Tyndale Biscoe School
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The school was started in the 1880's by Christian missionaries and is run by the Christian Mission Society. It is one of the oldest schools in Kashmir.
In the late-nineteenth century, Kashmir was a princely state made up of a Muslim majority ruled by a Maharaja and his Hindu minority. The Maharaja was overseen by the British, and Kashmir was a component of the British Empire in India. Seeing the squalid conditions and caste system as a serious problem, Tyndale-Biscoe aimed to use his own Christian values and western civic ideals to improve Kashmiri society. Although he did not actively pursue conversions as much as his missionary backers would have liked, Tyndale-Biscoe was a convinced imperialist and supporter of the India Defence League.
Tyndale-Biscoe's educational philosophy was one in which conspicuous intellect, or 'cleverness', was valued less than the acquisition of more profound attributes and abilities. His schooling placed emphasis on physical activities — boxing, boating, football — which would stimulate senses of courage, masculinity and physical fitness. The pupils were also engaged in civic duties, such as street-cleaning, and in helping deal with flooding and cholera. Enforcing participation in team sports and activities in a highly socially-stratified culture had significance beyond the replication of Tyndale-Biscoe's English public school educational experience.
The motto of the school is 'In all things be men'.
