Indian Military Academy
Encyclopedia
The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
(also known as IMA) is the officer training school of the Indian Army
. IMA was established in 1932.
was reluctant to commission Indian officers or to permit local officer training. Until World War I
Indians were not eligible for commission as officers in the Indian Army.
Following the experiences in World War I
, where Indian soldiers proved their mettle but British officers had difficulty leading the soldiers in the field, the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
facilitated ten Indians per year to undergo officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. In 1922 the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (now known as the Rashtriya Indian Military College) was set up in Dehradun to prepare Indian boys for admission to Sandhurst. The Indianisation of the Army started with the commissioning of 31 Indian officers. Among this first batch of officers to be commissioned was Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
, who later became the 1st Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and 2nd Indian Field Marshal
.
Despite demands, the British resisted expansion of the Indian officer cadre. Indian leaders then pressed for the issue at the 1st Round Table Conference
in 1930. Eventually, the establishment of an Indian officer training college was one of the few concessions made at the conference. The Indian Military College Committee, set up under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode, recommended in 1931 the establishment of an Indian Military Academy in Dehradun to produce 40 commissioned officers twice a year following two and a half years of training.
transferred the erstwhile estate in Dehradun of the Indian Railways
' Railway Staff College, with its 206 acre campus and associated infrastructure, to the Indian Military Academy. Brigadier L.P. Collins was appointed the first Commandant and the first batch of 40 Gentleman Cadets (GC), as IMA trainees are known, began their training on 1 October 1932. The institute was inaugurated on 10 December 1932, at the end of the first term by Field Marshal Chetwode.
In 1934, before the first batch had passed out, then Viceroy Lord Willingdon presented colours to the academy on behalf of George V of the United Kingdom
. The alumni of the first batch to pass out of the academy in December 1934, now known as the Pioneers, included Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
, General Muhammad Musa and Lieutenant General Smith Dun
, who became the Army Chiefs of India, Pakistan
and Burma, respectively.
Through the first 16 regular courses that passed out of the academy, until May 1941, 524 officers were commissioned. But the outbreak of World War II
resulted in an unprecedented increase in the number of entrants, a temporary reduction in the training period to six months and an expansion of the campus. 3887 officers were commissioned between August 1941 and January 1946, including 710 British officers for the British Army
. The academy reverted to its original two and a half year course of training at the end of the war.
Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO, was appointed the first Indian Commandant of the academy.
In late 1947, the Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Armed Forces
following the recommendation of a 1946 committee headed by Field Marshal
Claude Auchinleck
, decided to initiate an action plan to commission a new Joint Services training academy. In the interim, they decided to conduct Joint Services training at the IMA. The IMA was renamed the Armed Forces Academy and a new Joint Services Wing (JSW) was commissioned on 1 January 1949, while training of Army officers continued in the Military Wing.
The academy was renamed as the National Defence Academy (NDA) on 1 January 1950, ahead of India becoming a Republic
. In December 1954, when the new Joint Services training academy was established in Khadakwasla
, near Pune
, the NDA name along with the Joint Services Wing was transferred to Khadakwasla. The academy in Dehradun was then rechristened as Military College.
Brigadier M.M. Khanna, MVC
was the first IMA alumni to be appointed Commandant of the IMA at the end of 1956.
In 1960, the academy was renamed back to its founding name, as the Indian Military Academy. On 10 December 1962, on the 30th anniversary of the academy's inauguration, the second President of India
, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, presented new colours to the academy.
From 1963 until August 1964, following the Sino-Indian War
, the duration of regular classes was truncated, emergency courses were initiated and new living quarters for cadets were added. However, unlike previous wars, the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and that of 1971 did not disrupt academy training or graduation schedules.
In 1976, the four battalions of the IMA were renamed the Cariappa Battalion, Thimayya Battalion, Manekshaw Battalion and Bhagat Battalion with two companies each in honour of Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Lieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat
, respectively. On 15 December 1976, then President
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
presented new colours to the IMA.
In 1977, the Army Cadet College
(ACC) was moved from Pune to Dehradun as a wing of the IMA. In 2006, the ACC was merged into the IMA as its Siachen Battalion.
By its 75th anniversary in 2007, IMA had trained over 46,000 officers commissioned into armies of the world, including Angola
, Afghanistan
, Bhutan
, Burma, Ghana
, Iraq
, Jamaica
, Kazakhstan
, Kyrgyzstan
, Malaysia, Nepal
, Nigeria
, Philippines
, Singapore
, Sri Lanka
, Tajikistan
, Tanzania
, Tonga
, Uganda
, Yemen
and Zambia
besides those of United Kingdom
, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and India.
, about 8 km west of Dehradun
in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand
. The campus is on National Highway 72, which separates the North and South Campus. The campus of the academy originally spanned 206 acres which was transferred to the academy along with existing buildings from the Railway Staff College. The academy area is 1400 acres (5.7 km²).
Built in 1930, the Chetwode Hall on the Drill Square houses the administrative headquarters of the IMA and is also the hub of academic training. It has lecture halls, computer labs and a cafe. On the opposite side of the Drill Square is the Khetarpal Auditorium. Inaugurated in 1982, it has a seating capacity of over 2000.
A newer wing of the Chetwode Hall, added in 1938, houses the Central Library. It has over 100,000 volumes and subscriptions to hundreds of periodicals from across the world, besides multimedia sections. In addition, there are two branch libraries closer to the cadet barracks across the campus.
The IMA Museum on the campus displays artifacts of historic importance. Among other war relics, it displays the pistol of Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi of the Pakistan Army
which he surrendered to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora
after signing the Instrument of Surrender
to end the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
The Commandant's residence is a handsome colonial structure with a landscaped 6 acre garden. It offers a panoramic view of the Tons River
silhouetted by the Himalayas.
In the earlier years, cadets were accommodated in GC Quarters, consisting of the Kingsley and Collins Blocks. With the growth of the IMA to five battalions of cadets, some battalions are accommodated in barracks in the South and East Campus.
The IMA helipad is located in the Tons Valley in the northwest of the campus.
The North Campus includes the Polo Ground along the Tons River. The Tons Valley to the Northwest of the campus is bounded by the forks and bends of the Tons River. It is used for para-dropping and para-gliding, besides battle training.
stone, pays homage to the alumni of the academy who have fallen in the course of action. At the sanctum sanctorum of the memorial is a bronze statue of a Gentleman Cadet with a sword presenting arms. The memorial was inaugurated by Field Marshal Manekshaw on 17 November 1999, just weeks after the Kargil War
. IMA officers led and fought in the war, with some of them becoming household names in India for their gallantry. Among their ranks were two Param Vir Chakra recipients and eight Maha Vir Chakra recipients.
The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes 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.
with four training battalion
s, of three or four companies
each. There were fifteen companies in 2010. Battalions are named for generals of the Indian Army, while companies are named for battles of the Army. An exception is the Sinhagad Company that refers to an earlier battle between the Marathas
and the Mughals
.
Siachen Battalion : erstwhile Army Cadet College
. These cadets who are graduates of a non-military college undergo training for one and a half years.
With the purpose of grooming future military leaders of the Indian Army, the training regime at IMA moulds the physical and mental attributes and sharpen the leadership skills of cadets. Physical training, drills, weapons training, leadership development and practics form the focus of the training.
In 1941, during World War II, then 2nd Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bhagat was awarded the Victoria Cross
. Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari and Captain Sartaj Singh were awarded the George Cross
. 71 Military Cross
es were awarded to IMA Alumni during that war, and over 200 alumni were killed in action
.
General Mohan Singh Deb
, commander-in-chief of the First Indian National Army
which fought against the British for the independence of India, was also an alumnus.
Alumni who have been honoured with the Param Vir Chakra
include:
During the Kargil War of 1999, the Maha Vir Chakra
was awarded posthumously to academy alumni, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari
, Major Vivek Gupta, Major Padmapani Acharya, Captain Anuj Nayyar
, Captain N. Kengurujay and Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum. Major Balwan Singh and Major Sonum Wangchuk were also awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
, General Tikka Khan
and Lieutenant General Habibullah Khan Khattak
. Lieutenant General Smith Dun became commander-in-chief of the Burmese Army. Tun Hussein Onn went on to become Prime Minister of Malaysia
and General Ibrahim Ismail
was Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Three commanders-in-chief of the Nepalese Army have been IMA alumni.Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed,1st Nishan-e-Haider of Pakistan(kashmir war 27 July 1948),passed out from Indian Military Academy Dheradun in March 1944.He was awarded the highest gallantry award of Pakistan posthumously.
film Lakshya (film)
is partly shot in IMA.
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
(also known as IMA) is the officer training school of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. IMA was established in 1932.
Demands for an Indian military training academy
During the Indian independence struggle, Indian leaders recognized the need for a local military institution to meet the needs of an armed force loyal to sovereign India. The British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
was reluctant to commission Indian officers or to permit local officer training. Until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Indians were not eligible for commission as officers in the Indian Army.
Following the experiences in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where Indian soldiers proved their mettle but British officers had difficulty leading the soldiers in the field, the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms were reforms introduced by the British Government in India to introduce self-governing institutions gradually to India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Samuel Montagu, the Secretary of State for India during the latter parts of World War I and Lord Chelmsford,...
facilitated ten Indians per year to undergo officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. In 1922 the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (now known as the Rashtriya Indian Military College) was set up in Dehradun to prepare Indian boys for admission to Sandhurst. The Indianisation of the Army started with the commissioning of 31 Indian officers. Among this first batch of officers to be commissioned was Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Field Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...
, who later became the 1st Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and 2nd Indian Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
.
Despite demands, the British resisted expansion of the Indian officer cadre. Indian leaders then pressed for the issue at the 1st Round Table Conference
Round Table Conferences (India)
This article is about the Anglo-Indian Round Table Conferences. For the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, see Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. For other uses of Round Table, see Round Table ....
in 1930. Eventually, the establishment of an Indian officer training college was one of the few concessions made at the conference. The Indian Military College Committee, set up under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode, recommended in 1931 the establishment of an Indian Military Academy in Dehradun to produce 40 commissioned officers twice a year following two and a half years of training.
Inauguration to Independence
The Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
transferred the erstwhile estate in Dehradun of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
' Railway Staff College, with its 206 acre campus and associated infrastructure, to the Indian Military Academy. Brigadier L.P. Collins was appointed the first Commandant and the first batch of 40 Gentleman Cadets (GC), as IMA trainees are known, began their training on 1 October 1932. The institute was inaugurated on 10 December 1932, at the end of the first term by Field Marshal Chetwode.
In 1934, before the first batch had passed out, then Viceroy Lord Willingdon presented colours to the academy on behalf of George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. The alumni of the first batch to pass out of the academy in December 1934, now known as the Pioneers, included Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
, General Muhammad Musa and Lieutenant General Smith Dun
Smith Dun
General Smith Dun was the commander-in-chief of the Burmese Army from January 4, 1948 – February 1, 1949. Dun received training at the Indian Military Academy and earned the first Sword of Honour which is given to the best cadet of each year’s class...
, who became the Army Chiefs of India, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Burma, respectively.
Through the first 16 regular courses that passed out of the academy, until May 1941, 524 officers were commissioned. But the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
resulted in an unprecedented increase in the number of entrants, a temporary reduction in the training period to six months and an expansion of the campus. 3887 officers were commissioned between August 1941 and January 1946, including 710 British officers for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. The academy reverted to its original two and a half year course of training at the end of the war.
Post-Independence
Following the independence of India in August 1947, a number of trainers and cadets left for Britain and Pakistan. BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO, was appointed the first Indian Commandant of the academy.
In late 1947, the Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Armed Forces
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. They consist of the Army, Navy and Air Force, supported by three paramilitary forces and various inter-service institutions such as the Strategic Forces Command.The President of India is...
following the recommendation of a 1946 committee headed by Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
, decided to initiate an action plan to commission a new Joint Services training academy. In the interim, they decided to conduct Joint Services training at the IMA. The IMA was renamed the Armed Forces Academy and a new Joint Services Wing (JSW) was commissioned on 1 January 1949, while training of Army officers continued in the Military Wing.
The academy was renamed as the National Defence Academy (NDA) on 1 January 1950, ahead of India becoming a Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. In December 1954, when the new Joint Services training academy was established in Khadakwasla
Khadakwasla
Khadakwasla is a dam situated 20 km from the City of Pune in Maharashtra, India. This dam is one of the main sources of water for Pune. In the vicinity of the dam, there is a Dental Centre, a Veterinary Hospital, the well-known National Defence Academy and Central Water & Power Research Station...
, near Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, the NDA name along with the Joint Services Wing was transferred to Khadakwasla. The academy in Dehradun was then rechristened as Military College.
Brigadier M.M. Khanna, MVC
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
was the first IMA alumni to be appointed Commandant of the IMA at the end of 1956.
In 1960, the academy was renamed back to its founding name, as the Indian Military Academy. On 10 December 1962, on the 30th anniversary of the academy's inauguration, the second President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, presented new colours to the academy.
From 1963 until August 1964, following the Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
, the duration of regular classes was truncated, emergency courses were initiated and new living quarters for cadets were added. However, unlike previous wars, the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and that of 1971 did not disrupt academy training or graduation schedules.
In 1976, the four battalions of the IMA were renamed the Cariappa Battalion, Thimayya Battalion, Manekshaw Battalion and Bhagat Battalion with two companies each in honour of Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Lieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat
Premindra Singh Bhagat
Lieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat VC, PVSM was an officer in the Indian Army during World War II and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, and the PVSM,...
, respectively. On 15 December 1976, then President
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.-Early life and background:Fakhruddin's grandfather, Khaliluddin Ali Ahmed, of Kacharighat near Golaghat, Assam, married in one of the families who were the relics of Emperor Aurangzeb's bid to conquer Assam Ahmed was born on...
presented new colours to the IMA.
In 1977, the Army Cadet College
Army Cadet College
Army Cadet College is an institution which trains Officers, for the Indian Army.The Army Cadet College Wing trains soldiers from the regular army for commission as Officers in the Indian Army. The ACC feeds into the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. The nature of training at ACC and NDA is nearly...
(ACC) was moved from Pune to Dehradun as a wing of the IMA. In 2006, the ACC was merged into the IMA as its Siachen Battalion.
By its 75th anniversary in 2007, IMA had trained over 46,000 officers commissioned into armies of the world, including Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Burma, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, Malaysia, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
besides those of United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Pakistan, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and India.
Campus
The academy is located in the foothills of the HimalayasHimalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, about 8 km west of Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The campus is on National Highway 72, which separates the North and South Campus. The campus of the academy originally spanned 206 acres which was transferred to the academy along with existing buildings from the Railway Staff College. The academy area is 1400 acres (5.7 km²).
Built in 1930, the Chetwode Hall on the Drill Square houses the administrative headquarters of the IMA and is also the hub of academic training. It has lecture halls, computer labs and a cafe. On the opposite side of the Drill Square is the Khetarpal Auditorium. Inaugurated in 1982, it has a seating capacity of over 2000.
A newer wing of the Chetwode Hall, added in 1938, houses the Central Library. It has over 100,000 volumes and subscriptions to hundreds of periodicals from across the world, besides multimedia sections. In addition, there are two branch libraries closer to the cadet barracks across the campus.
The IMA Museum on the campus displays artifacts of historic importance. Among other war relics, it displays the pistol of Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi of the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
which he surrendered to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora
Jagjit Singh Aurora
Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971...
after signing the Instrument of Surrender
Instrument of Surrender (1971)
The Instrument of Surrender was signed at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka at one past five in the evening , local time, on December 16, 1971, by Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army and Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan...
to end the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
The Commandant's residence is a handsome colonial structure with a landscaped 6 acre garden. It offers a panoramic view of the Tons River
Tons River
The Tons is the largest tributary of the Yamuna and flows through Garhwal region in Uttarakhand, touching Himachal Pradesh. The Tons thrust is named after this river....
silhouetted by the Himalayas.
In the earlier years, cadets were accommodated in GC Quarters, consisting of the Kingsley and Collins Blocks. With the growth of the IMA to five battalions of cadets, some battalions are accommodated in barracks in the South and East Campus.
The IMA helipad is located in the Tons Valley in the northwest of the campus.
Athletic facilities
Developed in the 1970s, the South Campus of the IMA includes facilities for the Somnath Stadium and the Salaria Aquatic Centre. Other facilities on the South Campus include stables with a stud farm and a small arms shooting range.The North Campus includes the Polo Ground along the Tons River. The Tons Valley to the Northwest of the campus is bounded by the forks and bends of the Tons River. It is used for para-dropping and para-gliding, besides battle training.
War Memorial
The IMA War Memorial, with its pillars and columns of DholpurDholpur
Dholpur is a city in eastern-most parts of the Rajasthan state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur princely state, before Independence....
stone, pays homage to the alumni of the academy who have fallen in the course of action. At the sanctum sanctorum of the memorial is a bronze statue of a Gentleman Cadet with a sword presenting arms. The memorial was inaugurated by Field Marshal Manekshaw on 17 November 1999, just weeks after the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
. IMA officers led and fought in the war, with some of them becoming household names in India for their gallantry. Among their ranks were two Param Vir Chakra recipients and eight Maha Vir Chakra recipients.
Cadet Life
A trainee on admission to the IMA is referred to as a Gentleman Cadet. One reason for this is that the academy expects its graduates to uphold the highest moral and ethical values. Inscribed in the oak panelling at the Eastern entrance of the Chetwode Hall is the academy's credo, excerpted from the speech of Field Marshal Chetwode at the inauguration of the academy in 1932:The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes 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.
Organization
IMA Cadets are organized as a RegimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
with four training battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s, of three or four companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
each. There were fifteen companies in 2010. Battalions are named for generals of the Indian Army, while companies are named for battles of the Army. An exception is the Sinhagad Company that refers to an earlier battle between the Marathas
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
and the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
.
- CariappaKodandera Madappa CariappaField Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...
Battalion: KohimaBattle of KohimaThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...
Company, NausheraNowsheraNowshera - known locally as Nowkhaar is the chief city of Nowshera District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan...
Company, PoonchPoonchPoonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...
Company, HajipirHajipirHajipir Dargah is located in Kutch, Gujarat, India....
Company - Thimayya Battalion: AlameinSecond Battle of El AlameinThe Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
Company, Meiktila Company, Dograi Company - ManekshawSam ManekshawField Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
Battalion: ImphalBattle of ImphalThe Battle of Imphal took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in North-East India from March until July 1944. Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses...
Company, ZojilaOperation Bison (Jammu & Kashmir 1948)Operation Bison is the codename of the assault and capture of Zoji La, Dras and Kargil district in Ladakh by the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.Zoji La had been seized by Pakistani raiders in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh...
Company, Jessore Company, Sangro Company - BhagatPremindra Singh BhagatLieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat VC, PVSM was an officer in the Indian Army during World War II and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, and the PVSM,...
Battalion: SinhgarhBattle of SinhagadThe Battle of Sinhagad was a night battle that took place on February 4, 1670 in the fort of Sinhagad, near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was fought between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha ruler Shivaji and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai Singh I...
Company, KerenBattle of KerenThe Battle of Keren was fought as part of the East African Campaign during World War II. The Battle of Keren was fought from 5 February-1 April 1941 between the colonial Italian army defending it's colonial possession of Eritrea and the invading British and Commonwealth forces. In 1941, Keren was...
Company, CassinoBattle of Monte CassinoThe Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
Company, BasantarBattle of BasantarThe Battle of Basantar or the Battle of Barapind was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India...
Company
Siachen Battalion : erstwhile Army Cadet College
Army Cadet College
Army Cadet College is an institution which trains Officers, for the Indian Army.The Army Cadet College Wing trains soldiers from the regular army for commission as Officers in the Indian Army. The ACC feeds into the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. The nature of training at ACC and NDA is nearly...
Training
Cadets undergo training at the IMA for one year. An exception are trainees selected via the Combined Defence Services Exam of UPSCUnion Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is the central agency authorized to conduct the Civil Services Examination for entry-level appointments to the various Civil Services of India. The agency's charter is granted by the Constitution of India...
. These cadets who are graduates of a non-military college undergo training for one and a half years.
With the purpose of grooming future military leaders of the Indian Army, the training regime at IMA moulds the physical and mental attributes and sharpen the leadership skills of cadets. Physical training, drills, weapons training, leadership development and practics form the focus of the training.
Notable alumni
IMA alumni have led and fought in every conflict in which the Indian Army has been called upon to render service since the academy was established. Numerous alumni have earned laurels, made the ultimate sacrifice and been honoured with gallantry awards.In 1941, during World War II, then 2nd Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bhagat was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari and Captain Sartaj Singh were awarded the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
. 71 Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
es were awarded to IMA Alumni during that war, and over 200 alumni were killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
.
General Mohan Singh Deb
Mohan Singh Deb
Mohan Singh was an Indian Military officer and member of the Indian Independence Movement most famous for his role in organising and leading the First Indian National Army in South East Asia during World War II...
, commander-in-chief of the First Indian National Army
First Indian National Army
The First Indian National Army is the term often used to denote the Indian National Army as it existed between February and December 1942...
which fought against the British for the independence of India, was also an alumnus.
Alumni who have been honoured with the Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
include:
- Major Somnath Sharma, Posthumous, 4 Kumaon RegimentKumaon RegimentThe Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wars...
, Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 - Captain Gurbachan Singh SalariaGurbachan Singh SalariaCaptain Gurbachan Singh Salaria is a military war hero, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest wartime military award. In the 1988 Television serial Param Vir Chakra by Chetan Anand, Captain G.S...
, Posthumous, 1 Gorkha Rifles, Congo, 1961 - Lieutenant Colonel Hoshiar SinghHoshiar SinghColonel Hoshiar Singh, PVC was born in Sisana village, Rohtak district, Haryana to Choudhary Hira Singh. He served in the Indian Army with dedication, retiring as a Colonel. He was awarded India's highest military honor, the Param Vir Chakra...
, 3 GrenadiersThe GrenadiersThe Grenadiers are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two world wars and also since the Independence of India...
, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases... - 2nd Lieutenant Arun KhetarpalArun KhetarpalSecond Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, PVC born in Pune, Maharashtra, was an officer of the Indian Army and a posthumous recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration for valour in face of the enemy...
, Posthumous, 17 Poona Horse, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases... - Captain Vikram BatraVikram BatraCaptain Vikram Batra, PVC , was an officer of the Indian Army, posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for valour, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir between India and Pakistan....
, Posthumous, 13 Jammu & Kashmir RiflesJammu & Kashmir RiflesThe Jammu & Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Jammu & Kashmir State Forces was the only former Princely State Forces of India to be absorbed into the Indian Army as a distinct and separate Regiment. In 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu & Kashmir Rifles...
, Kargil WarKargil WarThe Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
, 1999 - Lieutenant Manoj Kumar PandeyManoj Kumar PandeyCaptain Manoj Kumar Pandey, PVC ,was an officer of the Indian Army of the regiment 1/11 Gurkha Rifles, posthumously awarded the India's highest military honour, Param Vir Chakra for his audacious courage and leadership during adverse times...
, Posthumous, 11 Gorkha Rifles, Kargil WarKargil WarThe Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
, 1999
During the Kargil War of 1999, the Maha Vir Chakra
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
was awarded posthumously to academy alumni, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari
Rajesh Singh Adhikari
Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Maha Vir Chakra was an Indian Army officer who died during the Kargil War. He was posthumously awarded the second highest Indian military honour, the Maha Vir Chakra for bravery on the battlefield.-Early life:...
, Major Vivek Gupta, Major Padmapani Acharya, Captain Anuj Nayyar
Anuj Nayyar
Captain Anuj Nayyar was an officer of the 17 Jat Regiment of the Indian Army, who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award, for exemplary valour in combat during operations in the Kargil War in 1999.He was born to a Punjabi Khatri family and grew up in...
, Captain N. Kengurujay and Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum. Major Balwan Singh and Major Sonum Wangchuk were also awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
Foreign alumni
Foreign alumni of the IMA have also done well in their countries. General M.A.G.Osmani the first Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army and the supreme commander of the War of Liberation in 1971 got commission from this training center. Most senior Pakistan Army officers until the 1970s were IMA alumni, including General Muhammad Musa, General Yahya KhanYahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
, General Tikka Khan
Tikka Khan
General Tikka Khan, HJ, HQA, SPk, was a senior four-star general in the Pakistan Army who served as the first Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army from 3 March 1972 to 1 March 1976. Before his four-star assignment, Khan was a Martial Law Administrator of erstwhile East-Pakistan...
and Lieutenant General Habibullah Khan Khattak
Habibullah Khan Khattak
Lieutenant General Habibullah Khan Khattak was born in Wana, Waziristan, British India, now part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The son of Khan Bahadur Kuli Khan Khattak, his son Ali Kuli Khan Khattak also rose to the rank of Lt Gen and retired as the Chief of General...
. Lieutenant General Smith Dun became commander-in-chief of the Burmese Army. Tun Hussein Onn went on to become Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
and General Ibrahim Ismail
Ibrahim Ismail (military)
General Tun Ibrahim bin Ismail, KBE was the Malaysian Armed Forces Chief of Staff from 1970 until 1977.In October 1944 as leader of Special Operations Executive's Force 136, he and two colleagues parachuted onto the western coast of Trengganu as part of Operation Oatmeal where they were promptly...
was Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Three commanders-in-chief of the Nepalese Army have been IMA alumni.Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed,1st Nishan-e-Haider of Pakistan(kashmir war 27 July 1948),passed out from Indian Military Academy Dheradun in March 1944.He was awarded the highest gallantry award of Pakistan posthumously.
In the media
Making of a Warrior, a documentary by Dipti Bhalla and Kunal Verma, provides an inside look at the IMA's culture, traditions and training regime. The 2004 BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film Lakshya (film)
Lakshya (film)
Lakshya is a 2004 Bollywood film directed by Farhan Akhtar, with stars Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri and Boman Irani. Roshan plays the role of Lieutenant Karan Shergill, who leads his team to victory over the Pakistani troops...
is partly shot in IMA.
See also
- National Defence AcademyNational Defence AcademyNational Defence Academy or National Defense Academy likely refers to:*National Defence Academy *National Defense Academy of JapanIt may also refer to:*Academy of National Defence, Poland...
- Indian Naval AcademyIndian Naval AcademyThe Indian Naval Academy is the initial officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, located in Ezhimala, Kerala. Situated between Mount Dilli and the Kavvayi backwaters, NAVAC has a 7 km beach front on the Arabian Sea. It conducts basic training for all officers inducted into the...
- Air Force Academy, Dundigul