Have You Seen The Viral Picture Of ‘Roof-With-A Jeep’ From Ladakh? 3 Idiots Inspiration Sonam Wangchuk Reveals The Story

New Delhi: Remember Aamir Khan’s character Phunsuk Wangdu in the film 3 Idiots? He was the man known for creating something extraordinary that is beyond an ordinary man’s imagination. In real life, Sonam Wangchuk is that man – engineer, innovator and educator who inspired Aamir Khan’s character in the movie. His institute Himalayan Institute of Alternatives in Ladakh got famous back in 2009 for its knowledge and creativity when the world got to know about it through the movie 3 idiots.

9 years after, today, the world once again is swooning over the out of box creativity from the institute, thanks to the viral picture of a ‘roof-with-a-jeep’ that is taking rounds of the internet, courtesy Anand Mahindra, Chairman Mahindra group. Not to forget, the innovation is highlighting how different routes can be taken by the authorities in recycling auto components.

Also Read: ‘There Is A Lot You Can Do With Waste’: Startups In India Giving A Unique Spin To Waste Management

Sharing pictures with netizens, Anand Mahindra praised the innovation and said,

A friend sent these pics from Sonam Wangchuk’s Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh. Recycling a Mahindra car into a home roof. A way of life at the Institute, where nothing gets discarded.

The photographer who clicked these pictures also shared the creativity with the world on her social media, she said,

“Retaining the old and making it home.. so fascinated i was with the creativity of recycling n seeing the old Mahendra jeep used to make a home that i had to share my pictures.”

Also Read: Make Way For The Trash Band: School Students In Ladakh Show The World How To Upcycle Waste Into Musical Instruments

See more

When these photos were taking rounds on social media, Sonam Wangchuk told everyone about the “lovely story” behind the jeep that reflects how the local education system can have a fruitful impact on the environment.

In a tweet to Anand Mahindra, he said,

Dear Mr @anandmahindra the Jeep you tweeted has a lovely story. It was instrumental in educational campaigns in the remotest frontiers of Ladakh… which finally took the matriculation results from 5% to 75%. It served us faithfully between 1997 to 2007 before taking new avatara.

Anand Mahindra was left impressed with the story and offered his help for the educational campaign. He added, “Sonam you’re absolutely right—that is a lovely story. How do I find out more about the educational campaign you referred to? And how we can support the campaign if the job is unfinished? @Wangchuk66 @manoj_naandi”

This exchange is currently winning hearts all over social media, here’s a look

https://twitter.com/NIKHIL11C/status/1074702405877620736

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.