Tyndale Biscoe School

Tyndale Biscoe School is a boys school in Jammu and Kashmir in the heart of the summer capital Srinagar. The school was founded in 1880 CE and is the oldest school in Jammu and Kashmir. The school was started by Christian missionaries and was named after Canon Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe (1863–1949). It still has affiliations with the Church Mission Society.HistoryIn 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. 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.Prominent teachers included Irene Petrie, TN Misri, TN Kaul, Shadi Lal Dhar, BN Mujoo, Rajinder Kaul, Mr Mughloo, Dr MirSchool organisationHousesThe school is divided into four houses, named after mountain peaks in the Kashmir valley and has name of four birds for four houses: 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". These houses also have house games for classes 3rd to 10th after school is off for half an hour on four days of a week Kolohai-Monday Harmukh-Tuesday Tatakuti-Wednesday Mahadev-Thursday