In solitary jail, Sonam Wangchuk sleeps on blankets, finds company in books and ants

Climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, lodged in solitary confinement in a Jodhpur jail for over 110 days, has been sleeping on blankets on the floor, reading extensively and observing ants for companionship, his wife and HIAL (Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh) co-founder Gitanjali Angmo said.

Wangchuk was arrested on 26 September and sent to jail after he ended a 15-day fast seeking Sixth Schedule status and statehood for Ladakh. His detention followed violence in Leh in which four people were killed.

“So, the one good thing about positive and hopeful people is that they take everything in their stride. But the conditions he lives in are very dire, very difficult,” Angmo told PTI in an interview.

She said Wangchuk sleeps on the floor in a barrack with no bed or furniture and has limited space to walk. “For the first two months, we did not share the problems we were going through with each other. We presented a strong front. Only recently, he told us he does not have a bed or any furniture,” she said.

Angmo said Wangchuk has been deprived of communication with the outside world except meetings with family members and lawyers. “No phone, no television, even the newspapers that I gave to him have things that pertain to him or to Ladakh cut out. So, when he sees the newspaper with those cuttings, he knows he must have featured there that day, or it must have been about Ladakh,” she said.

She said he spends his time practising Vipassana, Surya Namaskar, yoga and meditation, and is content with the basic food provided in jail. “But he says it's very good; he is very happy. He is somebody with very minimal expectations in life. He is very happy with less,” Angmo said.

On his health, she said, “He is generally a very optimistic and hopeful person who sees the positive side of things. He makes the best of everything, and so he has made his life in jail a means for his progress. Just as I have made mine outside, running from pillar to post, a means of my progress.”

Angmo said Wangchuk is writing a book on his jail experience, likely to be titled Forever Positive. She recalled giving him books by Sri Aurobindo and others. “But while giving him the book, I joked that just like Sri Aurobindo's enlightenment inside the jail, you should be a self-realised person when you come out. He said he would try his best,” she said.

She added that Wangchuk has developed an interest in ants. “If he observes some ants and their behaviour, he asks me to get books on ant behaviour because the ant community has a lot of solidarity, a lot of team spirit. So, maybe he wants to study that,” she said.

Angmo said jail authorities allow fruits and some homemade snacks, but not sun-dried apricots, a Ladakh speciality. “He has asked me many times to bring him sun-dried apricots, but they didn't allow it. But they do let him receive some homemade snacks and all of that, which is very nice of them,” she said.

She said Wangchuk’s only regular interactions are with jail staff who bring him food. “But even with them, he has struck a good bond. They ask him about parenting tips for their children, about educational insights,” she said.

On the authorities, Angmo said, “I would say that they are doing their job; nothing against them. I appreciate all that they are doing for Sonam to the extent possible. They are nice to us and him. But the laws there are stringent, I don't blame them.”

With PTI inputs