Ideas Of India 3.0 — 'Live Simpler Lives So That...': Sonam Wangchuk Urges City Populace

Sonam Wangchuk's remarkable personality served as the inspiration behind the character of Phunsukh Wangdu portrayed by Aamir Khan in the renowned 2009 film '3 Idiots'.

Sonam Wangchuk At Ideas Of India 2024 Summit.

Ideas Of India Summit 2024: On the first day of 'Ideas Of India Summit 3.0', the third edition of ABP Network's flagship event, Activist & educator Sonam Wangchuk talked about the dangers of mining in the mountains. Sonam Wangchuk said, "I want to tell people living in big cities that their lifestyle has a huge impact on the fragile ecology of mountains like ladakh... Live simpler lives so that there is less need for extraction and mining. Please live simpler lives so that people in mountains may simply live."

Continuing his impassioned plea, Wangchuk lamented the prevailing trend of prioritising desires over contentment. "Unfortunately, today we are chasing after fulfilling desires rather than conquering them. If we had chosen the right path, we wouldn't have made a mess of this planet. This value is what can make us a 'Vishwaguru'. We better show a different path, working on the demand side, minimizing desires rather than only addressing the supply side of raw materials and minerals," Sonam Wangchuk said.

"All the minerals and materials of the world will not fulfill your bucket if the bucket has no bottom. What Buddha said was about putting a bottom to the bucket so that you can be contented with the minimum, " He added.

When asked Do you think that after 1991, after liberalization, after globalization, in a sense, we became a much more consumerist society, much more focused on ourselves, on what we are doing now, less focused on the world, we're leaving behind for our children.

Sonam Wangchuk replied, "Yes, I do, after liberalization. But already we were on the path of this external material development as development. Maybe it was suppressed and suffocated before liberalization, just gave an opening vent to that. But we need to go back to values of internal growth rather than only external, which has not much to do with the liberalization. I mean, we could have been a suppressed nation."

"One criticism that the West has always had of India and of China is that when there are international treaties about climate change or whatever, we take the line that for so long you guys irresponsible, you polluted the earth, you became rich Now when our people finally have a chance, you want to hold us back with all kinds of limitations and restrictions," Wangchuk said.

'Nature Needs Electoral Representation For World's Protection'

Expressing his views on representation and environmental stewardship, Sonam Wangchuk said, "I love it when PM Modi says 'Vasudhaiva kutumbakam' [World is one]. But nature is not counted in this world. Delhi and Mumbai get so many electoral seats because of the population. But Ladakh has one seat because it doesn't have too many people and has natural resources. Nature needs more representation." 

Notably, Sonam Wangchuk, has issued a stark ultimatum, threatening to commence a fast unto death starting February 26 should the ongoing negotiations with the Central government fail to yield substantial results.

Various Ladakhi leaders and organizations have been actively engaging in discussions with the Centre concerning a spectrum of demands, including statehood for Ladakh and the implementation of constitutional safeguards to protect the region's cultural and environmental heritage. Initially slated to initiate the fast on Tuesday, Wangchuk postponed his plans as the ongoing dialogues showed signs of progress.

For over two years, the people of Ladakh have been voicing their grievances, stemming from the Modi government's 2019 decision to revoke Article 370 and establish Ladakh as a union territory separate from Jammu and Kashmir. While J&K was accorded UT status with a legislative assembly, Ladakh was excluded from the same legislative framework.

Born in 1966, Sonam Wangchuk, a mechanical engineer, serves as the Director of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL). He gained recognition with the prestigious Magsaysay Award bestowed upon him in 2018. Wangchuk's remarkable personality served as the inspiration behind the character of Phunsukh Wangdu portrayed by Aamir Khan in the renowned 2009 film '3 Idiots'. The innovative engineer from Ladakh is best known for founding the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), a pioneering school that operates entirely on solar energy, eliminating the need for fossil fuels in cooking, lighting, or heating.

Established in 1988, SECMOL is dedicated to nurturing Ladakhi children and providing a platform for students who have been deemed failures by the conventional educational system. In 1994, Wangchuk launched Operation New Hope, aimed at reforming government school systems. His innovative approach led to the creation of low-cost solar-heated buildings made of mud, effectively regulating temperatures during harsh Ladakh winters.

Wangchuk's groundbreaking invention, the Ice Stupa, offers a solution to water scarcity in mountainous regions. In 2021, he devised an eco-friendly solar-heated tent for Army personnel stationed in freezing areas like Siachen and the Galwan valley. In November 2022, he was honored with the seventh Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award by former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. This prestigious award is presented every alternate year in memory of Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios, the first Metropolitan of Delhi Diocese and a revered philosopher.

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