Delhi College and Urdu* - MINDS@UW Home

124 • THE ANNUAL OF URDU STUDIESof Delhi College, J.H. Taylor, using some creative book-keeping, hadbeen using funds from the Nav≥b’s vaqf to meet expenses in both sectionsof the college, resulting in a further cut in support to the oriental section.The local committee, fighting against Calcutta’s policies, protested thatthe state had “greatly injured the interests of the institution.” It also investigatedTaylor’s actions, expressing doubts that “the wishes of theNav≥b have been fulfilled,” and reprimanded him for damaging “one ofthe few public colleges left to the people in which Oriental Literature isstill being taught under the patronage of the British Government.” 17Sir James Thomason, who later became Lieutenant-Governor of theNorthwestern Provinces, emphasized Delhi College’s unique character:The Oriental College in Delhi … occupies a prominent part in theeyes of a large and influential body of the native community, whom it ismost important to convince of our liberality and sincerity … Great andsuccessful exertions had been made [by those connected with the collegelocally], and these it would be unjust and unwise to disappoint. 18Among the local notables who supported the college was Muftµ ¿adru ’d-Dµn Kh≥n “¥zurda,” the ¿adru ’Ω-¿ud∑r (chief judge) of Delhi, a memberof the local committee of public instruction, and a poet who hosted oneof the most illustrious literary salons of the city. ¥zurda’s mush≥‘iras regularlyfeatured the artistry of Gh≥lib, Mo’min and other poets. 19 The localgovernment had no desire to offend figures of such eminence.The government in Calcutta took some remedial action, allowingsome support for “efficient” oriental learning, and following up the reprimandof Taylor by replacing him as Principal with an Orientalistscholar, Felix Boutros, who had the advantage of knowing the languageshe was supposed to be supervising. Boutros is mentioned in the sources asa French scholar of Arabic, but his name suggests that he was an ArabChristian from either Egypt or the Levant who had been educated in17 Letter from Lt. Robinson to J.H. Taylor, d. Delhi, 15 March 1839. Home(Pub), 8–14 & KW (15 July 1840), NAI.18 Richey, p. 257.19 ‘Abdu ’r-Ra√man Parv≥z IΩl≥√µ, Muftµ ¿adru ’d-Dµn ¥zurda: ƒay≥t,ShakhΩiyat, ‘Ilmµ aur Adabµ K≥rn≥m® (New Delhi: Maktaba-e J≥mi‘a, 1977), pp.33–8, 47–51.