Anand Mahindra hails Sonam Wangchuk as a ‘climate hero’. Here's why

The inspiration behind ‘Phunsuk Wangdu’ in the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘3 Idiots’, Ladakh’s Sonam Wangchuk has earned high praise from industrialist Anand Mahindra. The education innovator is on a mission to protect the “eco-fragile” union territory and had announced a five-day “climate fast” at Khardung La, where the temperature is as low as -40 degree Celsius, from January 26.

In an appeal sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 21, Wangchuk had warned that everything is not hunky-dory in Ladakh. To alert people towards the effects of climate change and melting glaciers, the 56-year-old activist undertook a test run of the fast on the rooftop of Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL) Phyang, 11,500 feet above sea level on Sunday.

On January 23, he announced that his test run ahead of the climate fast was successful. In a clip shared on Twitter, Wangchuk said, “It’s been..close to minus 17. And with wind chill factor, maybe minus 20. I am alive and happily up. This test went very well. I was not too uncomfortable. Just a little cold at the feet and knees." The climate activist also thanked people for their support.

Retweeting the successful test run video, Mahindra called Wangchuk a “climate hero”. Netizens chimed in with appreciation with a user calling him a “true patriot”. One user wrote, “Our government should seriously think about his region. He is an asset to our nation," while another added, “We need more men like Wangchuk sir!

Mahindra had lauded Wangchuk last February for inventing an environment-friendly solar tent for soldiers to use in extreme weather conditions. “...I think this may, arguably, be an offering that is the need of the hour for the country. I salute you," he had tweeted then. Mahindra had shared pictures of him meeting Wangchuk and his wife Gitanjali in April 2022. “A true innovator & a national asset," he captioned the post.

In his earlier video message, the reformist had stated studies from Kashmir University and other organisations which found that nearly two-thirds of the glaciers in Leh-Ladakh will be extinct if the region isn’t safeguarded from “industrial exploitation”.