NEW DELHI: Two service chiefs of the Indian Army and the Navy , for the first time in Indian military history, had been classmates from the same school, having enjoyed a bonding from the initial days of knowing each other.
Hailing from Sainik School in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa, Lieutenant general Upendra Dwivedi takes over as the next Army chief from General Manoj Pande while Admiral Dinesh Tripathi became Navy chief on May 1.
Defence ministry spokesperson Bharat Bhushan Babu said, "For the first time in Indian Military history, chiefs of Navy and Army hail from the same school. This rare honour of nurturing two prodigious students, who would go on to lead their respective services 50years later, goes to Sainik School, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh."
"Listen to this story of pride & honour of one school, grit & determination of two men, Hope & inspiration of thousands of youth in this week’s Raksha Sutra 'A journey of two classmates to the pinnacle'," he added.
Both were together in the school from class 5th-A in the early 1970s and even their roll numbers were around each other, as Lt Gen Dwivedi's roll number was 931 and Admiral Tripathi's was 938, according to ANI.
Their bonding was strong from the initial days in the school and they remained in touch all along, even though they were in different forces.
A defence official who knows both the officers said that strong friendships among the senior leadership in the military matter a lot in strengthening the working relationship between the forces.
The appointments of the two classmates have also come around the same time, in a gap of around two months.
Lt Gen Dwivedi has had a long tenure as the Northern Army Commander where he has had long exposure to the ongoing operations in the military standoff on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Born on July 1, 1964, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi was commissioned into the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984.
Hailing from Sainik School in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa, Lieutenant general Upendra Dwivedi takes over as the next Army chief from General Manoj Pande while Admiral Dinesh Tripathi became Navy chief on May 1.
Defence ministry spokesperson Bharat Bhushan Babu said, "For the first time in Indian Military history, chiefs of Navy and Army hail from the same school. This rare honour of nurturing two prodigious students, who would go on to lead their respective services 50years later, goes to Sainik School, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh."
For the first time in Indian Military history, Chiefs of Navy and Army hail from the same school. This rare honour of nurturing two prodigious students, who would go on to lead their respective Services 50 years later, goes to Sainik School, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/52FMCO01qM
— A. Bharat Bhushan Babu (@SpokespersonMoD) June 29, 2024
"Listen to this story of pride & honour of one school, grit & determination of two men, Hope & inspiration of thousands of youth in this week’s Raksha Sutra 'A journey of two classmates to the pinnacle'," he added.
Both were together in the school from class 5th-A in the early 1970s and even their roll numbers were around each other, as Lt Gen Dwivedi's roll number was 931 and Admiral Tripathi's was 938, according to ANI.
Their bonding was strong from the initial days in the school and they remained in touch all along, even though they were in different forces.
A defence official who knows both the officers said that strong friendships among the senior leadership in the military matter a lot in strengthening the working relationship between the forces.
The appointments of the two classmates have also come around the same time, in a gap of around two months.
Lt Gen Dwivedi has had a long tenure as the Northern Army Commander where he has had long exposure to the ongoing operations in the military standoff on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Born on July 1, 1964, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi was commissioned into the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984.
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