New Delhi, Jul 14: “3 Idiots” actor Omi Vaidya on Tuesday urged people to pay attention to the deteriorating health of Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike since June 28, saying he does not want the activist to die.
Wangchuk, who inspired Aamir Khan’s “3 Idiots” character of Phunsukh Wangdu, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after joining the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on June 28.
Vaidya, who essayed the fan-favourite role of Chatur “Silencer” Ramalingam in the Rajkumar Hirani-directed 2009 film, shared a video on his X handle to bring people’s attention to Wangchuk’s situation.
“I don’t want him to die. Hello idiots, pehchana? This is Omi Vaidya, Chatur from ‘3 Idiots’. I have an important message for you. I don’t really do this very often, so please listen up,” he said in the video.
Vaidya then reminded that Khan’s character Phunsukh Wangdu was inspired by Wangchuk, calling him a “humble” and “pretty impressive person”.
“I suggest you look it up and see what he is up to because right now he is on a very long hunger strike, it is over several weeks, and his blood sugar has gone down very much.
“I don’t know if you have heard about this, I don’t know if the media is reporting this, but this is a pretty important thing… Why he is on the hunger strike ? He has some issues with the education system in India…and whether you agree with him or not, I don’t want him to die,” the actor said.
According to the organisers, Wangchuk has lost 8.2 kilograms since he began fasting. His latest medical parameters showed a blood pressure of 107/70 mmHg and a blood glucose level of 67 mg/dL.
Vaidya urged people to take some time out from their routines and look into the issues that Wangchuk is raising with his hunger strike.
“I would like him to live. We are just regular people, and we have regular lives, and we are just so busy to deal with this stuff, but if you look into these issues, you may agree with him, and you may see you having the same issues.
“So if you have a second to just stop, put down your work from the project that needs to be completed or the household duties, or whatever, and just take a look at what is going on… I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die,” he said. (PTI)
