‘A fast is a soft and humble message’

Umesh Anand, New Delhi

As Sonam Wangchuk lay on hunger strike on the dais at Jantar Mantar, he spoke to Civil Society on the agitation and his involvement with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). 

Q: There has been no response from the government. Do you think a resolution is possible?

Whether a resolution happens or not — hopefully it happens —  this will awaken the nation towards what all is happening in the country, particularly with education and the environment. And that in itself is a huge thing to achieve.

Q: A lot of people were sceptical. But you jumped into this agitation from the start. What did you see in it?

Oh, I didn’t jump. I just said that this is the voice of youth. And you should take the message rather than killing the messenger. That was all. This was when I was in Delhi for talks about the Ladakh issue.

And when I got back to Leh, the Lieutenant-Governor (LG) called me for a courtesy meeting. And then after I left, he tweeted and said that he had pulled me up and had, yeah, cautioned or warned me against speaking this and that. Still, I thought, okay, he has some people to please to write that after such a friendly meeting with tea and things. Next morning it started getting printed in all kinds of newspapers. Still, I waited. The morning after that, again it continued, so I had to then tell the truth.

And before that, because he said, you know, he said all these things about the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) I had to research about them. And when I researched and connected with the people who started it, I saw that this was such a noble and well-intentioned movement. That’s when I felt like supporting them rather than be cowed down by their, you know, censors. It is thanks to the LG, all credit goes to him, that I was brought here today.   

Q: What message does fasting as a form of protest send out?

It’s just that there is something that needs your attention. And we are bringing it to you in the most peaceful way, with all pain inflicted on ourselves and not on anybody else. Totally peaceful, totally non-violent. That’s why when I did my first fast, it was outdoors in January and –25°C, inflicting pain on myself. And here again, people ask,  ‘But Delhi temperatures are so high, so hot?’ And I tell them this is part of the message: to inflict pain on ourselves. So it’s a very humble way of (sending out) the message.

And any sensitive, empathetic government in a democracy where they are supposed to be a people’s government should listen to such signals before people like me are discarded by the youth, saying these methods do not succeed, and they take things in their own hands in violent ways. So it’s a very good, soft, peaceful message to the government.

Q: G.D. Agrawal (environmentalist and engineer) fasted for the whole Himalayan region. And then at the end of it all, he lost his life. But he never changed the way the government looks at the Himalayas.

What happens to G.D. Agrawal or to me is not the most important thing. The important thing is by not listening to such a simple and noble message by G.D. Agrawal, the leaders (in government) show that they are not sensitive democratic leaders. It tells you more about the government than about G.D. Agrawal. But you should also know Potti Sreeramulu did fast, did give up his life. But that created Andhra Pradesh out of Madras. And similarly, Mahatma Gandhi did fast several times and that contributed to the free nation that we are today.