Sonam Wangchuk, man who inspired '3 Idiots', tells PM Modi that 'all is not well' in Ladakh

Leh, Jan 23: Sonam Wangchuk, engineer-turned-education reformer, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the protection of Ladakh and other Himalayan regions from "industrial exploitation" in the wake of studies claiming that the extinction of nearly 2/3rd of the glaciers in Ladakh.

"If measures are not taken, the industries, tourism, and commerce will continue to flourish in Ladakh and will eventually finish it. Recent studies from Kashmir University and other research organizations have concluded that glaciers in Leh-Ladakh will finish nearly to its 2/3rd if they are not properly taken care of. A study by Kashmir Univesity has found that the glaciers surrounded by highways and human activities are melting at a comparatively faster rate," ANI quoted Wangchuk as saying.

According to him, not just global warming due to America and Europe, the local pollution and emissions are equally responsible for the climate change. He claims that areas like Ladakh, there should be minimal human activities so that the glaciers can remain intact for the locals and the country across. Wangchuk, the social reformist from Ladakh whose life story inspired the Bollywood film 3 Idiots, then stressed the need for the adoption of sustainable development, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the protection of Ladakh and other Himalayan regions from "industrial exploitation".

"It is my appeal to PM Modi to provide protection to Ladakh and other Himalayan regions from this industrial exploitation as it will impact and safeguard the lives and jobs of the people. However, I believe that besides the government, the people should also be equally concerned about climate change and look after the measures to mitigate it," he said.

It has to be noted that Wangchuk's personality had inspired the fictional character of Phunsukh Wangdu enacted by Aamir Khan in '3 Idiots'.

He runs an innovative school, the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), whose campus runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuels for cooking, lighting, or heating. He set up the SECMOL in 1988 with the aim of supporting Ladakhi children and youth and training the students whom the system termed as failures.

The social reformer batted for the sustainable mode of living that the resources are being used to meet the development goals while keeping them preserved for the coming generations so that the nature can continue providing its resources and services to the humans.

He has appealed to children to avoid wasting food and clothes as it technically harms the environment in return. The reformer 'urgently' appealed to the people of the country and the world to help protect the "environmentally sensitive" region of Ladakh. He has also highlighted to PM Modi to intervene and safeguard the ecosystem under the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution.

"This is an urgent appeal from Sonam Wangchuk in Ladakh (in the Indian Himalayas) to the people of India and the world to help protect the environmentally sensitive region of Ladakh. He appeals to the Prime Minister of India to intervene and safeguard this fragile ecosystem under the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution," the description of video read.

Wangchuk wants his message to reach PM Modi and the people on Republic Day, for which he would sit on a five-day fast at the Khardongla pass.

"I will hold this 5-day long fast (Sanketik Anshan) at the Khardongla pass at a temperature of minus 40 degrees to deliver my message that these glaciers will not live anymore if we continued doing such hazards to the Earth," he told ANI.

On Twitter, Wangchuk wrote: "A TEST RUN for my #ClimateFast at #Khardungla 18,000 ft minus 40 degrees Celsius starting 26th January... But the test is on my rooftop at #HIAL Phyang at 11,500 ft Will update about the -20 experience in the morning #SaveLadakh."