Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 12

About 140 veteran officers along with their spouses and 20 wives of the officers who are no more are expected to turn up at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on Wednesday for the three-day gala event meant to re-unite with their comrades and alma mater, 50 years after they passed out from the academy.These officers from 41 Regular/25 Tech courses were commissioned into Army on June 9, 1968 after successfully completing their training at IMA and many among those rose to serve the top echelons of the Army. This class of 68 gave the Army 11 Lt Generals, a Kirti Chakra and many gallantry award winners. In addition, the course has the distinction of producing a Vice Chancellor, sky divers, mountaineers, CEO of NGOs, entrepreneurs, educationists and corporate heads.Talking to the Tribune, Brig RS Rawat (retd), who was then the sword of honour of this passing out course, disclosed while they were enthusiastically looking forward at the re-union. They would also pay tribute to all staff that trained them in IMA, transforming the then trainees GCs into young officers. “We will be hosting a dinner for instructors as a mark of respect towards those who train the Gentlemen Cadets at the IMA”, he pointed out. The highlight of the reunion will be an opportunity for the veterans to scan through their dossiers recorded 50 years back during their training at the IMA. Veteran officers will also be going around the IMA, seeing the changes the academy has undergone over the years.While preparations began nearly a year back, it has been a Herculean task to contact the course scattered to the far corners of the country from Imphal to Trivandrum. The IMA too is prepared for the occasion. The IMA has created a structured programme for the participants to understand how the academy has been upgraded to meet the needs of modern warfare and to produce officers who can win battles for their country. The veterans will also perform Wreath Laying Ceremony at the IMA War Memorial to remember their comrades in arms lost in the service to the nation.“There will also be formal occasions to remember the course-mates lost otherwise and honour their brave wives and families. But more importantly, most of us are looking forward to meet their long lost company buddies and their better halves. The hub of the activities will be the Vikram Batra Gentlemen Cadet’s Mess and the Company Lines of the Gentlemen Cadets, where these veterans will be staying”, Brig Rawat observed.