Sonam Wangchuk, the real-life 'Phunshuk Wangdu', awarded honorary D.Litt degree
What's the story
Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer whose life inspired the character of Phunshuk Wangdu in Bollywood blockbuster '3 Idiots', has been awarded an honorary D.Litt degree by a Pune university in Maharashtra. He was awarded in recognition of his work as an innovator and educationist by the Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Pune yesterday. President Ram Nath Kovind was the chief guest on the occasion.
Details
Wangchuk says he did what humanity demanded people to do
After accepting the degree, Wangchuk said he hasn't done anything big or special. "I did what humanity demands people to do," said the engineer-turned-educationist who set up the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). SECMOL is a non-traditional school which brought in educational reforms in the Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh and improved the number of students clearing exams to the intermediate level.
Work
Wangchuk made best use of solar energy for civic issues
Wangchuk said when he saw students failing in the remote region of Ladakh, he decided to do something about it. "For me, my house was on fire and young brothers and sisters were in distress," he said. He said it was out of humanity that he worked towards making the best use solar energy and creating artificial glaciers to address the water scarcity problem.