Karol Bagh, the Delhi Quaker Worship group has a long More About Us of stewardship on the part of a few extraordinary dedicated individuals. Before the organisation was officially created, Bill and Eleanor Hindle (posted to Delhi by the YMCA) had worked tirelessly since 1939 to build a community of peace-workers in Delhi and beyond. When Bill and Eleanor were no longer present to hold this community together, the Delhi International centre was created by consensus at a meeting at Friends Rural Centre Hoshangabad, presided over by Marjorie Sykes. This mandate was carried out in 1943 by Ranjit and Doris Chetsingh who envisioned the organisation as both a serene place of worship and a hub of peace-building activity for those working and passing through India.
Throughout the years the Delhi International Centre had moved many times. From East Park Road it relocated to 24 Rajpur Road in 1946 and then down the road to 27 Rajpur Road a few years later. In response to significant growth of Quaker activity at the centre, it was moved to a spacious establishment at 224 Jorbagh near Lodhi Gardens in South Delhi in 1960.
Prior to 1973 the AFSC (USA) and FSC (UK) actively provided the financial and logistic support to Quaker International Centre in Delhi. With the withdrawal of this programme in 1973 it became Delhi Quaker Worship Group and moved to the YWCA building in a central location near Connaught Place.
For many of the subsequent years, the meeting was in the faithful care of Jai Gopal Malik. The warmth of his dedication to the mission of the Delhi Quaker Worship Group was experienced by many Friends around the world for almost 25 years until he passed away in 2000.
In addition to providing a space for worship the Delhi Quaker Worship Group members are happy to assist visitors in finding cost-efficient accommodation in Delhi.
Please contact the clerk for current meeting details.