Sonam Wangchuk, the real-life man who inspired the Bollywood film 3 idiots character ‘Phunsukh Wangdu’, a Ladakh based engineer has invented a solar-powered military tent for the Indian Army soldiers stationed in the Ladakh region at the Galwan Valley. The tent can accommodate 10 Jawans at a time and it is portable. The weight of the tent, he claimed, is less than 30 kilos.
Sonam, who is an innovator and education reformist further said that the tent could sustain under sub-zero temperatures such as minus 14 degrees Celsius while noting that the tent is carbon-neutral, can tackle pollution and replaces kerosene.
“SOLAR HEATED MILITARY TENT for Indian Army at Galwan Valley +15 C at 10 pm now. Min outside last night was -14 C, Replaces tons of kerosene, pollution climate change. For 10 jawans, fully portable all parts weigh less than 30 Kgs”, he tweeted.
Previously, Wangchuk had made a solar-heated mud hut project.
Appreciating his efforts, Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, said,” Sonam, you’re the MAN! I salute you. Your work is energizing, even this late in the evening…”
Who is Sonam Wangchuk?
Sonam Wangchuk is an Indian engineer, innovator, and education reformist, who was born on September 1, 1966. Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) was founded by him in 1988 by a group of students who he says are the victims of an alien education system foisted on Ladakh. SECMOL campus has also been designed by Sonam that runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuels for cooking, lighting or heating.
Operation New Hope in 1994 was launched with the help of Wangchuk, with the collaboration of government, village communities and civil society to bring transitions in the government school system. He invented the Ice Stupa technique that creates artificial glaciers, used for storing winter water in the form of conical shaped ice heap.
Following tensions between India and China, the Ladakh-based educational reformer had appealed and asked Indians to boycott all Chinese companies.
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