Mumbai: We need to tribalise the urbans rather than urbanising the tribals, said Sonam Wangchuk, appreciating the fight for climate conservation by Mumbai’s Koli and tribal communities.
Wangchuk said this during his visit to Mumbai on Saturday to meet environmentalists and activists. He is on a thanksgiving tour to express gratitude to people who have supported the Ladakh Movement started early in 2024. The Environmental Meet was organised by Friends of Ladakh Friends Of Nature (FOLFON) Mumbai, which was one of the supporting groups of the Ladakh Movement.
Engineer and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk, who was the inspiration behind the popular character of Phunsuk Wangdu in the movie ‘3 Idiots’, had started hunger strikes with demands of 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.
Talking to the environmentalists at the gathering, Wangchuk emphasised that living through the way of India’s fundamental knowledge, the lifestyle of indigenous communities and the teachings in ancient Hindu scriptures can make India a ‘vishwaguru’.
“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. Therefore, we need to tribalise the urbans rather than urbanising the tribals. Urban sophisticated people in cities like Mumbai, London and New York should turn into honorary tribals,” he said.
He also took a dig against hai opposers and said, “The temperature of Ladakh is rising rapidly due to human activities. Our house is on fire. People say that my movement is agenda driven. They are right. 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.”
He also thanked the environmentalists who had supported the Ladakh Movement by fasting and expressing solidarity with him. “You all are the saviours of 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 Environmental Meet to express their support towards Ladakh Movement. While the young members of Dharavi Dream Project performed rap songs in support of 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.”
