We need to tribalise the urbans rather than urbanising the tribals, said Ladakh’s renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on his ‘gratitude yatra’ to Mumbai on Saturday. Appreciating the fight for climate conservation by Mumbai’s Koli and tribal communities, Wangchuk said that the lifestyle of indigenous communities and the teachings of ancient Hindu scriptures can make India a ‘vishwaguru’.
Wangchuk is on a thanksgiving tour to meet citizens and activists who supported the Ladakh’s Protest Movement last year. Today (February 9) he will be in Pune. The environment meet in Mumbai was organised by Friends of Ladakh Friends of Nature (FOLFON) Mumbai, which was one of the supporting groups of the Ladakh Protest Movement.
Last year, Wangchuk observed hunger strikes to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh’s fragile ecosystem. He has been appealing to the government to fulfil its promise of adding Ladakh to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and give statehood to the region.
Wangchuk said, “We have been made to believe that the culture of tribal communities is backward and primitive but their lifestyle teaches us the way to live sustainably. Urban, sophisticated people in cities like Mumbai, London and New York should turn into honorary tribals,” he said.
He also took a dig at his critics and said, “People say that my movement is agenda driven. They are right. The temperature of Ladakh is rising rapidly due to human activities. Our house is on fire. My agenda is to douse the fire that has engulfed my home. Rather than raising questions against people who are dousing the fire, they should be raised against people who are sitting idle.”
Addressing environmentalists, he said, “You are the saviours of the environment and the seeds of transformation. I am here to express my gratitude on behalf of not only the people of Ladakh but the animals, birds, insects, rivers and the entire ecosystem of Ladakh,” he said.
Members of the Koli community and other tribal communities from Mumbai, Thane and Palghar also participated in the meeting. While the young members of Dharavi Dream Project performed rap in support of the Ladakh Movement, Wangchuk participated in the traditional dance of the Koli community.
Dr Bhavesh Vaity, Maharashtra secretary of Akhil Koli Samaaj, said, “We see a relation in the issues faced by Ladakhis and the Kolis of Mumbai. As the glaciers of Himalayas are melting, they are causing the rise in sea levels. Our fishermen community suffers the ill results of this climate change. Therefore, we are in support of Sonamji’s cause for a clean future
