Sonam Wangchuk, who inspired 3 Idiots' Phunsukh Wangdu, invents solar-heated military tents for Ladakh cold
In the 2009 film 3 Idiots, actor Aamir Khan dazzled viewers with his unusual inventions even as he navigated college and adult life. But the work of Sonam Wangchuk, the real life man who inspired the reel life characterisation of Phunsukh Wangdu, is no less impressive. Founder director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, he has come up with several simple yet new solutions for complex problems. The education reformist is well known for inventing the Ice Stupa technique to create artificial glaciers.
Now, the engineer has created yet another product - drawing praise from many including Indian businessman Anand Mahindra who helms the Mahindra Group. Sonam Wangchuk has created solar heated military tents that can be used by 10 Indian Army jawans at a time and is completely portable. Going by his post introducting his creation on Twitter, the tent is intended for use in exceedingly cold climates such as that in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.