New Delhi: Two classmates from school in early 1970s are now leading Indian Army and Navy, NDTV reported.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi and Army Chief Designate Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi studied together from class 5th-A at the Sainik School, Rewa, in Madhya Pradesh.
Their roll numbers too were around each other with Lt Gen Dwivedi having 931 and Admiral Tripathi 938.
The strong bonding from school made them remain in touch all along, despite being in different forces.
A defence official reportedly said that strong friendship among senior military leadership helps strengthening relationship between forces.
"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," Defence Ministry Spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu was quoted saying in a post.
Their appointments also occurred in around two months apart with Admiral Tripathi taking the command of the Indian Navy on May 1, Lt Gen Dwivedi will be taking over his new appointment tomorrow.
Lt Gen Dwivedi had long been the Northern Army Commander amid the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control 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.