The man, who inspired 3 Idiots, bags award

Now Sonam Wangchuk, the inspiration behind Aamir Khan’s character ‘Phunsukh Wangdu’ in the film, has gained further global recognition bagging the prestigious Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2016. The awards were presented on Tuesday in Los Angeles to those “who have reshaped the world with their innovative thinking and dynamism”. 

Sonam’s ‘ice stupas’ project is among the five winners this year at the awards. Sonam Wangchuk, a 50-year-old Ladakhi engineer, has been attempting to solve the problem of lack of water for agriculture in the desert landscapes of the western Himalayas by building ice stupas. Wangchuk intends to build 20 such ice stupas, each 30 metres high and capable of supplying millions of litres of water. The long-term aim is to engage youth in the environment. Once he received the award, it broke the Internet owing to Aamir’s popular film.