SRI NAGAR: Sonam Wangchuk has already earned fame as an engineer, innovator and education reformist in Ladakh. And now he is emerging as a unifying force in the Buddhist-dominated Leh and Muslim-dominated Kargil districts of the cold desert in the Himalayas.
Wangchuk, 56, staged a five-day ‘climate fast’ at the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL) campus in Leh from January 26-30. He has been demanding that concrete steps be taken for safeguarding the environment of the Union Territory, where temperatures drop below -20 degree Celsius. Another of his major demands is that Ladakh be granted statehood and brought under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution.
Wangchuk’s five-day protest culminated with a public rally at Polo Ground in Leh on January 31, in which local residents joined him in raising the demands. “We are unhappy with the Union Territory that we have got. We thought it would be better than being a part of Jammu and Kashmiri, as we would have a legislature and decisions would be taken according to people’s wishes. But we have not seen anything like that happen. Now, only one man (Lt Governor) is taking all the decisions for us,” Wangchuk, who was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2018, said.
“What sin has Ladakh done that it will be kept without representation and democracy? Is it the punishment that Ladakhis get for supporting the Indian Army in every war?” he asked.
The protests have propelled Wangchuk as a political activist, with many seeing the fast as a display of his political ambition. However, politics is not new to him. Wangchuk’s father Sonam Wangyal was a politician and served as a minister in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government. His brother P Wangyal is also a politician and the deputy chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh.
Wangchuk himself has been known for more things than one, and being the inspiration behind Aamir Khan’s character, Phunsukh Wangdu, in the Hindi movie 3-Idiots was perhaps one of the first glimpses that the outside world got into his life. He has been in the news for his work as an education reformer and for his innovations, such as the eco-friendly solar-heated tent that he built in 2021 for the use of the Army personnel in extremely cold places like Siachen and Galwan valley in Ladakh region.
Over the years, the same snowy landscape has fuelled the eco-warrior in him, and Wangchuk brought attention to how mining and other comparable activities may cause the Himalayan glaciers to melt, leading to water crisis in Ladakh and the entire country.
However, his recent agitation has certainly worked to put a leader’s cap on Wangchuk’s head. He has won support from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two socio-religious, political and youth organisations of Leh and Kargil districts, which have joined hands to lead a campaign for seeking full statehood, 6th Schedule status, two Lok Sabha seats and jobs for locals in Ladakh.
After he chanted slogans in favour of both the groups and their demands during the rally in Leh, he was invited by the LAB to be a part of their delegation whenever the group is invited for talks by the Union home ministry. Wangchuk has agreed to join the delegation and is also thinking of getting together with the LAB to amplify their demands.
With Wangchuk emerging as a unifying force in Ladakh, and the parliamentary polls just a year away, if he does decide to take a plunge into active politics, the situation may get tough for sitting BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal in 2024. For Wangchuk, it may not be a steep climb at all.