Sonam Wangchuk
Indian engineer and activist
Sonam Wangchuk began his professional life as an engineer working to reform education in his native Ladakh, in the Indian Trans-Himalayas, gaining international recognition as an innovator and a climate activist. He then became the face of Ladakh’s demand for constitutional protections and autonomy, using hunger strikes to open dialogue with the Indian government. In 2025 he was temporarily detained when authorities linked him to violent protests in Ladakh’s capital city, Leh, and the institutes...