IMA Course

Description

The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is an officer-training academy of the Indian Army in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It was established in 1932 following the recommendation of a military committee formed under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Philip Chetwode. It started of with 40 male cadets in 1932 and has a total capacity of 1,650 now. The training varies from 3 to 16 months depending on entry criteria. Cadets are permanently commissioned into the Army as Lieutenants after their training is completed. 

The Academy is spread over 1,400 acres which houses the Chetwode Hall, Khetarpal Auditorium, Somnath Stadium, Salaria Aquatic Centre, Hoshiar Singh Gymnasium and these are named after few of our war heroes and few of them are are honored with the prestigious Param Vir Chakra. The mission of the Academy is to create future military leaders of the Indian Army. Cadets participate in a variety of activities including sports, drills, weapons training and leadership skills. 

Gentleman Cadet Life

One can get into IMA through different options. One of them is after graduating from your training at National Defence Academy. Upon completion of your graduation from Army Cadet College which is a wing of IMA, direct entry through the Combined Defence Services Examination followed by SSB exams, and technical entry under University and College schemes. Those who go to train at the Officer Training Academy in Chennai are commissioned as Short Service Commissioned Officers. Your marital status plays a vital role. Lady Cadets were not inducted into the Indian Army through IMA but few likely changes are doing the rounds.  

The trainees are referred to as Gentleman Cadet or GC. The Academy has high standards of conduct and ethics. Let me quote the words 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 GCs come from various parts of India. Emphasis is laid down on self-discipline. The training is designed to test one’s physical and mental balance in terms of not only physical but also mental health so that you can be prepared to face the worst of the battlefield. 

Training

Technical graduates, ex-NDA, ex-ACC and University entry cadets are trained at IMA for one year. Direct entry cadets train for one and a half years while the Territorial Army officers course is for three months only. During the training you are entitled to stipend per month as per the 7th pay commission. 

In addition to creating future military leaders, the Indian Army believes in physical training, weapons training and leadership development. Let me quote 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 the 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 divided into character building, service and academic subjects. Service subjects defines the basic military knowledge to the extent required for an infantry platoon commander. Academic studies focus on general education. In the early 1970s, the service to academic subjects were offered 16:9 (64% service to 36% academic); this ratio was improved for technical graduates to a ratio of 83% service subjects and 27% academic subjects. Over time, the rate has fluctuated according to need.

GCs Physical Endurance

Weapon training includes a range of battle with hits and misses, jungle warfare and shooting range. The syllabus is frequently reviewed and changes made as needed. Cadets are trained to think of enemy’s point of view as well. For example, you act like a terrorists and others plan to capture. The Cadets are trained for all types of combat or conventional, representative, low-level or antagonistic. 

Games and sports include cross country, hockey, basketball, polo, athletics, football, aquatics, volleyball and boxing. An annual sports meet is also conducted. It is mandatory for all the Cadets to get them insured against death and disability during training.