Indian Military Academy
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[edit] History
[edit] Genesis
The founding of the Academy preceded the attainment of Independence from the British rule by 15 years. The crucial link between the founding of a military academy and the attainment of Independence was acutely realized by a section of Indian leadership in the days of struggle for Independence.Their concerted efforts resulted among other things, in the initiation of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms which enabled ten Indians to be sent to Sandhurst for training, setting up of the Skeen Committee in 1925, and later holding of Round Table Conference in London in 1930 which recommended the establishment of the Indian Sandhurst without any delay. As a follow up action, the Government of India set up a committee to work out the details of an Indian Sandhurst under the Chairmanship of Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, who was then Commander-in-Chief, India. The committee submitted its report in July 1931 recommending an establishment for training forty entrants in each term over a training span of three years which was later reduced to two and a half years. The break down of the entrants was 15 direct entrants, 15 from the ranks through Kitchner College, Nowgaon, and 10 from the Princely States.
[edit] Inauguration
The Academy became functional from 1 October 1932 with a course strength of 40 Gentlemen Cadets. Brigadier L P Collins, DSO, OBE was the first Commandant. The first course had on its rolls Sam Manekshaw, Smith Dun and Mohd Musa. All of them later became the chiefs of the armies of their respective countries; namely India, Burma and Pakistan. The course was christened 'PIONEERS'. The government acquired the estate of the erstwhile Railway College at Dehradun, which had the appropriate buildings and a fairly extensive campus to meet the requirements of the Academy at its birth.
Due to certain unavoidable reasons, formal inauguration of the Academy was postponed to 10 December 1932. Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, Baronet GCB, GCSS, CCMA, DSO, then Commander-in-Chief of India, after whom the main building and its central hall are named, inaugurated the Academy on the day when the first term of the training was about to be over. A large number of guests were invited for the occasion, especially those who had led the battle for establishment of the institution. The centrepiece among the formal events was the inaugural address by Sir Philip Chetwode, which was delivered in the hall named after him. His address was a pointed piece of stirring oratory and has acquired a kind of immortality because a passage from his address has been adopted as the Credo of the Academy - "The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time."
[edit] 1932 To Independence
The first few years of the Academy, prior to the outbreak of World War II, did not see any growth in terms of its strength. Those were years when infrastructure and training facilities were built up and the customs and traditions laid down and nursed. In 1934, even before the first course had passed out, His Excellency Lord Willingdon, the Viceroy of India, presented the Colours to the Academy on behalf of His Majesty the King-Emperor, as not merely a mark of royal favour but also as acknowledgement of sacrifice and common endeavour. The parade was commanded by Under-Officer GC Smith Dun. The German challenge forced the Government to change its policy radically. There was an unprecedented increase in the number of entrants as well as change in their categories. The permanent Indian Commission and the duration of its training was shortened to six months and even less for some courses. Such were the exigencies of the new situation. Before these changes took place, 16 regular courses had passed out of the Academy. Between December 1934 and May 1941 only 524 Gentlemen Cadets were commissioned into the Army, against 3,887 cadets between August 1941 and January 1946. Both Indian and British Cadets received their commission at the Academy.
The expansion brought about a change in the character and appearance of the Academy campus. In order to accommodate greater numbers of Gentlemen Cadets and officers, additional land was brought into use and a large number of temporary structures were built, which, interestingly enough, continue to be used to this day. Certain parts of the Academy, known as East Block and West Block, date back to those years. The two earliest residential blocks were named after the first two Commandants, Brigadiers Collins and Kingsley.
World War II ended with the Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945. After that it took India exactly two years to become free. This momentous and fundamental change in the status of the country resulted in a corresponding change in the character and status of IMA. The Academy was faced with the stupendous responsibility of reorganizing itself for this new role. This entailed overcoming the abnormal fatigue of the war years, removing the dislocations in its regular pattern of life on that account and prepare itself afresh for the new task, with very little in hand to do so. The preparation in fact had begun at least a year before independence. The first regular postwar course commenced on 25 February 1946. Eventually the British officers departed, and Lieutenant Colonel Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO, in the enhanced rank of Brigadier, assumed command of the Academy as its first Indian Commandant in free India. In May 1947 the Academy had the privilege of receiving two stalwarts of the freedom movement, namely Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. This historic visit imbued the officers and Cadets alike with patriotic fervour. At the time of Independence the properties of the Academy were divided between India and Pakistan. The Gentlemen Cadets who belonged to the regions that became part of Pakistan, and those who opted to go to Pakistan, left the Academy on the night of 14 October 1947. As a matter of fact the first two generations of the officers of the Pakistan Army are products of the Indian Military Academy.
[edit] 1947 To Silver Jubilee (1957)
1948 was a proud year in the history of the Academy. On 9 October the Academy received the first Indian Governor-General, His Excellency C. Rajagopalachari, and on 9 December Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister reviewed the Passing Out Parade of the first University Graduates Course.
During the Second World War the extent of the inter-dependence between the three services had been realised. The Government of India, therefore, approved the creation of an Inter-Services Wing for training cadets for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force together. The training period, it was decided, would be for two years after which cadets would go to their respective service institutions for further training and Commissioning. Thus, in January 1949, the Academy was redesignated the Armed Forces Academy, with the military wing remaining on the present campus at Prem Nagar and the Inter-Services Wing established at Clement Town. A new road constructed to connect the two campuses was named after the first Indian Commandant, General Mahadeo Singh. The rank of the Commandant was upgraded from that of Brigadier to Major General. Brigadier Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO, was therefore promoted to the rank of Major General.
In consonance with national aspirations, the Indian Military Academy was redesignated the National Defence Academy in January 1950. The Inter-Services Wing became Joint Services Wing (JSW). The first JSW Course passed out in December 1950. In December 1954, the Joint Services Wing moved to an entirely new campus at Khadakvasla, and along with it went its name, formation sign and the Commandant. The Indian Military Academy (then renamed the Military College) recovered its original identity and role. Brigadier Apji Randhir Singh took over as Commandant.
At the end of 1956 the command of the Indian Military Academy passed from Sandhurst-trained officers to IMA-trained officers, when Brigadier M M Khanna, MVC, took over from Brigadier Apji Randhir Singh. On 10 December 1957, the Military College celebrated its Silver Jubilee which was attended by a large number of veterans.
[edit] Silver Jubilee to Golden Jubilee
In January 1958, a contingent from the Military College took part in the Republic Day Parade in Delhi for the first time. In 1960, the Military College was renamed the Indian Military Academy. Exactly thirty years after the founding of the IMA, on 10 December 1962, the second President of the Republic of India, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, presented new colours to the Indian Military Academy, to replace the ones presented by the Earl of Willingdon. This was in recognition of the gallantry exhibited by the alumni of the institution during various operations.
In 1963, the rank of the Commandant was again upgraded to Major General and Major General S C Pandit, VrC, took over. 1963 also happened to be a year of sudden expansion. Due to Chinese aggression, the duration of training for regular courses was cut short and emergency courses were introduced. New accommodation was built in the Rangharwala area and on the bank of the River Tons. In August 1964, emergency courses were discontinued and regular courses reintroduced. The last emergency course passed out on 1 November 1964. Ever since, the Academy has run an even course with periodic changes in its strength.
In 1974, the qualification requirement for entry to IMA for Regular Courses was raised to University degree level and the duration of training was reduced from two years to one and a half years for Direct Entry Gentleman Cadets. In the following year parachute training was introduced during the summer break at Agra for volunteer Cadets. The four battalions of IMA were named Cariappa Battalion, Thimayya Battalion, Manekshaw Battalion and Bhagat Battalion respectively with two companies each.
[edit] Presentation of colours by Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, President of India on 15 December 1976
The fifth President of India, Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, presented new colours to IMA as a mark of appreciation of its services to the nation both in peace and war. Placing them into the sash of Gentlemen Cadet Senior Under Officer D S Hooda, the president remarked: "I hope the Colours will inspire you to have strength and resilience for the purpose of welfare and safety of your country. I am sure that you will maintain these traditions and keep the flag flying".
In 1977, the Army Cadet College (ACC), the progeny of Kitchner College, Nowgaon, was shifted from Pune to the IMA, Dehradun, where it has been functioning as a feeder wing. In 1980, the rank of the Commandant was upgraded to Lieutenant General and Lieutenant General M Thomas, AVSM, VSM took over as the first Commandant in this rank in December 1980. The appointment of Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor was also upgraded to the rank of Major General in July 1982 when Major General Pannu was appointed with this rank. Later, other upgrades included the appointments of Commander ACC Wing and the Head of the Academic Department as Brigadiers.
[edit] From 10 December 1932 to 10 December 1982
From Brigadier L P Collins, CB, DSO, OBE, ADC, to Lieutenant General Mathew Thomas, AVSM, VSM, was a journey of 50 years of sweat and glory for the Indian Military Academy. Some of those who were reviewed as GCs by Sir Philip Chetwode, the then Commander-in-Chief India, came for the Golden Jubilee celebrations to pay homage to their alma mater. They witnessed the Golden Jubilee Parade of 500 Gentlemen Cadets reviewed by the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi. 1982 was also the year when the IMA expedition to Mounts Kamet (25,447 ft) and Abi Gamin (24,130 ft) was successfully accomplished. The team was led by Brigadier Jagjit Singh, AVSM (Bar), VSM, ably supported by Captains Bhupinder Singh and D B Thapa.
An important part of the celebration was the presentation of the pistol of Lieutenant General A A K Niazi (Commander, erstwhile East Pakistan Forces, Dhaka) by Lieutenant General J S Arora, PVSM (Retd), the then GOC-in-C, Eastern Command. In an impressive ceremony on 9 December 1982 at 0930 hrs, the pistol was presented to the Commandant to be kept in the IMA Museum. Indeed, India's decisive victory in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was re-lived at the time of presentation.
[edit] Diamond Jubilee (1992) and Thereafter
His Excellency the President of India, Shri R. Venkataraman, reviewed the Passing Out Parade of the 90th Regular and 73rd Technical Graduates Courses of the IMA in the Diamond Jubilee year. In the years leading up to the Diamond Jubilee, the Academy trained a large number of personnel who served the Indian Army, as well as many friendly countries, with distinction. Taking stock of these years reveals an emerging saga of valour, indefatigable courage and sacrifice. The scale of the Academy's operations can be gauged from the fact that over 50,000 cadets have received commissions. This is a figure much higher than that of older Academies like Duntroon, Australia.
This figure should also give an idea of the geopolitical situation of India and the enormity of its defence needs. IMA has played a historical and central role in fulfilling the same. As a matter of fact the variations in the strength of the Gentlemen Cadets at the Academy is a reflection of India's threat perception. Historically speaking, the Indian Military Academy is the archetypal military institution of the Indian subcontinent, being the first training institute of its kind in the region.
