NEW DELHI: Actor Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, has voiced his support for Sonam Wangchuk’s agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, urging people to support the education reform activist as his indefinite hunger strike entered its 17th day on Monday.Sharing a video message on social media, Vaidya invoked Wangchuk’s connection with 3 Idiots, saying the man who inspired Aamir Khan’s character Rancho was now fighting a real-life battle.“I don’t want Funsukh Wangdu to die. Hello idiots, pehchana? This is Omi Vaidya, Chatur from 3 Idiots and Sadiq from The Office, and I have an important message for you. I don’t really do this very often, so please listen up,” he said.“Many of you know Sonam Wangchuk as the real-life inspiration behind Rancho from 3 Idiots. He has spent years working for education, innovation and the future of young people,” the actor said.Appealing to the public to pay attention to the protest, Vaidya added, “He stood up for students and for change. Today, he needs our support.”“Right now he is on a very long hunger strike. His blood sugar has gone down very much. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this. I don’t know if the media is reporting this. But this is a pretty important thing,” he added.The actor’s message comes amid growing concern over Wangchuk’s health, with several public figures expressing solidarity with the protesters and calling on the Centre to respond to their demands.
Hunger Strike Day 17
Sonam Wangchuk’s health continues to deteriorate.He has lost 8.5 kg, while his blood pressure was recorded at 109/70 mmHg, according to organisers monitoring his condition.Wangchuk joined the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar on June 28 and has been on an indefinite fast since then.The agitation, which entered its 25th day on Monday, seeks Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in national-level examinations.Earlier, a group of eminent personalities, including writer Arundhati Roy, actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, and economist Jayati Ghosh, urged Wangchuk and other protesters to call off their fast while extending support to their demands.“We worry that their negligence in responding to your demands will only worsen the already fragile state of health that many of you are in,” the signatories said in a joint statement.The statement described the movement as “a marathon, not a sprint” and appealed to the hunger strikers to preserve their strength for the days ahead.The protest organisers have announced a march to Parliament on July 20, coinciding with the start of the monsoon session.
