IMA: Indian Military 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.”

-         Field Marshal Philip Chetwode

The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun trains officers for the Indian Army. It was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up under the chairmanship of General (later Field Marshal) Sir Philip Chetwode.

Role & Mission. To develop well-rounded military leaders with strong intellectual, moral, and physical qualities. The IMA's mission encompasses fostering leadership development, character building, military training - art of warfare, instilling discipline and physical fitness.

Number of Cadets Trained.   From a class of 40 male cadets in 1932, IMA now has a sanctioned capacity of 1,650.

Gentleman Cadets - Lieutenants.    On completion of the course at IMA, cadets are permanently commissioned into the army as Lieutenants. More than 62,000 Gentleman Cadets had graduated and over 3,200 foreign cadets from over 30 other states, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Zambia, and Malaysia.

The Pioneers.   In 1934, the first batch of 31 officers were commissioned from IMA. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, General Muhammad Musa and General Smith Dun, who became the Army Chiefs of India, Pakistan, and Burma, respectively.

Training Battalions. Gentleman Cadets in IMA are organized into four battalions of four companies each. In 1976, the four battalions of the academy were renamed after Field Marshal KM Cariappa, General KS Thimayya, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Lieutenant General PS Bhagat, with two companies each.

Chetwode Hall.  The Chetwode Hall on the drill square, built in 1930, houses the administrative headquarters of IMA and is also the hub of academic training.

IMA Museum.   The IMA museum on the campus displays artifacts of historic importance such as the pistol of Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi of the Pakistan Army, given upon his surrender to Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora after signing the instrument of surrender to end the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

War Memorial.   The IMA War Memorial commemorates the alumni of the academy who died in 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, shortly after the conclusion of the Kargil War.^.

Motto.    Valour and Wisdom

Warrior Code.    Adopted from the "Bhagwat Gita",  "I am a Warrior, fighting is my dharma".

Passing Out Parade – PoP.    End of term PoP, which is led Academy Adjutant. IMA has adopted a song penned by Javed Akhtar for its POPs -Bharat mata teri kasam, tere rakshak rahenge hum.

Antim Pag - Chetwode Hall.  Translates to "final step" in Hindi. In the context of military training academies in India, it refers to the last step taken by graduating cadets during their passing out parade. It symbolizes the completion of their training and their formal entry into the armed forces. 

Honors & Awards.

Pre-Independence.   1941, World War II – 2^nd Lieutenant PS Bhagat : Victoria Cross

Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra awardees

Major Somnath Sharma (posthumous)

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria (posthumous)

Lieutenant Colonel Hoshiar Singh

2^nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (posthumous)

Captain Vikram Batra (posthumous)

Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey (posthumous)

Sports – Olympians.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, a 1990 Sword of Honour recipient,^[who won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and went on to become the sports minister.

Colonel Balbir Singh Kular scored three goals in hockey during the 1968 Olympics and was captain of the Indian team in the 1971 World Cup; Lt. Col. Haripal Kaushik and Lt. Col. Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara were also hockey players who won gold medals in the Olympics.

Salute the Brave Warriors.

Jai Hind