ANECDOTES FROM THE HISTORY OF INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY

1st - This one is about a first course cadet.... 'Smith' was the first cadet to arrive at the Dehradun Railway station (written as Dehra – Dun then) . He was from Burma. On arrival at the station, he was received by the GSO 1. When asked for name, he smartly said "Smith Sir".  '"You can't be just Smith there must be a surname after it" said the GSO 1" "No Sir" said Smith "I have no surname"  This went on for some time till the GSO 1 got irritated and said, '"OK Cadet Smith, You are no longer just 'Smith'. Since you are in Dehra-Dun, You are now Cadet Smith Dun and this will be your permanent  official surname as long as you serve in the Army " And that is how it was !!!. 

Cadet Smith Dun won the Sword of Honour of his Course and thus walked into the anals of IMA history for ever as the very first cadet to win the very first Sword of Honour  in the history of IMA and of the Indian Army. He distinguished himself in WW 2 and later became the Army Chief of the Bumese army .

2nd. Cadet  Sam Manekshaw ( a few courses after the First) was a very good  boxer and loved to fight in the ring or better still outside of it!. As  luck would have it, he was in the same weight category of another good  boxer a course junior to him. Naturally, during the annual boxing  tournament at IMA, both were slotted against each other. 

The bout began  and was a very determined contest closely fought, It went all the way  right to the last miniute of the last round. Both boxers had excelled and  scored identical points. just a few seconds were left when Sam's opponent  lowered his guard just a wee bit to rub down a  glove when Sam delivered a  "stinging right hook" that became the final punch that knocked his  opponent down.  

Does History have a sense of humour ?!  Why not ! Sam's opponent  was a  certain cadet named Tikka Khan !