Jamalpur Gymkhana

Last updated

Jamalpur Gymkhana Jamalpur Gymkhana.jpg
Jamalpur Gymkhana

The Jamalpur Gymkhana, often referred to as Gymkhana (or merely Gym) by its members, is a hostel for young apprentice officers of the Indian Railways in Jamalpur, Bihar, India. It is also a club like any other Gymkhana. The difference is that membership to this club is restricted only to those who spend their formative years in its corridors. It is difficult to talk about Gymkhana without quickly moving on to the anecdotal history of its members - current and past, referred to as Gymmies by its inmates.

Contents

History

In the early 20th century, India faced a shortage of mechanical engineers in running a fast-growing rail system. The Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), started in the year 1888 as Technical School. In the year 1927, the training of Mechanical Engineering Officers for Indian Railways commenced. It is the oldest of the six Centralised Training Institutes (CTIs) functioning for training of Officers of the Indian Railways. IRIMEE is located at Jamalpur in the Munger (spelled Monghyr, during the British rule of India) district of Bihar, on the Patna - Bhagalpur rail route.

IRIMEE conducts short term courses for Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) Officers and other Organisations, 18 months training for IRSME Probationary Officers and four years undergraduate programme for the Special Class Apprentices (called SCAs or SCRAs for Special Class Railway Apprentices).

The 'Special Class Railway Apprentices' (SCRAs) stay at the Jamalpur Gymkhana during the four years when they undergo training as undergraduate engineers. They have been doing so since 1929 when the Gymkhana was built. But in 2015, Railways decided to close down this examination after UPSC communicated that it was not inclined to continue conducting the examination.

Life after graduation

Officers are assigned a Home Railway on completion of the course. This is the regional zone that will (usually) be where the officer will spend the first 4-8 (or more) years of the career.

The young officers go through an 18-month training and Bharat Darshan (Tour of India) to better understand, and designated as IRSME(P)/ ADME(P), with corresponding officers entering via IES exam:

On successful completion of this phase the officer is posted as an Astt. Div. Mech Engr (ADME). Depending on the posting, (s)he works directly under a SrDME or DME, or holds an independent charge. The officer may be posted to Zonal/Divisional HQs, Railway workshops, Diesel shed, Carriage/Wagon depots, or deputed to one of the Indian Railways companies. Having joined the service at a young age, the officers are likely to reach the top positions of the Railway Management.

Distinguished alumni

International Honours

BatchNameAward
1958 R K Pachauri, on behalf of IPCC Nobel Peace Prize

National Honours

BatchNameAward
1938K L Bery Padmashri
1941A C Chatterjee Padmashri
1944P C Luther Padmashri
1945M M Suri Padmashri
1947M L Khanna VSM (1971)
1947P S Chaudhuri VSM
1957N C Sinha Mentioned in Dispatches (1971)
1958 Rinkesh Verma Padma Bhushan

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munger</span> Urban Agglomeration in Bihar, India

Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern India and undivided Bengal during Mughal period and British Raj. It is one of the major political,cultural,educational and commercial center of Bihar and Eastern India. Munger is situated about 180km from east of capital city Patna, about 480km west of Eastern India's largest city kolkata and 1200km from country's capital New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamalpur, Bihar</span> City in Bihar, India

Jamalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated 8 km from the Munger city centre. Jamalpur is a part of Munger-Jamalpur twin cities.It is main railhead for reaching Munger city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra</span> Engineering college in Jharkhand, India

Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi is a public deemed institute in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. It was established in 1955 at Mesra, Ranchi, by the industrialist B. M. Birla. The institute was later headed by G. P. Birla, and the present chairman of the board of governors is C. K. Birla. It was declared as a deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act.

Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) was a programme by which candidates are selected by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) India, to train in the undergraduate program in mechanical engineering at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur. This programme started in 1927 and is one of the oldest in India.

The Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE), was founded in 1888 as a technical school and commenced training Mechanical Officers for Indian Railways in 1927. It is the oldest of the five Centralised Training Institutes (CTIs) for training officers for Indian Railways. IRIMEE is located at Jamalpur in the Munger district of Bihar, on the Patna-Bhagalpur rail route. IRIMEE provides theoretical and practical training for a four-year undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering as well as professional courses to officers and supervisors of Indian Railways. There are also courses for non-railway organizations and foreign railways.

The Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering, abbreviated as IRSME, is one of the group 'A' central engineering services of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Mechanical Engineering Division of the Indian Railways. Till 2019, IRSME officers were drawn from the Combined Engineering Service Examination (ESE) conducted by Union Public Service Commission. All appointments to the Group 'A' services are made by the president of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamalpur Locomotive Workshop</span> Railway workshops in Bihar, India

Jamalpur Locomotive Workshop is a railway workshop established on 8 February 1862 as the first fully-fledged railway workshop facility in India. It was started by the East Indian Railway Company (EIR) as a result of the so-called "Railway Age" in India, which began in 1854.

Jamalpur may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Academy of Indian Railways</span>

The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara formerly Railway Staff College and historically the Pratap Vilas Palace, is a Centralised civil service, engineering and medical training institute for Civil Service, Engineering and Medical Officers of Indian Railway Personnel Service, Indian Railway Stores Service and Indian Railway Medical Services cadre headed by a Director General and staffed by a faculty of experienced Railway Managers and Experts. Starting with the initial training of Officers Trainees inducted as Central Civil Services, Engineering and Medical professionals that form the backbone of Indian Railways, the Academy also conducts, mid-service mandatory or theme based in service Management Courses for all Officers of IR and courses for Officers of other Group A Central Services, Public Sector and Foreign Railways. The Academy is housed in the sprawling 55 acres campus of the Pratap Vilas Palace at Lalbaug, Vadodara.

The Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunication, Secunderabad is an Institute based on Signal Engineering and Telecommunications. Located in Secunderabad, this institute is run by the Ministry of Railways (India), Indian Railways in 1957 as a subsidiary of Indian Railways.

The Indian Railways Institute of Electrical Engineering (IRIEEN), Nashik, was set up by Indian Railways at Nashik in Maharashtra for imparting training to newly appointed officers of the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers, recruited through an Engineering Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, New Delhi. The institute was set up in 1988 at Nashik, Maharashtra. The institute is headed by the director. He is assisted by a team of nine faculty members who have practical experience as well as technical qualifications.

The Centralised Training Institutes of the Indian Railways has eight constituent institutes. The Indian Railways is the largest civilian employer in the world at approximately 1.6 million employees. Around 12000 officers form the line and staff management. Training of all the management cadres is entrusted and shared between these eight institutes.

Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering (IRICEN), Pune is the training institute for the Civil engineers of the Indian Railways. The institute had a modest start in 1959 as the Permanent Way Training School for training entry level Civil engineers. It is now a Centralised Training Institute and trains officers of the IRSE cadre of the Indian Railways.

The Indian Railways are broadly organised from functional groups within the Indian Railway Service. India's rail system is managed at a regional level since Indian Railways have divided themselves into eighteen zonal railways. Each zone, headed by a General Manager, is semi-autonomous and this creates a matrix organisation where the functional branches are under dual control viz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liluah</span> Neighbourhood in Howrah in West Bengal, India

Liluah is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Liluah has a railway junction, which is the first station after Howrah station under the Eastern Railway (India). Its history dates back to the British era when the Liluah Carriage and wagon Workshop was set up to release pressure off Howrah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail Wheel Plant, Bela</span> Railway wheels and wagon manufacturer in India

Rail Wheel Plant, Bela is an independent Production Unit of Indian Railways. It is situated in Bela Gram Panchayat, Dariapur Block, Parsa in Saran district of Bihar. It was inaugurated in 2008 by the former Railway Minister of India, Lalu Prasad Yadav. It was built at a cost of 1,450 crore (US$180 million). It is spread over a land area of 165 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagalpur Junction railway station</span> Railway station in Bihar

Bhagalpur Junction railway station, is an A-1 category railway station serving the city of Bhagalpur in the Bhagalpur district of Indian state of Bihar. It comes under jurisdiction of Malda Railway Division of Eastern Railway Zone of Indian Railways. Bhagalpur Railway Station is among the 148 important stations that have been selected for redevelopment with world-class infrastructure having an airport like look. Malda Division has approved its master plan for redevelopment at a cost of 481.60 crores. A new terminal will also be built next to this station and its DPR has been sent to the ministry for approval. Trains such as Vikramshila Express, Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express, Anga Express, etc originate from this station.

Articles 315 to 323 in Part XIV of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of Public Service Commission for the Union of India and a Public Service Commission for each State. The same set of Articles of the Constitution also deal with the composition, appointment and removal of members, power and functions and independence of a Public Service Commission. Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to conduct examinations for recruitment to the "All India Services" (AIS) and the "Higher Central Services" (HCS) and to advise the President on disciplinary matters. State Public Service Commission in every state to conduct examinations for recruitment to state services and to advise the governor on disciplinary matters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashwani Lohani</span>

Ashwani Lohani is a retired officer of Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers. He has earlier worked as the Chairman & Managing Director of Air India and the former Chairman of the Railway Board of Indian Railways. After being retired from Government service on 23 July 2020 he joined GMR Group where He is currently serving as Chief Executive Officer.

Suneet Sharma is the 2nd Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Railway Board, Indian Railways and the ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India. Sharma is a Central Government Engineer of IRSME cadre of the 1982 batch.

References