Stories
Odisha Boy's Journey: From Radio at 6 to Defence Firm with Drones in Operation Sindoor
M
Moneycontrol•30-09-2026, 13:23
Odisha Boy's Journey: From Radio at 6 to Defence Firm with Drones in Operation Sindoor
- •Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, from Bhadrak, Odisha, built a community radio at age 6 and a rocket at 18, inspired by watching launches from Wheeler Island.
- •Despite being barred from the university lab, he led a team of students to build and launch a rocket that reached 16,000 feet, attracting national attention and praise from PM Modi and ISRO.
- •His early projects focused on solving local problems, like creating a community radio for flood warnings and an organic formulation for pest control.
- •After engineering, he co-founded IG Drones, providing drone solutions, and later IG Defence, specializing in defence technology, including systems used in Operation Sindoor.
- •Sanghapriya, now CEO of IG Defence, aims to build advanced drone systems for India and its allies, expanding Indian drone technology globally.
Key Questions Answered
Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya is an entrepreneur from Bhadrak, Odisha, who built community radio and student rockets before co-founding IG Drones and later establishing IG Defence after graduating in engineering in 2018.
Then ISRO chairman K Sivan sent a technical team to examine the student-built rocket, leading to a six-hour discussion and the subsequent establishment of the ISRO-VSSUT Space Innovation Centre.
IG Defence builds surveillance systems, tactical unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS technology, autonomous strike platforms, and JAGA VTOL UAVs procured by the Ministry of Defence, which were deployed during Operation Sindoor.
