Totom Rigia, VKV Kuporijo, has brought laurels to Arunachal Pradesh
Totom Rigia, a Class 10 student from Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya (VKV) Kuporijo, has brought laurels to Arunachal Pradesh by securing top positions at the recently concluded YUVIKA (Yuva Vigyani Karyakram) 2025—an annual young scientist programme organised by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Rigia was among eight students selected from Arunachal Pradesh to participate in the two-week residential training programme held from May 19 to 30 at the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC) in Shillong.
The prestigious programme aims to introduce schoolchildren to the fundamentals of space science, technology, and applications, with a focus on nurturing scientific curiosity among the nation’s youth.
This year, ISRO shortlisted 350 students from across India out of nearly 98,000 applicants based on a structured selection process.
The immersive programme included lectures, hands-on technical sessions, model rocket making, telescope integration, practical 3D and virtual reality training, drone and robotics demonstrations, and cultural activities.
Participants also had the opportunity to witness a live Rohini-200 sounding rocket launch, engage in a self-defence workshop, and attend an interactive online session with Indian astronaut Angad Prathap.
Educational visits were conducted to the Science Centre and Planetarium in Guwahati, Eastern Air Command, and Don Bosco Museum in Shillong.
Showcasing his academic and analytical aptitude, Totom secured the second position in a quiz competition and third place in a project presentation held after the programme.
The young achiever is the son of Dikto Rigia and Meena Mara Rigia of Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district.