Wangchuk is a renowned engineer and innovator, recognized for his commitment to challenging traditional norms and practices.
Growing up, Wangchuk spent three years studying in Srinagar, the then capital of Jammu and Kashmir, where he was introduced to English, Urdu, and Hindi in the classroom. He humorously reflected on his experiences, admitting he often felt like the “butt of the joke” due to language barriers.
“In Srinagar, I was just a kid from Ladakh who struggled with Hindi and English,” he recalled.
During the 1980s, Wangchuk’s experiences ignited his passion for reforming Ladakh’s education system, which, he believed, failed to cater to local needs. He campaigned against the reliance on English and Urdu textbooks in predominantly Ladakhi-speaking areas.
According to the school’s website he co-founded, “Even in early primary classes, all textbooks originated from Delhi. They contained examples of unfamiliar cultures and environments, such as ships, the sea, coconut trees, and monsoon rains.” He stressed, “These foreign examples, presented in foreign languages, only confused Ladakh’s children.”
Since then, he has collaborated with local governments and communities to tailor the education system to better serve the unique requirements of Ladakh’s children.
Wangchuk’s innovative spirit has also garnered significant media attention.
He pursued mechanical engineering after witnessing a family member experiment with concave mirrors to illuminate dark spaces and cook food.
In recent years, he has designed an affordable mud house that can maintain a steady temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, even in harsh conditions of -15 degrees.
Additionally, he developed an innovative artificial spring, taking the form of an ice pagoda—a hemispherical structure common in Buddhist culture—to store water for agricultural use during late spring.
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Source: www.bbc.co.uk