From ice stupas to hunger strikes: The journey of Sonam Wangchuk

For many Indians, Sonam Wangchuk is the real-life inspiration behind the character Phunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiots. But his story goes far beyond cinema. Wangchuk’s journey has been from transforming education in Ladakh and developing the world-famous Ice Stupa project to becoming the most prominent face of Ladakh’s constitutional protection movement; covering education, climate action and activism. This explainer traces how an engineer and educationist became one of India’s most influential public voices on the future of Ladakh.