Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA)

  A Solidarity Statement for Sonam Wangchuk, Satyagrahi of the Anthropocene Posted on 14th July, 2026 (GMT 19:15 hrs) ABSTRACT On the 17th day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, Sonam Wangchuk continues his non-violent resistance for justice, dialogue, and ecological protection of Ladakh. Echoing Jatin Das’s 1929 martyrdom and G.D. Agarwal’s sacrifice for the Ganga, Wangchuk’s ātmaśakti exposes the Indian state’s moral deafness and hypocrisy in the face of genuine satyagraha. Invoking Tagore’s fiery Bhairava hymn — “sarva kharvatāre dahe tava krodhadāha” — this post calls for solidarity with a man who has become the moral centre of a republic that has abandoned its conscience. I. The Seventeenth Day As we write, Sonam Wangchuk — engineer, educator, glacier-keeper of Ladakh — is on the seventeenth day of an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. He has lost more than eight kilograms; his muscles have begun to consume themselves; his blood pressure falls...

  Defending Dissent, Protecting Ladakh: OBMA Stands with Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk Posted on 23rd October, 2025 (GMT 08:12 hrs) ABSTRACT The Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA) stands in unwavering solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk and the Ladakh Movement, recognizing their struggle as a fight for environmental justice, climate action, cultural autonomy, and democratic dissent. Highlighting Ladakh’s vulnerability as the “Third Pole” of the world, the statement critiques the abrogation of Article 370 and the selective, contradictory application of Article 371, exposing the central government’s sidelining of local governance and ecological concerns. OBMA condemns Wangchuk’s arbitrary NSA detention and the violent suppression of peaceful protests, emphasizing that the movement’s constitutional demands for statehood, Sixth Schedule inclusion, and ecological protection are lawful, ethical, and globally aligned. The statement affirms that safeguarding communities, ecological inte...