The purpose of this institution was to provide Indian boys with suitable education and training to ensure a high pass-rate for the Indians being sent to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, as part of the Indianisation programme of the officer cadre of the Indian Army. RIMC was not, in fact , a College, but a pre Sandhurst institution run along the lines of an English public school. The British believed that for becoming an army officer, if an education in Britain was impossible, a public school education in India was an absolutely necessity. The British believed that public school education was particularly necessary for Indian boys whose up-bringing made them unsuitable for the rigours and self-discipline of army life.
Addressing the young boys at its inauguration, the Prince of Wales remarked on the importance of "the first few blows on the anvil of life that give the human weapon the set and temper which carries one through life's battles". The Royal guest also urged the administrators of the school not only to keep the high ideals of public schools in England but also foster and maintain the old Indian spirit of mutual reverence which bound together the "Guru and his Chela".
The evolution of RIMC is closely linked with the overall Indianisation of the officer cadre of the army at a very critical period under the British. Therefore, to understand the history of RIMC and view it in its right perspective, it becomes necessary to have a clear picture of the process of Indianisation of the civil and military services in India and also comprehend the full impact of the changing political environment leading to India's independence.
Knowing the RIMC is impossible until one knows the background of the historical events which led to the setting up of this college. Illustrating the background of events was an ardous task and a challenge accepted by Jasbir Khurana, Kitchener (1939-45) and the previous editor of the Rimcollian. Read on "A concept evolves" by Jasbir S Khurana
