From glaciers to deserts, Wangchuk’s water plea echoes from behind bars

Ladakhi educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk, though separated by some 1,700 km from the stark beauty of his native high-altitude desert, speaks with longing for the icy winds of his homeland — and a fierce love for water.

In a stirring reflection on life half a continent away, Wangchuk noted a profound connection: the Himalayan glaciers that feed Ladakh’s frozen landscapes also send their precious meltwater to Rajasthan’s scorching Thar desert, sustaining millions via the Indira Gandhi Canal.

It was a reminder, his wife Gitanjali J. Angmo said, that “every drop counts”, as Wangchuk urged everyone — from the snowfields of the north to the dunes of the south — to value and conserve water with folded hands as a New Year’s resolution.

But even as he spoke of life and survival, Wangchuk remains confined — detained under the National Security Act following the unrest in Leh. Earlier this week, an advisory board held a nearly three-hour hearing at Jodhpur Central Jail, where his wife presented his case with dignified resolve.

Meanwhile, his legal team continues its battle in the Supreme Court. The court has deferred its hearing on his habeas corpus plea to 24 November, granting time for his lawyer to amend the petition and for authorities to respond to the challenge.

In urging the nation to stop wasting water, Wangchuk — even from behind bars — speaks not just as an environmentalist, but as a man rooted in his people and mountains, drawing strength from both glaciers and desert sands.