The Old Crest consisting of three Ostrich Plumes was replaced in 1964 by the new Crest consisting of the peacock feathers, giving due regard to the old traditions and the new national aspirations. It is appropriate to give briefly the history of the old crest and its motto as had been procured through the courtesy of Vice Admiral Hill Carlill in 1956. For long it was accepted that the badge of the three ostrich feathers "erect argent, penned or" and the motto "ICH DIEN(E)" were won by the Black Prince from King John of Bohemia at the battle of Crecy. Later investigations, however, revealed that this was unlikely because the King of Bohemia's crest had always been the wing of an eagle. It appears that the three feathers are most likely to have been derived from the arms of the Black Prince's mother, Phillippa of Hainault, and they also appear in a seal of Edward II dated after his marriage with Phillippa.
Kings and princes of the Plantagenet and Lancastrain dynasties- and indeed the Tudors also- each bore a number of different badges and among these ostrich feathers figure frequently in varying numbers and arrangements. The familiar badge of the three silver feathers may have been tacitly reserved for the Prince of Wales.
The ostrich feathers and the motto "Ich Dien" were given to the College in March 1922 on its inauguration by the then Prince of Wales. Since then the cadets of the RIMC have worn the crest and the motto keeping up the high ideals and traditions of the badge. But with independence it became necessary to have a crest and motto, true to the sovereign and independent status of India. Thus after long deliberation it was decided by the Government to have peacock feathers in place of the ostrich plume. This is indeed, very appropriate as the peacock is our national bird and stands for beauty, grace, poise and strength. It has also the power to kill the evil symbolised in the snake. Again, the peacock is the vehicle of both Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and wisdom and Karttikeya, the God of War.
In the new design, the British Crown has given place to the Ashoka Chakra which, in addition to its association with the great Indian Emperor Ashoka, stands for equality and eternal progress. The bull and the horse on either side of the Chakra stands for strength and speed respectively.
The motto "BAL, VIVEK"- Strength and Wisdom has also been selected in keeping with the meaning of the new crest and the aim for which RIMC stands. The old motto "Ich Dien" (meaning ' I serve' ) on the other hand was appropriate for the age gone by.