The IMA Ball is a precursor to the final event – The Passing Out Parade of the IMA. The highlight of the evening is the selection of Mr IMA and Miss IMA. The IMA Ball is held towards the end of each term to mark the culmination of the rigorous training schedule of the passing out course. The event is associated with fun and frolic is also termed as the ‘Break Up Party’ for the Third Termers. It is one of the major events at the academy that GCs look forward to, eager to invite their partners into their world or basically to show off the army way to their lady partners.

The IMA Ball parties are just synonyms for the world where the men are full of chivalry and a part of elite culture, the reminiscence of a world totally stranger to the outside world. These gentlemen cadets are trained from one of the world’s elite military training institute ‘Indian Military Academy’ where the overall emphasis is put on turning ‘Boys into Men’. The GCs are imparted academic as well as fieldcraft and weapon training to turn them into a scholar warrior but grooming the Personality like an officer’ is also an important part of their education. There’s a reason we call them ‘Gentlemen cadets and officers’. Among all other aspects of their training, it is their behaviour towards the ladies that makes them earn the title of being Gentlemen.

Let’s dive in and try to find about these ball parties now.
Parties or specifically ball parties in the elite military academies all around the world are an integral part of the training for which the GCs waits for their entire duration of the course. Generally, the IMA ball party is organised 2 weeks before the Passing out Parade where invite their lady friends as their ball partners and showcase in front of them an extremely high sense of courtesy, manners, etiquettes and chivalry. We can say that the night of the ball party is one of those nights where the world sees the extremely romantic side of a GC who otherwise was training for years and months to kill the enemy in any formidable situation.

If we are talking about the ball party then we should also discuss the dress code too. The young GCs and other officers along with their girlfriends and wives don the ceremonial “6 Bravo” uniform which is a customary Indian Army party dress code of officers for official as well as social gatherings. They look immaculately handsome in heavily ironed white shirts and black trousers along with a crisp yet soft Camarbandh and shiny boots. The army wives dress in elegant sarees and the girlfriends and the respective ball partners who have been invited by the GCs prefers to dress in trendy skirts and gowns.

The event starts at about 1900 hrs. Academy gates open for the annual influx of beautiful ladies. The Gentlemen cadets receive their lady partners and move to the venue together. The Ball Dance Party starts once the Commandant and the first lady arrive and they set the IMA Ball rolling to initiate a starry event full of romance, vigour and josh. Though unlike the popular perception no true form of Ball Dance is shown anywhere various skills of Desi dance forms are displayed on mostly Bollywood or desi Music and rarely on some English tunes.

The Ball party is organised usually in the huge lawn at IMA with a massive well-lit stage, huge dance floor and some good sound system. The event starts with a welcome note by emcees, followed by Mr and Ms IMA competition. The common trend that follows is that each company from every battalion presents two of the participants competing for the coveted titles of Mr and Miss IMA. This includes ramp walk, Q&A rounds and many more fun activities that basically depend upon the culture of the place and the institute.

Once the winner is announced by the judges, the commandant rolls the huge disco ball and is the first one to dance on the dance floor along with his wife and gradually other army officers join in along with their respective partners. The cadets dance with their ball partners unlike the ones who could not get a dance partner and are called STAGs but no worries they also dance and keep trying their luck by asking the hands of the girls present around or whosoever is standing alone. You haven’t seen dance unless you’ve seen these guys dance like there’s no tomorrow.

Once the IMA Ball Party comes to full swing everybody is just having fun and nobody really bothers about following the proper steps. People in the Army surely know how to enjoy themselves as one of the 15 OLQs is liveliness. Food and drinks are also organised through the drinks are prohibited for the cadets and it is mostly for the Army officers invited there but some smart ones somehow sneak in a few ones.

It is a thrilling experience for the young ladies to have dinner with the chivalrous cadets who treat them no less than a queen during Ball dinners. Usually, a photo booth is also set up around so that people can take pictures too for the memories that they will cherish lifelong. So after eating, getting clicked, chatting and dancing for endless hours, the party ends at about 2330 hrs. All the guests leave and cadets move for night fall-in.

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Jai Hind