James Douglas Tytler
| James Douglas Tytler | |
|---|---|
| Born |
31 March 1902 Scotland |
| Died | 13 September 1973 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | Scottish, Indian |
| Known for | Founding Delhi Public School and other schools |
Rev. James Douglas Tytler, commonly referred to as J. D. Tytler, (born 1902 – died 1973) was an Indian educationist of Scottish descent. He founded the Delhi Public School in New Delhi, and several other schools. Jagdish Tytler, the politician and former Union minister, is his adopted son.
J. D. Tytler was born in Scotland in 1902. He arrived in India as Chaplain to the Viceroy attached to the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi. He "fell in love with India" and never went back, taking up Indian citizenship. He brought up Jagdish (b. 1944), who had arrived in Delhi as a child following the Partition of India.
J. D. Tytler's role in school education began in 1941, when he started the New Delhi Church High School within the church premises, with a handful of students. The school attracted some experienced teachers from other schools. His associate R. D. Banerjee recounts: "December 1940 – The annual Scouts’ Masters’ Training Camp was held near Humayun’s Tomb ... Rev. Tytler and myself were called upon to help the trainees. J.D and myself were camp mates. ... we talked late into the night. J.D. confided, “Banerjee, I shell be retiring soon, but I will not go back ... I have planned to start a school. Yet there is a ‘BUT’ in it. I do not have enough funds to invest. Could you suggest a way out?” Tytler accepted Banerjee's suggestion to start in tents pitched inside the church compound. In 1946, Banerjee and several other experienced teachers from Presentation Convent School joined the new school.
In 1947, the association of the school with the church ended. According to Suman Narain, one of the earliest students to graduate from the school, this was due to a "disagreement between the Church authorities and the Rev. Tytler". The school moved out of the church compound to a temporary location just outside it, on North Avenue, and was renamed Naveen Bharat School. The name, meaning New India, was suggestive of a new beginning in a newly independent country. Meanwhile, Tytler had applied to the Delhi Administration to be allotted land for the school, but his request was not granted since the school was not recognised by the Administration.
Ajay Kumar Sharma, who has written a history of educational institutions in Delhi, regards the Delhi Public School Society as "the most important school or society of the post-Partition period". Of the developments leading to its formation, he writes: "Tytler, who was an influential personality in Delhi, was able to garner support from the officials and the public". The new Director of Education, L. R. Sethi, suggested that a new society be formed and the old school be wound up. A new society, the Delhi Public School Society, was set up with Tytler as one of the ten members. The new school, to be called Delhi Public School, was put on the list of recognised schools, and land was allotted to it. Finally, in 1949, Delhi Public School began functioning from its present location on Mathura Road. J. D. Tytler was its first Principal (1949–1952). D. Kapilash, a teacher during that period, has this recollection of Tytler: "We had about 500 boys and girls on the rolls. He knew each and every child. Children really loved him and he in turn got their undivided love. The little ones ran after him. He picked them up and gave them a piggy ride. You could see the kids holding his hands, clinging on his legs or sitting on his shoulders and holding each finger of his hand. ... It was a real pleasure working with Mr. Tytler. He not only loved the children but also cared for and respected the teachers."
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