Sonam Wangchuk was an Indian engineer, educator, innovator, environmentalist and education reformer. In 1988, he founded the NGO Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) in Ladakh, India. In the 2009 Bollywood film 3 Idiots directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan’s character Phunsukh Wangdu was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk (Sonam Wangchuk), he gained recognition. In 2017, he won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award at the GQ People of the Year Awards.
Wiki/Biography
Sonam Wangchuk was born on Thursday 1 September 1966 (age 57; as of 2023) in Ulito near Archi, Jammu and Kashmir (now Ladakh), India Kepo. His zodiac sign is Virgo. Since there was no school in the village, he was homeschooled by his mother in his native language until he was 9 years old. When he was 9 years old, his father was posted to Srinagar and he moved with his family to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. He studied in a school in J&K. It was very difficult for him to study there because he had difficulty understanding the local language, so he was often considered dull. Unable to tolerate the treatment he received from the school, he fled Srinagar in 1977 and came to Delhi, where he explained his situation to the principal of the school, Vishesh Kendriya Vidyalaya. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from REC, Srinagar (now National Institute of Technology, Srinagar) in 1987. In 2011, he studied for a master’s degree in civil architecture at the Crater School of Architecture in Grenoble, France.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 70kg
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Sonam Wangjie, a politician. He served as a minister in the government of Jammu and Kashmir. His mother’s name was Tsering Wangmo.
Sonam Wangchuck’s mother
wife and children
Not much information is available about his wife and children.
Signature/Autograph
Profession
education reformers
In 1988, he founded the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) with a group of students who could not adapt to the Ladakh education system.
One of the main buildings of the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) campus
In June 1993, he founded Ladags Melong magazine, the only printed magazine in Ladakh. From June 1993 to August 2005, he served as editor of “Ladags Melong” magazine. In 1994, he launched Operation New Hope with the help of the Indian government and many communities in various villages across India to improve the government education system in India. In 2001, the Hill parliamentary government appointed him as an education adviser. In 2002, she joined hands with other NGO leaders to create a Ladakh NGO network called the Ladakh Voluntary Network (LVN). In 2005, he resigned as Secretary of the Executive Committee. In 2004, he was selected as the Chairman of the drafting committee of the Ladakh Hill Assembly Government’s vision document “Ladakh 2025” and played a key role in formulating education and tourism policies. In 2005, he started serving as a member of the National Basic Education Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. In 2007, he started working as an educational consultant for a Danish NGO called Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS). In 2013, he became a member of the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Board. In 2013, he helped Ladakhi students form the New Ladakh Movement (NLM), a social movement and political party dedicated to sustainable education, environment and economy. Later, members of the movement transformed it into a non-political social movement. In 2014, he was a member of the expert panel that drafted the education policy and vision document for the state of J&K.
innovator and environmentalist
ice tower
In 2013, he unveiled a prototype for an artificial glacier called the Serac, which stores water from streams during the winter in the form of giant ice cones or stupas. When the stupas begin to melt in late spring, the water will be released. in order to be used. The main reason for finding this solution is to end the water crisis faced by farmers in Ladakh during April and May. In February 2014, he built a prototype of an ice stupa capable of storing approximately 150,000 liters of abandoned winter stream water. In 2016, he began building seracs in high-altitude glacial lakes to reduce the chance of disasters. In an interview, when he was asked about the inspiration behind the invention of the ice stupa, he said:
One day I saw some ice hanging under the bridge. This made me realize that it’s not summer or winter that causes ice to melt, it’s direct sunlight. One of our senior engineers, Mr. Nofill, is studying frozen streams. But since he was doing this on a flat surface, he needed to do it at high altitude. He inspired us and pushed me to think about solutions. I thought, why can’t we do this at normal altitude? “
Ice stupa in Ladakh
In 2016, the chairman of the municipal government of Pontresina, a city in the Engadine Valley of Switzerland, invited Sonam Wangchuk to build a serac as a tourist attraction. In October 2016, he and his team worked with Swiss partners to build Europe’s first ice tower.
Ladakh Farm Stay
In 2015, he began working on establishing the Himalayan Alternative Institute. In 2016, he launched a project called “FarmStays Ladakh” where Ladakhi women open their homes as homestays for tourists, allowing them to experience the culture, local food and lifestyle of Ladakh. On June 18, 2016, Chesang Rinpoche unveiled the project.
Chetsang Rinpoche launches farm stay program in Ladakh
siphon technology
In 2016, the Sikkim government invited him to use siphon technology in one of the country’s dangerous lakes. In September 2016, he and his team came to South Lonak Lake in northwest Sikkim to apply siphon technology. He and his team installed the first stage of a siphon system to drain the lake to a lower, safer level.
solar heated tent
In 2021, he made solar tents for Indian Army personnel serving in extremely cold areas such as Siachen and Galwan Valley in Ladakh. The solar tents he makes do not use fossil fuels for heating, making them economical and environmentally friendly.
Solar heated military tent #IndiaArmy exist #galwanvalleyIt’s now 10pm +15C.The lowest temperature outside last night was -14 C, replacing a lot of kerosene and pollution #climate changeFully portable for 10 Javanese, all parts weigh less than 30kg. #Made in India #MadeInLadakh #carbonneutral pic.twitter.com/iaGGIG5LG3
— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) February 19, 2021
dispute
Under house arrest!
On January 26, 2023, he announced a five-day hunger strike in Khardung La, Ladakh, to draw the attention of the Indian central government and highlight the demands of the people of Ladakh. One of his most important demands was the extension of the provisions mentioned in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He was later placed under house arrest by the police for preventing him from performing a five-day fast at the top of Khardung La and restricting those who wanted to visit him.The police asked him to observe the fast at the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Studies (HIAL) Ladakh campus as fasting in Khardung La was dangerous for him and his followers, where the temperature could drop below -40 degrees°When C. was interviewed, he revealed that the police did not do this for his safety, but to try to restrict him from raising his voice. He said,
The system is abusive to the police and they don’t care about my safety. They are doing this all for their own safety and want to keep my voice confined to campus simply because the UT administration has failed to address the issues and concerns of the people of Ladakh. ”
Sonam Wangchuck on day three of five-day hunger strike in Ladakh
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 1996: Governor’s Medal for education reforms in Jammu and Kashmir
- 2001: Named Person of the Week
- 2002: Won the Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship Scholarship in the United States
- 2004: Won the Asia Shelter Green Teacher Award
- 2008: Won the CNN-IBN TV Real Hero Award
- 2014: UNESCO Chair Earth Building, designed by CRATerre, France
- 2016: International Terra Award for Best Earth Architecture
- 2016: Won the Rolex Enterprise Award
Sonam Wangchuk receives Rolex Award from actress Michelle Monaghan
- 2017: Won the National Outstanding Environmentalist Award from the Johnson & Johnson Government
- 2017: Won the Global Sustainable Architecture Award
- 2017: Won GQ Person of the Year Award and Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- 2017: Won the Indian Collective Action Honor Award in San Francisco, California, USA
- 2018: Awarded the title of Outstanding Technical Expert of IIT Mandi Himalayan Region
- 2018: Symbiosis International Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa
- 2018: Received the Ramon Magsaysay Award
- 2022: Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award for outstanding contribution to creative innovation and sustainable development
Sonam Wangchuk receives Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award from former Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu
Facts/Trivia
- In 2016, he delivered a TEDx talk on “Education in India: Student Failure or System Failure?!” In 2017, he delivered another TEDx talk on “Changing the Education Landscape”.
Sonam Wangchuk 2017 TEDx Talk
- In June 2020, he asked Indians to boycott Chinese products after fierce clashes between Chinese and Indian troops. Many celebrities, including model and actor Milind Soman, have supported his call.
- In 2021, he appeared in an advertisement for WhiteHat Jr, a children’s teaching platform.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education