RASHTRIYA INDIAN MILITARY COLLEGE (RIMC)
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The Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) is a public school for boys situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the National Defence Academy, Indian Naval Academy and subsequently the Indian Armed Forces. Rimcollians, the name by which alumni of the RIMC are usually denoted, have gone on to hold the highest ranks in the Army, Navy and the Air Force of India
RIMC was established in 1922 by the British Empire for training native Indian cadets for an entry into the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to be trained as officers of the British Indian Army. The Prince Edward, The Prince of Wales, inaugurated the school on 13 March 1922, naming it the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College. The name was changed in 1947 when India became independent. It was located on the premises of the Imperial Cadet Corps (also called Rajwada Camp), set amidst 55 hectares (140 acres) of countryside adjacent to the Garhi Village in Dehradun Cantonment. The purpose of the school was to provide boys with education and training for the Indians being sent to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, as part of the Empire's policy to make the officer cadre of the Indian Army more indigenous. RIMC was intended as a feeder institution to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst along the lines of an English public school. The government order appointed a military commandant of the rank of Lt Colonel, a civilian headmaster, senior or junior British Masters and Indian Masters. The first commandant was Lt Col H.L. Houghton of the Sikh Regiment who took charge of the college on 22 February 1922. JGC Scott was appointed headmaster and the first group of British masters were JM Allen, CA Phillips and Kitter-master. The first mess contractors were MS Hazir and Co and the mess staff consisted mostly of Goans. Later the mess was taken over by the Army Service Corps.Hira Lal Atal was the first Cadet Captain and later as Adjutant General of the Indian Union, Major General Hira Lal Atal designed India’s highest award for bravery in combat, the Param Vir Chakra. Among the early cadets were K.S. Thimayya, Asghar Khan and others, who had illustrious military careers. After India gained independence in 1947, the school continued to train young men to become a part of the Indian Armed Forces. The major difference is that instead of serving as a public school whose boys joined the RMA, RIMC now offers an excellent public school life, oriented towards joining the NDA. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehra Dun (1922-1997) 2.00 "Cradle of Excellence" stamps were produced; The First Day Covers were issued on 13 March 1997. The school is spread over 54 hectares (130 acres) and has an enrollment of 250 cadets. A Hawker Hunter jet aircraft gifted to the college by the Air Chief Marshall N.C. Suri is placed in front of the administrative block. RIMC has a 1:12 teacher student ratio. Candidates for the school are selected from all over India through a national level competitive exam, the RIMC Entrance Exam that is held twice a year in each state. Successful candidates in the entrance exam have to go through a medical fitness test to be admitted to the school. Every year about 50 students are selected in two intakes from all over India and admitted into Standard VIII at the RIMC. The RIMC in 1922 was run on the lines of an English public school - Wellock College, a feeder to Sandhurst. The 37 cadets forming the first batch were divided into three Houses, called Sections at the RIMC, known as Rawlinson, Roberts and Kitchener after the three Commander-in-Chiefs of India. Hira Lal Atal was appointed the first College Cadet Captain with Ali Asghar Khan, Tara Singh and Sheikh Hussain the first Section Commanders, or House Captains, of the three Sections. In 1948, the names of the three sections were changed to Pratap, Ranjit and Shivaji from Rawlinson, Roberts and Kitchener. The new names represented the three great Indian warriors Maharana Pratap, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Chhatrapati Shivaji. Strength of the college increased significantly in 1960 and it was decided to keep the new entrants in a Holding Section to give them a chance to settle down. In 1965, the strength of the college rose to 200 and it became necessary to turn the Holding Section into a new House, which was called the Chandragupta Section after the Indian Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Cadets at the RIMC follow the 10+2 pattern curriculum of Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi over the next five years. A cadet, during his stay at the RIMC, gets a full glimpse of the life of an Indian Armed forces Officer. Student sports are hockey, football, cricket, basketball, squash, boxing, swimming, athletics and gymnastics. Horse riding and rifle shooting are other popular activities. After the cadets complete the 12th grade, they graduate from the RIMC and most of them go on to join the Indian Armed Forces by entering the National Defence Academy, Pune. The cadets then spend three years at the NDA with other students from the rest of the country and eventually get commissioned as officers in the Indian Armed Forces. |