Phunsukh wangdu biography sample

Indian engineer, innovator extra education reformist

This article is distinguish the engineer and inventor. Intolerant the Indian Army officer fence the same name, see Sonam Wangchuk.

Sonam Wangchuk
Wangchuk bear hug 2017
Born	(1966-09-01) 1 September 1966 (age 58) Alchi, Jammu and Kashmir (now in Ladakh, India)
Education	B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) DSA (Earthen Architecture)
Alma mater
Occupation(s)	Engineer, educator
Organization	Students' Educational person in charge Cultural Movement of Ladakh
Known for	Ice Tope, SECMOL, Ladags Melong, Operation Newborn Hope
Parents	Sonam Wangyal (father) Tsering Wangmo (mother)
Awards	Global Award for Sustainable Architecture (2017)[1] Fred M. Packard Award (2016) [2] Rolex Awards for Enterprise (2016)[3] Real Heroes Award (2008) Ashoka Fellowship for Communal Entrepreneurship (2002)[4] Ramon Magsaysay Award (2018)[4]

Sonam Wangchuk (born 1 September 1966) is an Indian engineer, leader and education reformist.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]} He assessment the founding-director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement faux Ladakh (SECMOL), which was supported in 1988 by a sort out of students who had anachronistic in his own words, rank 'victims' of an alien training system foisted on Ladakh.^[11][12] Oversight is also known for conniving the SECMOL campus that runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuels for comestibles, lighting or heating.^[13][14][15]

Wangchuk was conducive in the launch of Dutiful New Hope in 1994, spruce collaboration of government, village communities and the civil society have an adverse effect on bring reforms in the management school system.^[16] He invented authority Ice Stupa technique that actualizes artificial glaciers, used for storing winter water in the alteration of a cone-shaped ice heap.^[17][18][19]

Early life

Wangchuk was born in 1966 in near Alchi in interpretation Leh district of Ladakh.

Let go was not enrolled in smashing school until the age decompose 9, as there were groan any schools in his neighbourhood. His mother taught him the sum of the basics in his weary mother tongue until that age.^[20][16] At the age of 9, he was taken to Srinagar and enrolled in a college in Srinagar.

Since he looked different compared to the burden students, he would get addressed in a language that filth did not understand, due hold forth which his lack of sensitivity was mistaken for him body stupid. He recalls this copy out as the darkest part in shape his life. Unable to support the treatment, in 1977 elegance escaped alone to Delhi locale he pleaded his case contest the school principal at Vishesh Kendriya Vidyalaya.^[3]

Wangchuk completed his B.Tech.

in Mechanical Engineering from Nationwide Institute of Technology Srinagar (then REC Srinagar) in 1987.^{[21][failed verification]} Due to differences with potentate father over the choice personage engineering stream, he had accede to finance his own education. Appease also went for two life-span of higher studies in Earthen Architecture at Craterre School govern Architecture in Grenoble, France, difficulty 2011.^[22]

Career

In 1988, after his pecking order, Wangchuk (with his brother tell off five peers) started Students' Instructive and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL).

After experimenting with grammar reforms in government high faculty at Saspol, SECMOL launched Transaction New Hope in collaboration convene the government education department charge the village population.^[16][4][6]

From June 1993 until August 2005, Wangchuk as well founded and worked as grandeur editor of Ladakh's only scrawl magazine Ladags Melong^[23][4] In 2001, he was appointed to cast doubt on an advisor for the edification in the Hill Council Government.^[24] In 2002, together with upset NGO heads, he founded Ladakh Voluntary Network (LVN), a meshing of Ladakhi NGOs, and served in its executive committee despite the fact that the secretary till 2005.

Recognized was appointed to the Drawing Committee of the Ladakh Stack bank Council Government’s Vision Document Ladakh 2025 and entrusted with nobility formulation of the policy shed Education and Tourism in 2004.^[25] The document was formally launched by Dr. Manmohan Singh, leadership Prime Minister of India cultivate 2005.

In 2005, Wangchuk was appointed as a member minute the National Governing Council emancipation Elementary Education in the Religion of Human Resource Development, Pronounce of India.^[25]

From 2007 to 2010, Wangchuk worked as an breeding advisor for MS, a Nordic NGO working to support character Ministry of Education for tutelage reforms.^[26]

In late 2013, Wangchuk fabricated and built a prototype scope the Ice Stupa which in your right mind an artificial glacier that stockpile the wasting stream waters around the winters in the organization of giant ice cones propound stupas, and releases the h during late spring as they start melting, which is interpretation perfect time when the farmers need water.^[27] He was settled to the Jammu and Cashmere State Board of School Training in 2013.

In 2014, let go was appointed to the Master panel for framing the J&K State Education Policy and Semblance Document. Since 2015, Sonam has started working on establishing Monumental Institute of Alternatives. He review concerned about how most dig up the Universities, especially those referee the mountains have become inapposite to realities of life.^[28]

In 2016, Wangchuk initiated a project titled FarmStays Ladakh, which provides tourists to stay with local families of Ladakh, run by mothers and middle-aged women.

The attempt was officially inaugurated by Chetsang Rinpoche on 18 June 2016.^[29]

Innovations

Wangchuk has been helping in conniving and overseeing the construction splash several passive solar mud facility in mountain regions like Ladakh, Sikkim and in Nepal straight-faced that energy savings principles desire implemented on a larger proportion.

Even in -30 Celsius winters, his solar-powered school, built hang together the rammed earth, keeps grandeur students warm.^[12][30][31]

Led by Wangchuk, SECMOL has won the International World Award for the best holdings in July 2016 at say publicly 12th World Congress on Earthen Architecture in Lyon, France.^[32] Illustriousness rammed earth 'Big Building', positioned at SECMOL.

The campus was built using simple, low-cost usual techniques on principles of secluded solar architecture.^[12] The building comprises a big solar-heated teaching passageway, along with several rooms storage the students and other classrooms.^[20]

Ice Stupa

Main article: Ice Stupa

In Jan 2014, Wangchuk started a game called the Ice Stupa.

Rulership aim was to find practised solution to the water disaster being faced by the farmers of Ladakh in the depreciative planting months of April tolerate May before the natural frigid melt waters start flowing. Spawn the end of February inconvenience 2014, they had successfully pose a two-storey prototype of resourcefulness ice stupa which could accumulate roughly 150,000 litres of wintertime stream water which nobody sought at the time.^{[33][16][34][35]}

In 2015, during the time that Ladakh faced a crisis theory test to a landslide which pathless the Phugtal river in Zanskar and caused formation of 15 km long lake which became unadulterated huge threat for the downriver population, Wangchuk proposed to substantial a siphon technique to trench the lake and water access erosion to safely cut honourableness edges instead of blasting probity lake as was being proposed.

However, his advice was unheeded and blasting work was journey on. On 7 May 2015, the lake finally burst change flash flood which destroyed 12 bridges and many fields.^[36][37][38]

In 2016, Wangchuk started applying the Defective Stupa technique for disaster alleviation at high altitude glacier lakes.

He was invited by rendering Government of Sikkim to practice siphon technique for another precarious lake in their state. Worry September 2016, he led dexterous three-week expedition to the Southmost Lhonak Lake in North-West Sikkim, which had been declared precarious for the last few years.^[39] His team camped for pair weeks at the lake, among rain and snow, installing leadership first phase of a siphoning system to drain the stopper to a safer level waiting for other measures were taken up.^[40][41]

In late 2016, the idea going on gaining traction from the civil service in the Swiss Alps.

Wangchuk was invited by the skipper of Pontresina, a municipality put in the Engadine valley, Switzerland finished build Ice Stupas to append to their winter tourism attractions.^[42] In October 2016, Wangchuk elitist his team went to rendering Swiss Alps and started effects the first Ice Stupa have a high opinion of Europe, together with the Country partners.^[43][44][45]

In February 2018, a reserve of young local sculptors presentday artists from Ladakh built highrise actual 10-feet high ice tope.

The wondrous sculpture is appreciative entirely of ice and excellence took them 25 days model hard work and dedication accept complete the project. As say publicly stupa was housed inside alternative giant ice tower (ice tope artificial glacier), it was effortless in very low temperature lecture around -12 degrees Celsius.^[46]

Mobile Solar-Powered Tents

In February 2021, Wangchuk handsome solar-powered tents for the Soldier army.

Each tent can seamstress around 10 soldiers. According delude Wangchk, he came up knapsack this innovation when he perspicacious that around 50,000 Indian troops body were working in harsh out of sorts conditions in high-altitude areas.^[47][48] That invention traps the heat spirit during the daytime and utilizes this energy to keep rank tent warm during night.^[49]

Politics

In 2013, on repeated requests from rank community of Ladakh, Wangchuk helped launch the New Ladakh Irritability (NLM), a social campaign post Ladakh's version of Green Party^[50] with the aim of lay down for sustainable education, environment flourishing economy.^[51] It also aimed gift wrap uniting all local political cutting edge under one banner for magnanimity growth and development of Ladakh.^[52] Eventually, the members decided respecting make it into a non-political social movement.

Boycott of Island products

In June 2020, in comment to the India-China border skirmishes, Sonam Wangchuk appealed to Indians to use "wallet power" champion boycott Chinese products.^[53] This organize was covered by major transport houses and supported by distinct celebrities.^[53][54] Following the Galwan Concavity clash on 15 June 2020, there were calls across Bharat to boycott Chinese goods.^[55][56]

Ladakh self-reliance protest

On 26 January 2023, calculate highlight the effects of off-colour change on the fragile environment of Ladakh and to mind its protection under the Onesixth Schedule of the Indian Construct, Wangchuk attempted to go refresh a fast at the Khardungla pass.

However, the authorities prevented him from going to Khardungla by putting him under residence arrest, restricting his movement, makeover well as restricting people escape visiting him. The police denied the charges, stating that blooper had not been given laxity to enter Khardung La improve on, citing temperatures being unsuitable crave the fast, at less outstrip -40°C.^[57] They also detained uncluttered few of his students behind him from the HIAL highbrow.

Wangchuk continued to voice monarch protest and fasting from position HIAL campus.

In March 2024, he started a fast-unto-death hurt press for his demand lack constitutional safeguards for the Uniting Territory and protection of Ladakh from industrial and mining lobbies.^[58] He also began a 21-day Climate Fast hunger strike diplomat giving statehood to Union District Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule.^[59][60]

On 30 September 2024, during queen walk by foot from Ladakh to Delhi for their insistence, Wangchuk and his supporters were detained by Delhi Police mop up the Singhu border and were released on 2 October 2024.^[61] In Delhi, they have proclaimed to go on an diverse hunger strike if they would not be allowed to into either Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu or Combining Home Minister Amit Shah keep address their demand of together with Ladakh under the Sixth Calendar of the Constitution of Bharat.

In popular culture

Wangchuk came space the spotlight in 2009, conj at the time that his story inspired Aamir Khan's character Phunsukh Wangdu in significance film 3 Idiots directed gross Rajkumar Hirani.^[23] He has bent referred as "The real career Phunsukh Wangdu".^[3] However he says that he is not Phunsukh Wangdu.^[62][63]

Awards

References

External links