The Director General of Military Training at Army Headquarters, DHQ PO New Delhi-110011 is in charge of running the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), which is an institution classified as Inter-Service Category “A.” His Royal Highness, Prince Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales, officially opened the college on March 13, 1922, when it was previously known as the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College. It used to be on the grounds of the Imperial Cadet Corps, which was formerly known as Rajwada Camp. It was set in 138 acres of lush green countryside next to Garhi Village in the Dehradun Cantonment. “It is the first few blows on the anvil of the life that gives the human weapon the set and temper that carry him through life’s battles,” he said in his address to the first thirty-seven Cadets. The Prince also mentioned the ancient Indian custom of “Guru and Chela.” The foundation of RIMC ethos is this relationship of mutual love and reverence.
The traditions and history of RIMC are extensive. Over the course of the past year, the alumni have produced numerous civil and military leaders, including four Chiefs of Army Staff, two Chiefs of Air Staff, and one Chief of Naval Staff in India; Pakistan has one Army Chief of Staff and two Chiefs of Air Staff; Numerous general, flag, and air officers, commanding corps, fleets, wings, and divisions, and other prestigious positions exist on both sides of the border. In addition, many high-ranking civilian officials, including governors, ambassadors, ministers, and captains of industry, have entered, and exited through the RIMC’s prestigious entrances. As beacons of inspiration for today’s young students, portraits of such luminaries adorn our walls in strategic locations.
Indian boys who were being sent to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, as part of the Indianization program for the officer cadre of the Indian Army, needed to receive adequate education and training at this institution to ensure a high pass rate. RIMC was more like an English public school before Sandhurst than a college. It was not even a college. The British believed that public school education in India was necessary to become an army officer if education in Britain was not available. The British believed that Indian boys, whose upbringing prepared them for the rigors and self-discipline of army life, required a special kind of education in a public school. As a result, the college strives to equip the selected young men with the skills necessary to manage national security issues in the future. to function as a feeder institution for NDA and NAVAC, as well as to make it possible for cadets to apply for CME and Technical entry (CTW) and any other programs from which they can join the Defense Services.
