Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike: 3 Idiots Fame Omi Vaidya Extends Support – ‘You Don’t Want Funsukh Wangdu To Die’ | Follow | Today’s news
American Indian actor Omi Vaidya, known for playing Aamir Khan starrer ‘Chatur’ 3 idiotshas extended support to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over a range of issues, including NEET paper leaks.
The main demand of the protest that started Cockroach Janta Party, is the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Funsukh Wangdu, the character played by Aamir Khan in the 2009 Bollywood blockbuster, was inspired by Golden Wangchuk. Khan played engineer Wangda from Ladadkh in the film.
Read also | Sonam Wangchuk Loses Muscle As The Pressure Builds And Ends Quickly
In a message on social media, Funsukh Wangdu Vaidya urged people to pay attention to Wangchuk’s deteriorating health and the issues he is protesting against.
According to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder, the actor’s appeal came on the 17th day of his indefinite hunger strike, Tuesday, July 14, when Wangchuk’s health further deteriorated. Abhijeet Deepka.
Dipke said in a post on X on Tuesday Wangchuck he has begun to lose muscle mass and experiences “excruciating pain” as his fast continues. “Seventeenth day of Sonam Sir’s fast. He has started losing muscle mass and is in excruciating pain. Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast,” Dipke wrote.
In the now-viral video, Los Angeles-based Vaisya introduces himself as “Chatur of 3 Idiots” before making an emotional appeal.
“I don’t want Funsukh Wangdu to die. Hello idiots, pehchano? This is Omi Vaidya, Chatur from 3 idiots and Sadiq from Officeand I have an important message for you. I really don’t do this very often, so please listen,” he said.
Read also | Wangchuk lost 8.25 kg on day 16 of the fast, his blood sugar dropped below 70
Vaidya reminded the audience that Aamir Khan’s character, Funsukh Wangdu, was inspired by Sonam Wangchuk.
“Did you know that from Funsukh Wangdu? 3 idiots is he actually based on a real-life Ladakh engineer, innovator, educator and reformer named Sonam Wangchuk? I met this guy. He is quite an interesting character,” he said.
This is quite an important thing: Vaidya
Vaidya called Wangchuk a ‘humble and quite impressive person who has achieved ‘some incredible things” and also urged people to learn more about him.
“He’s on a very long hunger strike right now. His blood sugar has dropped significantly. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it. I don’t know if the media is reporting it. But this is a pretty important thing,” he added.
Vaidya said Wangchuk was raising concerns about education, Ladakh’s autonomy and environmental issues. “Whether you agree with him or not, I really don’t want this guy to die,” he said, urging people to take a moment from their daily lives to understand the issues at hand.
Wangchuk refused to call off the hunger strike, instead questioning the center’s reluctance to engage in talks. Dipke quoted Wangchuk as saying, “Don’t ask me to end the fast. Ask the government why they are not even having a dialogue.”
Wangchuk, 59, has lost 8.25 kg, his blood sugar has repeatedly dropped below 70 mg/dL (normal fasting levels are around 100 mg/dL) and he experiences constant dizziness, severe muscle wasting and visible weakness, with his rib cage now clearly visible, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Monday.
The latest update on Wangchuk’s health comes a day after a group of prominent citizens, including writer Arundhati Roy, actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah and economist Jayati Ghosh appealed to protesters on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to call off their fast while fully supporting their demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Read also | ‘Sonam Wangchuk has experience in fasting’: Abhijeet Dipke pleads with students
The statement also appealed to the people of Delhi to participate in the CJP’s proposed march to Parliament on July 20, coinciding with the launch of monsoon session.
I don’t want Funsukh Wangdu to die.
TMC leader Mahua Moitra also called on Wangchuk to end his fast.
CJP stages protest at Jantar Mantar demanding resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in NEET examination. Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has been fasting indefinitely ever since.
