Opinion As RIMC turns 100, a celebration of its legacy of courage

Ashok K Mehta writes: Several alumni of the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, have distinguished themselves in service of the nation.

Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun. (Source: http://www.rimc.gov.in/)

Ashok K Mehta

March 16, 2022 04:14 PM IST First published on: Mar 15, 2022 at 03:40 AM IST

Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, previously the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, turned 100 years young on Sunday. Pakistani cadets had departed from the college at the time of Partition. None of the 163 Pakistan old boys is around to call himself a Rimcollian though they started their own RIMC at Hassan Abdal, with the redoubtable Hugh Catchpole — whom India did not give an extension — as principal.

India’s most charismatic general and army chief, K S Thimayya (Timmy) was an alumnus. He remained unruffled even after a spat with Defence Minister V K Krishna Menon led him to resign, though he was cajoled out of it by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the first Indian to command a brigade in World War II, and my battalion 2/5 Royal Gurkha Rifles, was assigned to his brigade in Japan where he pre-empted a mutiny in the paltan. Generals Gopal Bewoor, V N (Titch) Sharma and S Padmanabhan (Paddy), all of whom went on to lead the army, also graduated from RIMC. Padmanabhan was desperate to smash the Pakistan army during Operation Parakram in 2001 but the then Defence Minister Jaswant Singh, a soldier himself, restrained him. The Air Chiefs who graduated from RIMC are Nirmal Suri and Birendra Dhanoa (of Balakot fame). Lt Gen C P Mohanty, who retired as Vice Chief Army in January, missed becoming the fifth Rimcollian Army Chief by a whisker.

Today, two of the six operational army commands are held by Rimcollians (a third will be added on April 1) while three Vice Admirals and two Air Marshals adorn the other two services. Other alumni, who distinguished themselves are Major Generals Shah Nawaz Khan and J K Bhonsle; the former had joined the INA. One army, two air force chiefs and one navy chief in Pakistan also graduated from Dehradun.
In 1996, Sharma led a dozen and more mainly flag rank officers to Pakistan when Maj Gen Naseerullah Khan Babar, a Rimcollian, was interior minister to Benazir Bhutto. Tongue in cheek, Dawn newspaper carried the headline, ‘Indian Generals invade Pakistan’. Our meeting in Rawalpindi with the colourful Colonel Inayatullah Hassan, who used to brew his own beer in his basement, was unforgettable. He offered his indigenous brew, which I politely refused. Reluctantly, he climbed a stool and pulled out from behind some books, a hidden bottle of White Horse. Sheepishly, he announced it belonged to fellow Rimcollian, General Gul Hassan, a retired army chief who came around routinely to sniff it, and occasionally, to take a sip.

In 1997, at RIMC’s platinum jubilee, a large contingent of Pakistani old boys arrived in Dehradun, led by former Air Chief, Asghar Khan. They were delighted at returning to school and revisiting their dormitories and sprung beds, which had not been shifted. Maj Taj Mohammad Khanzada, DSO, MC was as excited as a 12-year-old, showing his family his bed and cupboard.

RIMC was raised as Imperial Cadet College (Rajwada Camp) on March 13, 1922, with 27 cadets mainly from princely families; it also included ordinary people like Hiralal Atal, who was the first cadet captain and later became the first adjutant general of the Army. He asked Savitri Khanolkar to design the Param Vir Chakra, which was won for the first time by Maj Somnath Sharma, who died in action in Kashmir in 1947. Similarly, the first Indian officer to win the Victoria Cross was Prem Bhagat. Both were Rimcollians.

As part of the celebrations, Rimcollian old boys will play cricket, hockey and squash with younger cadets, whom they will probably trounce because the umpires and referees are old boys. Around 500 Rimcollians with families will commemorate the centenary and much fun and joy will be had.

This column first appeared in the print edition on March 15, 2022 under the title ‘Soldiers’ credo’. The writer, a retired Lieutenant general of the Indian Army, is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College