Lucknow, Oct 7 (INB) City Montessori School (CMS) on Wednesday celebrated the appointment of its alumnus Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit as the next Chief of the Air Staff, saying his elevation was a matter of pride for the institution and Lucknow. Dixit, a member of the CMS Rajendra Nagar campus’s 1980 batch, will take over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff on October 31, succeeding Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, the school said in an official statement. CMS said Dixit’s distinguished career in the Indian Air Force had been recognised with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal. Gopal Baglay, a retired IFS officer and former High Commissioner of India to Australia who is also an alumnus of the CMS Rajendra Nagar campus, congratulated Dixit on his appointment. “It is a matter of great pride for all his classmates, friends and associates to see Ashutosh Dixit reach the summit of a brilliant career in the Indian Air Force. This outstanding officer and yet a very unassuming man from Lucknow, also the home of Sqdrn Ldr Trevor Keelor, has proved that with dedication and commitment, not even sky is the limit,” Baglay said. CMS Founder-Director Bharti Gandhi, Managing Director Geeta Gandhi Kingdon and the school’s faculty and staff congratulated Dixit and described his journey as an inspiration for young people, the school said. Sudarsh Kaur, who was the principal of the CMS Rajendra Nagar campus when Dixit was a student, also congratulated him. “For me, personally, it is a matter of immense pride that my student has reached the highest pinnacle of achievement in his field,” she said. The school distributed sweets at its head office to mark the occasion and conveyed its best wishes to Dixit for his tenure as Chief of the Air Staff.
