Major Ralengnao "Bob" Khathing, born on February 8, 1912, in Manipur, was a trailblazing Indian military officer and administrator. He was one of the first from Northeast India's tribal communities to join the British Indian Army and later served in the Indian Administrative Service. Notably, in 1951, he led a mission to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, effectively integrating it into India by establishing administrative control and securing peace. Khathing also served as India's ambassador to Burma, contributing significantly to Indian diplomacy. His efforts in nation-building and regional integration are remembered as pivotal in the history of Northeast India.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding with the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi, and the Assam Rifles, earlier the Memorial Lecture was named as “Martyr’s Memorial Lecture’ and later renamed as ‘Major Bob Khathing Memorial Lecture’.  The lecture commenced in the year 2020. It has been decided to organize the Major Bob Khathing Memorial Lecture annually. The First Memorial Lecture was held on 21 Nov 2021.

The last Maj Bob Khathing Memorial Lecture was held on 08 Dec 2023.  Lt Gen AK Sahni, PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM (Retd) was the guest speaker and the topic was ‘Evolving Security Scenario in North East and its Strategic Implications’.