Who is Gitanjali Angmo? Meet Sonam Wangchuk's wife, leading his campaign after activist's hospitalisation

For much of climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk's public life, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo stayed away from the spotlight. That changed dramatically over the weekend after Wangchuk was shifted from Delhi's Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital amid his ongoing hunger strike.

As concerns mounted over his health, it was Angmo who addressed supporters, questioned the circumstances surrounding his hospitalisation and vowed to continue the movement if her husband was unable to do so.

"If Sonam Wangchuk can't join the march, I will represent him and lead that march," she said on Saturday.

The statement came after Wangchuk was shifted to hospital by the Delhi Police. Angmo objected to the move and urged that no treatment be administered without the family's consent.

In a post on X, she wrote, “I am at Safdarjung hospital in Delhi where Sonam Wangchuk has been admitted. Nothing should be administered to him orally or intravenous without taking consent from me, his family and his doctors who have been monitoring his health for the past 20 days.”

Throughout the day, she continued to post updates from the hospital, questioning the restrictions placed on visitors.

"Why are they not letting our phones inside? Why is there such heavy police deployment? It seems like this is not Safdarjung hospital, but Safdarjung prison," she wrote.

In another post, she alleged a lack of transparency over Wangchuk's treatment and said the family had sought discharge from the hospital.

According to the Delhi Police, the decision to shift Wangchuk to the hospital was taken in compliance with the Delhi High Court's directions and on the advice of medical experts.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the examination system, including the NEET-UG paper leak, and issues related to student suicides.

Earlier, speaking to The Hindu, Angmo had described her husband's decision to join the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) as "organic", saying he wanted to ensure that "nefarious" elements did not derail the movement.

Who Is Gitanjali J Angmo?

A social entrepreneur and educationist, Gitanjali J Angmo is best known as the co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), which she established with Sonam Wangchuk in 2017.

The institute promotes experiential learning and develops practical solutions for challenges faced by Himalayan communities. Its work includes green campuses, passive solar-heated buildings and other sustainable technologies. In 2021, HIAL also developed solar-heated tents for the Indian Army. The institute additionally offers fellowships and short-term courses. Last year, however, HIAL came under CBI scrutiny over alleged foreign funding violations.

Born in Balasore, Odisha, to a Punjabi family, Angmo studied Physics at Fakir Mohan University before completing an MBA at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

She later spent nearly 15 years in the corporate sector, much of it in Denmark, before returning to India to pursue entrepreneurship. She went on to launch ventures including Pushan, Shanghai Power Projects Ltd and the publishing house Helios Books.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Angmo is also a Black Belt in karate, an accomplished Odissi and Russian ballet dancer, a Chevening Scholar from the University of Oxford, and a recipient of the Women Transforming India Award conferred by the government.

In her LinkedIn bio, she describes herself as a "spiritual seeker". Her personal website says she is "a life-long student of Sri Aurobindo's philosophy, Vedas and the Upanishads."

Finding A 'Kindred Soul'

In a 2025 interview with Brut, Angmo spoke about meeting Sonam Wangchuk for the first time at an education conference.

"It was interesting to see that we were finishing each other's sentences. There was so much similarity in the way we wanted to work in education and life in general," she said.

She also said she had always wanted to "live for a cause larger than herself" and that meeting Wangchuk felt "like finding a kindred soul".

Wangchuk was previously married to Rebecca Norman, an American citizen. The marriage ended in divorce before he married Angmo.

A Constant Presence During Wangchuk's Legal Battles

Although she largely stayed out of public view, Angmo emerged as a key supporter when Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) following protests in Ladakh over demands for statehood and inclusion under the Constitution's Sixth Schedule.

During his detention at Jodhpur Central Jail, she approached the Supreme Court challenging his continued detention and also wrote to the President seeking intervention.

After Wangchuk was released following nearly 170 days in custody, Angmo shared an emotional post on X.

"My ordeal of making two trips every week for just a 60-minute meeting over the past five months has finally ended," she wrote.

While she largely stayed away from the protest venue after Wangchuk began his latest hunger strike, choosing instead to write opinion pieces in support of the movement, his hospitalisation has thrust her into an unfamiliar public role.

With Wangchuk unable to attend the planned march to Parliament on July 20, Angmo has said she is prepared to carry the campaign forward in his place, making her one of the most visible faces of the movement today.