The real life ‘Phunsukh Wangdu of 3 Idiots’ – Mr. Sonam Wangchuk visits Gurgaon
Gurgaon: The real life’ Phunsukh Wangdu of 3 Idiots’ visited Gurgaon at Ridge Valley School for an Inspirational Talk. He interacted with the students sharing his life experience and journey of creating a self-sustainable society and a sustainable ecosystem of constant innovation.
Speaking on the occasion Sonam Wangchuk, an inspiration for the Hindi film 3 Idiots said, “All the knowledge in the world is not confined to books and schools alone. Children should learn to solve real life problems.”
He further said that our system should groom our children to have a kind heart and sensitivity to Nature. “Our learning should help us survive in the wilderness if need be and use the life skills,” The school works on the pholosphy of three H’s i.e. using Head, Heart and Hands , in whatever they do, he added.
The mechanical engineer- turned educational reformer is the Founding Director of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) which was founded in 1988 by a group of students to transform education into being more practical. He has won the prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise 2016 for his simple yet genius innovation of ‘Ice Stupas’.
Mr. Wangchuk also shared the way his school functions in Ladakh. The school has been built in a desert with the help of students, engaging them in all activities. The school works on solar power and has been built with natural materials. It has been designed by the students and is on the banks of the Indus river.
An admission criterion in the school is to have failed. Having failed but still having the fire in you to excel is what the school looks for in students. SECMOL is a democratic school where students make the decisions. It feels like a country and every two months students elect a leader and then make a team and plan the next parliament. They get portfolios and they learn by living. Some will take care of the cows, some will take care of organic farming, green houses etc. where they apply what they learn in the school the experiential way.
Ms. Guneet Ohri, Principal , Ridge Valley School, said, “It is a great exposure for our students to hear the experiences of the real life Phunsukh Wangdu. Our teenagers will find themselves motivated to affect attitudinal changes which in turn, will guide them in their journey towards evolving into balanced and happy adults.”
The students of Ridge Valley School very very exicted and opined that , they were thrilled to have Sonam Wangchuk interacting with them in our campus. The inspirational talk has inspired them to exercise our innovative ideas so as to bring about a change in the society.”