Manipur Boy Justice Konjengbam’s Rocketry Dream Lands In Relief Camp

Twenty-year-old Justice Konjengbam's initial success came in April 2022 when he test-fired a rocket made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, plywood, and an iron slab as a launchpad.

Twenty-year-old Justice Konjengbam with his PVC rocket. ( Image Source :DIPR, Manipur )

Amidst the nationwide celebration of Chandrayaan-3's historic achievement, a young boy in a secluded corner of a relief camp for internally displaced people in violence-stricken Manipur nurtures his dream of becoming a rocket scientist.

The significant soft-landing of the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) developed Launch Vehicle Mark-3 on the moon on August 23 this year led Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the day as 'National Space Day.' Prior to this remarkable day, 20-year-old Justice Konjengbam, a self-taught rocket enthusiast, had already test-fired his improvised rocket thrice. However, these attempts fell short of his satisfaction, as reported by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur.

Since the outbreak of unprecedented violence on May 3 this year in the northeastern state, Justice, along with his parents, two younger sisters, and hundreds of others, fled their homes in Churachandpur district. They sought refuge in relief camps established on the premises of Moirang College in Bishnupur district's Moirang town.

Justice is currently pursuing an undergraduate programme in Physics (fifth-semester) at a government-run college. His initial success came in April 2022 when he test-fired a rocket made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, plywood, and an iron slab as a launchpad. Despite reaching a height of 100 feet, he aimed for 500 feet. The experiment took place at Moirang College ground in full view of his teachers and friends. Notably, Justice assembled the rocket in his crude laboratory in Churachandpur over three months.

In November of the same year, Justice fired another rocket, soaring up to 1.5 kilometres. In a recent test this year, his rocket reached a height of three kilometres. However, Justice faces numerous challenges due to the current law and order situation in the state and his displacement to a relief camp.

“I felt really proud when I heard the news of Chandrayaan-3. I wished I could be a part of the ISRO mission in any section. I want to learn more about the propulsion engine,” Justice expressed.

Never did Justice imagine that he would one day take shelter in a relief camp within the premises of his college. Although his family has a Moirang domicile, they've lived in a rented house in the New Bazar area of Churachandpur district for over 20 years, selling vegetables to make a living. With no certainty of returning to his laboratory amidst the ongoing disruptions, Justice is uncertain about the future of his rocketry endeavours.

“I have named my experimentation on rocket propulsion as ‘Project Cocoon.’ Out of a cocoon comes a butterfly flying in the air; likewise, out of my laboratory, a rocket will propel into the air and touch the sky,” said Justice, acknowledging the adverse impact of the current law and order situation on his work.

Although Justice admitted he's not well-versed in the Indian rocketry scene, considering it a popular hobby in the West, he emphasized that for him, rocketry is not just a hobby; he has invested his heart and soul into it, even amidst the challenges.

Justice’s mother, Konjengbam Ranjana, expressed contentment over her son’s success in his first solid-fuel rocket launch in April last year. However, she lamented that poverty dampens Justice’s visions.

“My son has been a restless child from a very young age. He keeps assembling something or the other. He wanted to make a robot when he was in 10th standard. But we had no money to buy his gadgets,” said Ranjana.

Justice attributed Hollywood Sci-Fi movies as a major influence since childhood. His venture into rocketry was a solitary journey with no one to share his dream and, above all, no money to meet his gadgetry needs. He made his first rocket with crude components mostly procured online, using money borrowed from a friend, and the internet as his sole guide, the release said.

“I am happy that my family has been very supportive even though we are displaced now. Over and above, the teachers of Moirang College have given me a ray of hope to pursue my rocketry dreams,” Justice said.

Deputy Director of ISRO, Dr Raghu Ningthoujam, who hails from the same district as Justice, on a different note, pointed out that Justice’s rocketry, besides infrastructural support, needs the right kind of mentoring from the right person.