Bangalore Military School

Bangalore Military School (Rashtriya Military School Bangalore or King George Royal Indian Military College) is a residential school in Bangalore, Karnataka, India,^[1] established on 1 August 1946. Bangalore Military School is one of the only five institutions of its kind in India; the other four being Ajmer Military School, Belgaum Military School, Chail Military School and Dholpur Military School. The cadets enrolled in these schools are known as Georgians, after their founder father King George.^[2]

History

King George V (1865-1936) was the king of Great Britain and the emperor of India from 1910 to 1936. Though during World War I he had no direct responsibility, his duties took him to 450 military and naval installations, 300 military hospitals and to several other places for personally distributing as many as 58,000 decorations. It was during these visits that King George V was so impressed with the courage and fighting abilities of the Indian troops that at the conclusion of the war, he decided to set up some institutions for education of children of Indian Jawans. Hence these schools were named King George Royal Indian Military Colleges. Initially, these schools were opened between 1925-1930 at Jhelum, Jullundhar and Ajmer. In 1945 when World War II came to an end, two more King George Royal Indian Military Colleges were started at Belgaum and Bangalore by King George VI.^[3]

With the nucleus of 100 south Indian Boys, 50 from Jullundhar and 50 from Ajmer, the King George VI Royal Indian Military College (KGRIMC) had its origin in Bangalore in 1946. During World War II, the site of present school was used as a convalescent home for British troops. In the beginning, the staff were entirely military personnel, with exception of office staff who were civilians. Lt Col RHD Ross of the 8th Punjab Regiment, later transferred to RAEC was the first Commandant. In 1948, Lt Col Ross retired and left for UK. His place was taken by Maj TW King the first Indian Officer in Command. Initially, all instructors were officers, but they were gradually replaced by JCOs. In Lt Col TW King's time civilian masters began to be appointed.

Re-organisation of Military School

Main entrance

Till 1952 Regimental Centres sponsored the sons of JCOs/ORs for admission to KGRIMCs. The aim then was to give education up to Army Special Classes and then make them VCOs. Some of them were also commissioned as officers.

In 1952, KGRIMCs were reorganised as residential public schools on the recommendations of a committee headed by Dr Hridaya Nath Kunzru. On reorganisation, public school education was, for the first time, brought within the reach of middle class. Admission was thrown open to sons of service officers and civilians as well. Instead of Army Special Exams, boys were now required to pass Senior Cambridge Exams. The motto then was Play The Game.

In 1966, King George Schools were renamed as Military Schools. Affiliation to the University of Cambridge was replaced by the Central board of secondary education (CBSE). The motto of the schools was changed to Sheelam Param Bhushanam which translates to Character is the Greatest Virtue.

In July 2007, the school was renamed as Rashtriya Military School Bangalore (RMSB), to reflect the 'All India' outlook of the school.

Category 'A' establishment

Like all other Rashtriya Military Schools, Rashtriya Military School Bangalore is a Category 'A'(at Par with Rashtriya Indian Military College, National Defence Academy) Establishment under the direct control of DGMT(MT-15). All instructions pertaining to finance, training, admission and recruitment are received directly from AHQ (MT-15). General Officer Commanding, Karnataka Kerala and Goa Sub Area is Chairman Local Board of Administration.^[4]

Subdivisions

• Nehru House: Second to none
• Rajaji House: Nils Desperandum
• Shashtri House: Play the game
• Tagore House: To seek to strive and not to yield

In 1993, two "holding houses" were introduced- Cariappa for students joining Std. VI and Vishveshwarya for Std. VII. Similarly in 2002, a separate house by the name of Fifth House was instituted for the students joining Std. VI. These were disbanded later.

Admissions

Admission to class VI

Students are not admitted directly to the school. Students aged in between 10-11 appear in CET for all military schools,^[5] followed by interviews and medical examinations to join the school according to merit list (the success rate is approximately 1% of the total applicants). Further details can be found on the website of Director General of Military Training (MT15).^[6]

Admission to class XI

Admission to class XI is based on marks secured in the X class.

Reservations

• 70% of seats are reserved for the wards of JCOs, OR in Army, Navy and Air Force including ex-servicemen. 20% of the seats are reserved for the wards of officers and 13% for the wards of civilians.
• 15% and 7.5% of the seats in each of these categories are reserved for SC and ST candidates.
• 10 seats in each Rashtriya Military School are reserved for wards of personnel killed in action.

Academics

The academic block

The school is affiliated to the CBSE of India. Unit tests are held quarterly in addition to half yearly and annual examinations. Students appear for AISSCE (10th) and AISSE (12th) along with other CBSE affiliated schools in India. Student to staff ratio is about 2.5:1 and student to teaching staff ratio is 10:1 which is far above the national average of India. Staff are recruited by central government from all over India. School curriculum includes eight periods of 40 minutes each. Daily two hours of compulsory prep is included in a routine for students to concentrate on studies.

Sports and physical education

Facilities for the following games exist in the school:^[7]

• Hockey
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Football
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Badminton
• Lawn Tennis
• Table Tennis
• Swimming
• Judo
• Athletics

The school has a gymnasium. Mountain bikes have been procured for adventure rides. The school has roller skates and the cadets are encouraged to participate in adventure activities organised by the school. The school has been recognized by Sports Authority of India (SAI) as a Nodal Centre for Boxing. Regular training in boxing is given by them in the Old Assembly Hall.

Literary Events

Cadets participate in debates, declamations, quizzes, extempore, dance, theatre, poetry recitation in English and Hindi. They participate in inter-house and inter-school competitions.

Facilities

The school has an eight-bedded hospital and has a Medical Officer with two Nursing Assistants. The school has multiple play grounds, fully furnished courts, a boxing ring, a judo hall, a swimming pool, an auditorium, a Tuck Shop and a CSD Canteen.

Buildings and school area

Bangalore Military School is spread over 68 acres.^[8] New buildings include Cadets Mess, Assembly Hall, Six class rooms complex and residential accommodation for Administrative Officer, RMO and two Master Gazetted Officers.

The school swimming pool, closed for many years, was renovated and recommissioned in January 2004. A new building for accommodating all 340 cadets in a single complex was completed in December 2006, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the school. Accommodation for six Master Gazetted and six Assistant Masters were completed in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

A new building incorporating Physics, Chemistry and Biology Labs was completed in October 2009. The Chemistry and Biology Lab buildings are being renovated for Computer and Language Laboratories.

The School Memorial

The school memorial

The school gives a distinct number to every cadet who earns admission here. A monument was built in 1998 under the patronage of the then Principal, Lt. Col. Charanjeet Singh Gill. The monument is the brainchild of the then Administrative Officer Lt.Col DPK Pillay who is an alumnus of the institute. On the memorial is inscribed every cadet's name along with their school number. The monument was inaugurated by Major General RPRC Naidu^[9] who is again an alumnus of the school.^[10]

Alumni

The school has produced Generals (Lt Gen and Maj Gen), Brigadiers and Colonels and Lt Colonels along with Governors, Ministers, civil servants, actors and business tycoons.

• Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria - Param Vir Chakra, Indian Army
• Major General RPRC Naidu - Indian Army
• Lieutenant Colonel DPK Pillay - Shaurya Chakra, Indian Army
• Rajendran Christie - goal keeper of Olympic Gold winning Indian Hockey Team during the 1968 Olympics in MexicoPo
• Arun Sarin - former CEO of Vodafone
• Navin Nischol - Bollywood actor
• Dino Morea - Bollywood actor

Old Boys Association

Ex-Georgians have remained active with the school by joining the Old Boys Association. The association has its office in the school campus. They have meetings to discuss aspects related to the association and to the school. Once a year, generally in the second week of December, a reunion is organized by the association.Join me in old boys association I am 1827 Shamsher Singh Chauhan Tagore house. Passed out In 1983

Inspections

Inspections of the school are carried out annually:

• Annual Admin Inspection by the GOC KK&G Sub Area.
• Technical Inspection by the Director MT-15.
• Inspections by Central Governing Council member.

Commandants and Principals

Administrative Officers

See also

• DPK Pillay
• Ajmer Military School
• Belgaum Military School
• Chail Military School
• Dholpur Military School

Citations

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bangalore Military School.

Indian military academies and colleges
Education & Training	Armed Forces Medical College Ajmer Military School Bangalore Military School Belgaum Military School Chail Military School Dholpur Military School Rashtriya Indian Military College
Tri Service	Defence Services Staff College National Defence Academy National Defence College
Indian Army	Army Cadet College Army War College College of Military Engineering Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School High Altitude Warfare School Indian Military Academy Military College of Telecommunication Engineering Officers Training Academy
Indian Air Force	Air Force Academy Indian Air Force Test Pilot School
Indian Navy	Indian Naval Academy
Military academy Military education and training

Coordinates: 12°57′45″N 77°36′31″E / 12.962372°N 77.608505°E / 12.962372; 77.608505