Two tribal students from Idukki interact with President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Idukki/New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) Two tribal students from this high-range district of Keralam participated in an interactive programme with President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday as part of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebrations, officials said.

A government press release said Mithun M and Aleena Jose, both former students of the Painavu Eklavya Model Residential School, were among students selected from different states to interact with the President.

Mithun, who secured the first rank at the state level in the Class 12 Humanities stream at the school, is currently a first-year Political Science undergraduate student at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam.

He is the son of Murugan and Reshma, natives of Mannakudy in Idukki district. Apart from academics, he had also excelled in arts and sports at the school level, the release said.

Aleena, who secured an excellent result in the SSLC examination at the state level, is currently a Plus One Science student at St Joseph Higher Secondary School, Karimannoor.

She is the daughter of Jose Raju and M A Sujamol of Perakath House, Udumbannoor, in Idukki district.

A member of the Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme, Aleena received the Best Cadet badge at the state-level camp held in Thiruvananthapuram in 2025.

She was also a member of her school band and girls' football team, the release said.

The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), under the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, selected the two students for the interaction.

V M Subaida, a Hindi teacher at the school, accompanied them.

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas is observed to honour the contributions and sacrifices of tribal communities in India's freedom struggle and their rich cultural heritage. November 15, the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, is observed as the day, according to the press release.

The Centre declared November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas in 2021.

The interaction with the President is also seen as national recognition of the academic achievements of tribal students and a proud moment for the students, their former school and Idukki district, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)