Indian Military Academy is an Institution Par-Excellence
Indian Military Academy Dehradun is an Institution Par-Excellence.The boundaries of a nation are the creation of mankind and even in the time of kings and emperors there were dedicated people who upheld that sanctity and security of their boundaries. These people who dedicated their lives to a country’s freedom and security were proud soldiers of nation. It is a common parlance that soldiers are not born, but they are made. In ancient times record shows that famous warriors accepted students for providing them training in various martial arts, just like Arjun was accepted as a pupil by Dhronacharya. Since then worldwide a lot of changes have come about and institutions have been set up to provide a country with trained manpower, these are called military academies.
One such institution that was created during India’s independence struggle was Indian Military Academy also known as IMA. The Indian leaders for protection and safety of the people and country organized round table conferences to decide about better security and protection. These conferences led to the establishment of an Indian military college committee. Philip Chetwode the chairman of this committee suggested organizing an institution in 1931, which was known as the prestigious Indian Military Academy. This institution is located on the hilly terrains of Dehradun which became an important centre for establishing India soldiers. The Government of India then relocated Indian Railway Staff College to the city of Dehradun which shared its campus of 206 acres of land with the Indian Military Academy.
This institute was formally inaugurated by Field marshal Chetwode on 10th December 1932 at the end of the first session of training. This prestigious institution started its first training on 1 October 1932 with 40 cadets with brigadier L.P. Collins as its first commanding officer. Many furthers cadets and officers were appointed to this institution and many batches passed out which included some of many well-known officers like Muhammad Musa, Smith Dun, Sam Manekshaw and many others. Post 1941, 524 such officers were appointed until World War II, which saw an extraordinary augment in quantity of entrants
Right after independence of India in August 1947, many successful trainers and cadets went to England and Pakistan and first DSO appointed was Thakur Mahadeo Singh. In the same year after receiving recommendations from a committee, a decision to start a Joint Services Training Academy was taken. Indian Military Academy was later named at the Armed Forces Academy and after 1950 it became National Defence Academy. Since India became a republic, the NDA was shifted to Khadakwasla, near Pune. This time around the academy in Dehradun was rechristened Military College. It was only in 1960 that the academy got back its old name as Indian Military Academy.
On 15th of December 1976, the President of India, the erudite Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passionately presented myriad new colours, thereby added to the Indian Military Academy after new battalions were created. Four new battalions created were called as Cariappa, Thimayya, Bhagat and Manekshaw Battalions. These were in honour of Field Marshal K.Cariappa, General K.S.Thimayya, Field marshal Manekshaw and Lieutenant General P.S.Bhgat respectively. In 1977 the Indian Military Academy got a Siachen Battalion which was derived from merging of the prestigious Army Cadet College from Pune to Dehradun. By 2007 this amazing academy had trained over 46,000 officers who have got inducted into various armies of the world. Some of the countries that joined this league were Bhutan, Burma, Ghana, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Philippines, and even United Kingdom, besides others.
Indian Military Academy is positioned at the foothills of the Himalayas and is around 8km west of Dehradun. The present area of its campus is around 1,400 acres and is located on national Highway the size of its original campus was a mere 206 acres. However when the Railway Staff College was relocated to Pune they got additional space and that is how it is presently such a huge compound of 5.7km2.In 1938 The Indian Military Academy added a new wing which presently houses a central library. This magnificent library houses more than 100,000 volumes, has a multimedia separate segment.
It is expected that every would-be cadet that joins Indian Military Academy will uphold its highest code of moral conduct and ethical values. This is inscribed in an oak panel that is visible at the entrance of the Chetwode Hall, as is taken from the opening speech delivered by field Marshal Chetwode in the inauguration programme in 1932.That message conveys that it is the safety, honour and one’s country’s welfare that comes first, always!The honour, comfort and welfare of those men whom you command, comes next. Lastly, it is your own ease, safety or comfort that gains prominence, always!
Every cadet that leaves this marvelous institution is expected to leave on learning and assimilating the qualities of grace, dignity and all that makes for a true gentleman. The nation is indeed fortunate that we have the Indian military academy, which is one of the finest in this world.
