At 96, Australian zoologist Prof. Cecil Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe still remembers the Kashmir teacher who helped spark his lifelong fascination with birds, plants and the natural world.
Award-winning Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul recently shared an interview in which Tyndale-Biscoe recalled Master Samsar Chand Kaul, Kaul’s great-grandfather, who was “like an uncle” to him as a boy in Kashmir more than 90 years ago.
“Kashmir was a wonderful place to grow up,” Tyndale-Biscoe recalled.
“One in particular, a dear man called Samsar Chand Kaul, who wrote several books on the birds and flowers of Kashmir, was like an uncle to me as a boy and I got my first interest in birds and plants and butterflies from him.”
Born in Kashmir in 1929, Tyndale-Biscoe went on to become one of Australia’s distinguished zoologists, with pioneering work in marsupial biology and reproductive physiology.
For the Kaul family, his recollection offers a remarkable link between Kashmir and Australian science — and a reminder of the influence a teacher can have across generations.
Master Samsar Chand Kaul (1883–1977) was an educationist, ornithologist and environmentalist at a time when the study of natural history and birdwatching was little known in Kashmir.
He taught at the C.M.S. School at Fateh Kadal, later Central High School in Srinagar, for about 65 years. Beyond conventional classroom subjects, he took students into Kashmir’s mountains, forests, lakes and meadows, turning the landscape itself into a classroom.
The school’s British principal, C.E. Tyndale Biscoe, recognised his contribution. In the foreword to Kaul’s book Beautiful Valley of Kashmir & Ladakh, he wrote: “I am most grateful to Samsar Chand for having taught his boys to love birds through his teaching of natural history.”
Kaul travelled extensively with students, climbing peaks and trekking to high-altitude lakes and glaciers including Tarsar, Marsar, Gangabal, Vishnu Sar and Kolahoi. Along the way, he taught students to identify rocks, fossils, trees, flowers and other features of the natural environment.
Birds were his particular passion. He spent hours observing them with binoculars at places including Hokursar, Anchar Lake, Dal Lake and Tangmarg, recording his observations and studying both migratory and local species.
He also collected and preserved wildflowers, herbs and plants, often consulting botanical experts to identify them. His interests extended to fossils, rocks, bird nests, eggs, feathers and other specimens, many of which he preserved in the school museum known as “Kobutar Khana”.
The museum became a natural-history collection where students could encounter specimens from the landscapes they were learning about. Kaul also maintained detailed albums at his home, recording where and when specimens had been collected.
His work brought him recognition beyond Kashmir. He was associated with international geographical and natural-history organisations and hosted foreign visitors interested in his collections and knowledge.
Kaul later authored books including Beautiful Valley of Kashmir & Ladakh, Birds of Kashmir and Srinagar & Its Environ in 1940s. His expertise in ornithology also led to broadcasts on Radio Kashmir and talks to visiting groups.
His influence extended beyond science. He was known for encouraging compassion towards animals and for educating poor students without seeking payment. His interests also encompassed astronomy, Sanskrit, Hindu philosophy and Kashmir Shaivism.
More than nine decades after a young Tyndale-Biscoe first encountered him, Kaul’s influence has resurfaced through the memories of the scientist he helped inspire.
For Aditya Raj Kaul, hearing the 96-year-old Australian zoologist speak about his great-grandfather is deeply personal.
It is also a story about how knowledge travels — from a classroom and the mountains of Kashmir to a distinguished career in Australian science.
As Kaul reflected, “one teacher, one mentor, or simply one person who takes the time to share their knowledge can influence a life and sometimes, through that life, the course of science itself.”
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