Tyndale Biscoe School

Tyndale Biscoe School is a boys school in Jammu and Kashmir in the heart of the summer capital Srinagar.^[1] The school was founded in 1880 CE and is the oldest school in Srinagar. The school was started by Christian missionaries and was named after Canon Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe (1863–1949).^[2] It still has affiliations with the Church Mission Society.

History

In the late-nineteenth century, Jammu and Kashmir was an independent princely state, ruled by a Maharaja. The Maharaja often used the services of British and European experts.^[3] Tyndale-Biscoe was appointed to the missionary school in Kashmir.

The school placed emphasis on physical activities – boxing, boating, football – which would stimulate senses of courage and physical fitness. The pupils also engaged in civic duties, such as firefighting, street-cleaning and in helping deal with flooding and cholera. There are annual visits to the leper colony of the valley where the students from all classes collect rations, blankets among other basic amenities and distribute the same within the poor and needy as a sign of goodwill. Two people who contributed significantly to the further development of the school were the late Eric Tyndale-Biscoe (the son of Tyndale-Biscoe), Pandit Niranjan Nath Fotadar the Headmaster in the 1940s, Principal JM Ray (1962- 1985) and Headmaster Master Sat Lal Razdan.

School organisation

Houses

Satlal Block - Main Block

The school is divided into four houses, named after mountain peaks in the Kashmir valley:

• Kolohai - Red,
• Harmukh - Yellow,
• Tatakuti - Blue,
• Mahadev - Green.

Competitions between these houses are held. Points for different activities are thus allotted to the houses. The house scoring the most points at the end of the session is awarded the "Champion House Trophy".

Activities

The School is known in the valley to have an array of co-curricular activities. Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson school was the first in the valley to have its well maintained swimming pool, with a state of the art technology, much of which has been imported from Europe.

Other activities include:

• The Annual Cross Country Run
• Summer Camps
• The Mahadev Climb (Trek to a 3996m peak)
• The Zabarwan Climb
• Annual Excursions
• Debates, Seminars etc.
• Skiing Courses
• The School has recently re-introduced NSS
• Regatta
• Round the boats, one mile, Dal Cross competition and Inter-house Football & Basketball matches

To name a few.

NSS

The school is the only in the valley to have its NSS wing. The NSS wing is headed by Mr. Khwaja Irfan Ali of the +2 Department.

Sehal Masood and Munis Saleem under the supervision of Mr. Irfan Ali, reintroduced NSS in the School.

After the departure of Munis Saleem (from the school), Sehal Masood has taken the lead in organizing various activities of NSS. The NSS department has been well received by the Staff and Administration alike. The unit plays an important role in the management of different events held in the School. Moreover NSS conducts awareness programs, rallies, and social welfare campaigns.

Departments

The school has five departments. The Activities of the departments are looked over by well experienced Head Of Departments.

All the Departments have well trained and educated teachers who look over the children and maintain contact with their Parents/Guardians.

Headmistress

Joyce Kaul

References

External links

• Tyndale Biscoe School Group on Facebook
• Tyndale Biscoe School on TBMES parent website