Learning can happen anywhere: Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk

KOLKATA: The JIS Group on Tuesday hosted the much-anticipated ‘Made in JIS 2025’ at the Dhano Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata, with a vibrant celebration of student innovation, creative entrepreneurship and transformative leadership. This year’s edition was graced by engineer, innovator and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk. Widely recognised as the inspiration behind the character Phunsukh Wangdu in the Bollywood film ‘3 Idiots’, Wangchuk is the founding director of SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh). He is known globally for reimagining education and creating sustainable solutions for mountainous communities.

On Tuesday, he began his speech with a reflection on his unusual childhood in a remote village with no school. “Five households and we didn’t have a school. To many, that would sound very sad: a child without a school to go to. I thought so too back then. But later in life, when I saw what schools were like and what happened inside them, I actually thought I was lucky not to have had one.” This opening challenged conventional notions of education and set the stage for his broader critique of formal schooling. He emphasised that true learning can happen anywhere, not just within classroom walls. Reflecting on his journey, he offered a roadmap for young people aspiring to be innovators and problem solvers. He called it the “three pillars” of his school—an informal, experiential kind of education that exists outside the classroom. The first pillar, he said, is curiosity. The second pillar is empathy and the third being initiative.

“Sonam Wangchuk’s life’s work, whether in education, environmental sustainability, or community-led innovation embodies the very values we aim to instill in our students. ‘Made in JIS’ is a movement towards building a generation of socially conscious innovators and leaders,” said Jaspreet Kaur, Director, JIS Group.