The idea for the college was proposed in 1869 by Colonel Walter. It was founded in 1875 and Colonel Sir Oliver St John became its first principal.[2] The founder intended to create an "Eton of India". The 2nd Baron Lytton, Viceroy of India, said in a speech on campus in 1879:
"The idea was well expressed long ago by Colonel Walter in an excellent and most suggestive report which may have influenced Lord Mayo when he founded the present college. In that very sensible report, Colonel Walter pointed out that what was then most needed for the education of India's young rulers and nobles was an Indian Eton. Mayo is India's Eton and you are India's Eton boys".[3]
It aimed to provide the leaders of the princely states with an education similar to that given by Eton College. The British built Mayo for the sons of the Indian upper classes, particularly the princes and nobles of India. Mayo College holds the privilege of educating many members of the Indian Royal Families and also the Royal family of Oman, Said bin Taimur (the 13th Sultan of Muscat and Oman) attended Mayo College from 1922 to 1927 where he mastered English and Urdu.
Mayo has been considered as one of the best Boarding School in the world.
In the upper centre of the shield are Mayo Arms and Quarterings, a Lion Rampant and an open hand. On the right and left are the sun and the moon, typical of Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, the two great families of Rajputs. Below are the Panch Rang, the five sacred colours of the Rajputs, Red, Gold, Blue, White and Green. In the centre is a Rajput fort – two towers connected by a curtain. The supports are on the right: a Bhil warrior with string bow and full quiver of arrows. On the left a Rajput, armed at all points, wearing a steel helmet with three plumes, a shield on his back, a dagger and katar in his belt, and a suit of chain covered with embroidered cloth and gauntlet on his hand.[citation needed]
The motto "Let there be Light" is derived from the Bible. The badge is a peacock, the sacred bird of Rajputana, standing on a double-edged, two-handed Rajput sword called Khanda.
History and traditions
College building c. 1895
Mayo's first student, H.H. Maharaja Mangal Singh of Alwar, arrived at the school gates in October 1875 on the back of an elephant accompanied by 300 retainers and a menagerie of tigers, camels and horses.
One of the school's traditions is meeting for tea on the lawns known as Mughal Gardens immediately after the Annual Prizegiving ceremony. It is believed that M.N. Kapur (who went on to become one of Modern School New Delhi's most respected principals) did away with using a rope to divide English and Indian guests at this ceremony.
Other traditions at Mayo include an annual horseback parade by the students and sporting fixtures between Old Boys and current students, including a polo match.
Mayo College General Council
There are more than 40 members of the Mayo College General Council including patron, life members, old boys' association representatives and MCGS old girls' representatives.
Council of monitors and sports captains
Monitors of batch of 1931-32
The school has a council of monitors consisting of students with posts dealing with school and house duties. There is a monitor and a prefect from each senior house. There are positions held by the students who excel in fields like academics, sports and co-curricular activities. Apart from the council of monitors, there are captains for each sport. Positions are held by the students of 12th class or, rarely, by juniors.
Houses
There are twelve houses of which Eight are senior houses, 1 holding house (for Class 7) and three junior houses (for Class 4, 5 and 6)
The senior houses are Ajmer, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kashmir and Rajasthan, Bikaner & Tonk, Colvin. The holding house is Oman. The junior houses are Ajaypal, Durgadas and Prithviraj.
Each house can accommodate 60–75 students, except for Oman which has a capacity of 120–130 students.
Mayo College has some of the best sporting facilities among the top boarding schools of India. There are facilities for students and staff consisting of playing fields for football and hockey and a cricket ground with a view of the Aravali Hills and an old red sandstone pavilion.
Horse riding was discontinued after Independence and revived again in 1993 with ten horses. Today, Mayo College has more than 60 horses and close to 250 boys and girls are trained. Mayo has ten polo players who practice at the Sawai Man Singh II polo ground. Students are trained in events like Show Jumping, Pig Sticking, Tent Pegging, Dressage, etc. Mayo College has participated in national level polo competitions and produced players like Himmat Singh Bedla, Nagender Singh, Pratap Singh, Sarveshwar Singh, Dhruv Singh. The school participated in the SUPA International Polo Tournament held in the UK in 2008. Mayo College actively participates in the Jodhpur polo season and the Delhi Horse Show.
Squash players may choose between the modern glass-backed courts or the historic Fanshawe courts, open to the sky. It also has many basketball courts.
There is a standard 400m running track. Athletics is one of the major seasonal and coaching sports.
Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Mayo College. The Junior School and Senior School boys regularly play tennis in the evening as a daily routine throughout the year. There are around 11 tennis courts on the campus. There are five all-weather synthetic courts and two clay courts in the senior school. The junior school has four clay courts.
The gymnasium has a permanent instructor and trainer. It attracts approximately 40 boys every afternoon. It is equipped with modern stations, free weights, treadmills and stands.
Shooting has become a major sport here. The 10m shooting range is one of the best ranges available at any school in India (in 2005). The college owns imported rifles and pistols and has experienced coaches. Mayo has participated and won medals at various IPSC's and national level tournaments.
Mayo College boasts a beautiful 9 hole Golf Course which was built in the early 2005 and has a dedicated coaching facility making the polo ground double as a driving range while also providing equipment necessary for empowering future golf prodigies.
Signature Events
Mayo College hosts a variety of prestigious and signature events. These events, spanning diverse domains attract participants and institutions from across India and beyond every year.
The Mayo Model G20 Summit
The Mayo Model G20 Summit is a colossal event that brings together the brightest minds from prestigious institutions across the world to address urgent political, social, and economic issues while mastering collaborative diplomacy, innovation, and sustainable solutions. As the leaders of tomorrow, the participants engage in high-level discussions, negotiations, and problem-solving exercises that mirror the actual G20 summit. It has a different theme every year and is a first-of-its-kind event, providing a fully-accurate simulation of the actual G20 Summit in the country with an idiosyncratic format that was formulated without any reference. This event is designed for future leaders who aspire to make a positive impact on the world.
Founded by Amogh Javali, Apoorv Agarwal, and Shubham Gupta, the summit has had two successful editions so far, attracting notable figures such as Amitabh Kant, G20 India Sherpa, and Gurjit Singh, a distinguished alumnus of Mayo College and former ambassador of India.
Le Concours De La Francophonie du Mayo
Le Concours De La Francophonie du Mayo was born 11 years ago, with the idea of making the French language more accessible, fun and interactive. Its aim is to teach the French language outside the traditional classroom and to introduce the culture of France and Francophone countries to students all around the world. We hope that our participants are able to utilize this opportunity to apply the French language outside the textbooks. Over the years, the competition has hosted distinguished personalities from the French-speaking world and welcomed schools from across the globe to participate in a diverse array of contests and activities. These include events such as spelling bees, poetry recitation, and solo singing, designed to provide students with a platform to apply their French language skills in creative and practical contexts.
Deutschutsav
Deutschutsav was established four years ago with the goal of making the German language more accessible, enjoyable, and interactive. The event seeks to teach German beyond the traditional classroom setting while introducing students from around the world to the culture of Germany and German-speaking countries.
Over the years, Deutschutsav has had the honor of hosting renowned figures from the German-speaking world and has seen participation from schools across various countries. The event features a diverse range of competitions and engaging activities, including spelling bees, poetry recitations, and solo singing, offering participants the opportunity to apply their German language skills in practical and creative contexts.
JTM Gibson Memorial Invitational English Debate and Quiz
JTM Gibson Memorial Invitational English Debate and Quiz, is the oldest inter-school event at Mayo College, established to commemorate the memory of Jack T. M. Gibson, one of the most celebrated principals in the institution's history. Widely regarded as a visionary leader, Jack Gibson played a pivotal role in shaping the school’s legacy of excellence in academics and extracurricular activities.
Publications
Publications are supplied internally and sent to other public schools in India and abroad.
Mayoor
Mayoor was established in the late 1960s by the principal, Jack Gibson. It is a major bi-monthly newsletter with college news, updates and photos. The editorial team consists of an editor-in-chief who is an English teacher in the school and a team of editors from the student community. Mayoor used to have a Hindi section with articles and poems. This was removed when an independent Hindi newsletter called Paridrishya was established in 2006.
The Mayo Mail
The Mayo Mail is a weekly newsletter, established in 2008 by a group of students of Grade 7. It has become a publication which prints four fresh sheets every week and is called the "newspaper" of Mayo College. It consists of write-ups on school happenings and activities like the trademark Mayo "Tweets" and "Howlers".
Paridrishya
The independent Hindi magazine called Paridrishya was established in 2006. The magazine consists of articles, poems and jottings written by the school community. It has an editor-in-chief, who is a Hindi teacher in the school, and student editors.
Reflection
Reflection, established in 2007, is the student magazine. It is filled with poems, articles and facts that are illustrated with pictures. Reflection comes out three times a year.
College Magazine
The College Magazine is the yearbook of Mayo College. It has English and Hindi sections and contains reports, speeches, photographs, poems, articles and case studies of the school.
Other publications
Cyber Quest is the IT magazine of Mayo College that contains technology-related articles and answers.
Euphoria is an annual publication that reports on activities happening in the prize-giving function of the school.
Zephyr – An Anthology of Poems is an annual publication that comes out in the prizegiving and contains the best poems written by the students.
The Mayo Gazette is an annual publication that comes out during the prize-giving and contains the latest trivia of the school.
School museum
The Danmal Mathur Museum is housed in Jhalawar House, which it shares with the Art School. The museum showcases antiques and an armoury section. It is considered one of the best collections found in any in-school museum of the world.[4]
Postage stamp
Mayo College stamp
On 12 April 1986, the Indian Postal Service released a stamp showing the main building of Mayo College. The multicoloured stamp was designed by India Security Press. The first-day cover shows the emblem of the college. The cancellation was designed by Nenu Bagga.[5]
Alumni from Mayo have served in the armed forces and others serve as members of parliament and senior civil servants. Jaswant Singh is one of the few Indian politicians to have been the Minister for Defence, Finance and External Affairs; K. Natwar Singh of the Indian Foreign Service was India's Ambassador to Pakistan and as External Affairs Minister, Admiral Sunil Lanba is the former Navy Chief.
Lt. Gen. Nathu Singh Rathore, the second Indian officer to graduate from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, was a distinguished strategist who served as a Division Commander in Burma during the Second World War. He was offered the position of Commander in Chief of the Indian Army in 1949 but declined the position in favour of his senior, K M Cariappa.[6]
Alumni have been Indian ambassadors to Morocco, Spain, Norway, Brazil, Libya, Switzerland and France.
The vice-chairman of Tata Motors, Ravi Kant, erstwhile chairman of Shell Oil-India, Vikram Singh Mehta, erstwhile chairman emeritus of Nestlé-India, Narendra Singh of Sarila, former chairman of Air India and Indian Airlines, Probir Sen, erstwhile chairman and MD of Axis Bank, P.J. Nayak, member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, Sushil Wadhwani, the retired chief general manager and executive director of the Reserve Bank of India and erstwhile managing director of NABARD, Yashwant Thorat, as well as Rakesh Mohan, who was deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India all studied at Mayo. Mayo also has produced academic economists like Alok Bhargava who researches on food policy issues in developing and developed countries for formulating public policies. Mayo has produced scientists such as the eminent scientist in the field of electronic materials, Amit Goyal.
Tikaraj Aishwarya Katoch of Kangra, director of Indiabulls, donated the Kangra Amphitheatre in memory of his great-grandfather Maharaja Jai Chand Katoch who was one of the first few students of Mayo College.
The J. T. M. Gibson Award for Excellence was created in 2007 to be given to old boys who have, consistent with Jack Gibson's ideals, made a difference to society.[7] Honorees include:
2007
Ravi Kant, managing director Tata Motors (1961 batch)
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