IMA ( Indian Military Academy ) Dehradun

 Indian Military Academy Dehradun

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The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is an officer-training academy of the Indian Army located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It was established in 1932 under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode. The first batch 40 male cadets in 1932, IMA now has sanctioned capacity of 1650 gentlemen cadets. The Cadets undergo a training course varying between 3 and 16 months depending upon the entry criteria. On completion of the course at IMA cadtes are permanently commissioned itno the Indian army as Lieutenants.  

The Academy, spread over 1,400 acres (5.7 km2), houses the Chetwode Hall, Khetarpal Auditorium, Somnath Stadium, Salaria Aquatic Centre, Hoshiar Singh Gymnasium and other facilities that facilitate the training of cadets. Cadets in IMA are organized into a regiment with four battalions of four companies each. The Academy's mission, to train future military leaders of the Indian Army, goes hand in hand with the character building enshrined in the IMA honour code, warrior code and motto. Cadets take part in a variety of sports, adventure activities, physical training, drills, weapons training and leadership development activities.

The Academy has a row of alumni which includes six recipients of Indian's heighest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra and also the first Field Marshal SAM Manekshaw of the India army. Other achievements by alumni include 73 Military Crosses, 17 Ashok Chakras, 84 Mahavir Chakras and 41 Kirti Chakras. The latest name to be engraved on the IMA War Memorial was Lieutinent Ummer Fayaz Parry in 2017 which was the 847th name to be engraved. The IMA War Memorial honous the alumni of the academy who have fallen in the course of action.

 Over 61,000 gentleman cadets had graduated and over 3,000 foreign cadets from over 30 other states, including Afghanistan, Singapore, Zambia, and Malaysia, had attended IMA for pre-commission training till  1 October 2019, the 87th Raising Day.  Alumni have gone on to become Chief and Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Olympians and politicians. Foreign alumni have also done well in their countries, going on to becomes chiefs of their respective militaries, prime ministers, presidents and politicians.

Life Of a Gemtlemen Cadet 

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 There are various modes of entry into IMA, these include: on graduation from Army Cadet College (a wing of IMA itslef), on graduation from National Defence Academy, direct entry through the technical entry under university entry scheme and the most popular of all is by the Combined Defence Services Examination followed by SSB exams. Those who gain entry in IMA go on to become permanently commissioned officers, while those who go to other officer training academies like the Officer Training Academy , Chennai are trained fro the short service commission into the Indian army. Married and unmarried male candidates are allowed to voluntarily apply for the course depending upon the entry criteria. Lady Cadets are not inducted into the Indian Army through Indian Military Academy.The current capacity of IMA is 1650 gentlemen cadets. A trainee on admission to IMA is referred to as a gentleman cadet (GC). One reason for this is that the Academy expects its graduates to uphold the highest moral and ethical values. Inscribed in the oak paneling 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 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 fresher GCs hail from different backgrounds from all parts on India. The training phase is action-filled intense , diverse and fast. Self decipline is significantly emphasized. According to the official website of the Indian Army , the training is "a test of one's mettle and capabilities, and in psychological terms a foretaste of what the trainees would face in the battlefield". On passing out GCs are permanently commissioned into the Indian Army as Lieutenants.

 Training 

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 Technical graduates, ex-NDA, ex-ACC and university entry cadets undergo training at IMA for one year. Direct entry cadets train for one and a half years while the Territorial Army officers course is three months. A gentleman cadet gets a stipend of ₹56,100 (US$790) per month for the duration of the course (as per the 7th pay commission).

IMA's mission is to train future military leaders of the Indian Army. Physical training, drills, weapons training and leadership development form the focus of the training.  Character building is embedded in the honour code of IMA "I shall not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate those who do so".  From the honour code came the adoption of "The Gentleman Cadet's Resolve" and in turn the Credo, Honour Code and Resolve became the Academy Trishul for conduct of cadets.  The "Warrior Code" of IMA which has been adopted from the "Bhagwat Gita", the punch line of it being "I am a Warrior, fighting is my dharma;" also talks of compassion. 

Training is broadly categorised into character building, service subjects and academic subjects. Service subjects give basic military knowledge up to the standard required for an infantry platoon commander.  Academic subjects provide the cadet with a general education so as to enable a basic knowledge in professional subjects as well as enable cadets to clearly express themselves both verbally and in writing.

Physical endurance training for GCs:

Weapon training includes the close quarter battle range, the location of miss and hit target system,  jungle lane shooting  and the team battle shooting range.  The curriculum is reviewed from time to time and adapted to whatever the current situation the country is in. Cadets are also put in roles where they need to think like the enemy such as in Exercise Chindit where some GCs are asked to act as terrorists while others have to capture them.  They are trained in various forms of warfare, including conventional war, proxy war, low intensity conflict, and counter-insurgency. 

Games and sports include cross country, hockey, basketball, polo, athletics, football, aquatics, volleyball and boxing. There is also an annual sports meet with other military academies in India. Adventure activities undertaken at the Academy include trekking, cycling, and rock climbing.  

Passing Out Parade

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 One of the most well known traditions in the IMA is the passing out parade (POP). Before the cadets begin the POP, the band plays an aarti, allowing the cadets to pray to their respective gods.Traditionally, the adjutant leads the parade, cracking a joke to lighten the atmosphere.  Having senior officers present during the POP is a morale booster for the cadets.  

During the POP, a civilian dignitary may also make a speech, as was the case during the passing out parade in 1962 when the President Dr. Sarvepalli. Radhakrishnan addressed the cadets,  and in 2007 when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did so.  In 1982, during the golden jubilee, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi inspected the POP while in 1992, the President R. Venkataraman reviewed the diamond jubilee POP (winter term). In 2006, President APJ Abdul Kalam was the reviewing officer at the POP.

Newly commissioned officers after the passing out parade in 2006 doing celebratory pushups also called the Josh Pushups.

The finale is the Antim Pag (final step), where cadets take the last step into Chetwode Hall. However the POP on 11 June 1961 was called off without the final step due to weather, the only instance where this has happened for a passing out batch.  The tradition of cap-flinging during the passing out parade has a long past but it was replaced by the cadets doing celebratory pushups.The passing out also consists of traditions such as presentation of a "Sword of Honour" to the best GC.Notable recipients of the Sword of Honour include the current Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat (in 1978) and the Olympian and union minister Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (in 1990).