Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Potti Sreeramulu, Irom Sharmila, Anna Hazare – and now Sonam Wangchuk. The names and causes may differ, but the method remains strikingly similar: fasting as a form of protest and a call to be heard. From fasts lasting a few days to Irom Sharmila’s extraordinary 16-year hunger strike, India’s history is marked by acts of self-denial that have sought to awaken the nation’s conscience and drive political and social change.
