Their Pain, My Pain Too: What It Means to Sacrifice for Your Country

Most of us express our concern for the country from the comfort of our homes. Very few are willing to sacrifice their own comfort, health, or even life for people they may never meet. That, to me, is the true meaning of patriotism.

Like every citizen of this country, Sonam Wangchuk also came to know about the NEET paper leak and the subsequent reports of students taking their own lives after being impacted by it. Like me, he could have simply read the newspapers and expressed his anguish from the comfort of his home, deeply disturbed by the situation.

1. A Different Kind of Hero

But Sonam is a different man altogether.

Instead of remaining within the comfort of his home while expressing his anguish, he stepped out to support those students. Not only that, he decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike for their sake.

To me, this is what a true soldier looks like—someone willing to risk his own life for the benefit of fellow citizens, expressing solidarity with students who had gone unheard for many days.

A true hero. A real hero, not a reel hero.

2. What a Hunger Strike Does to Your Body

A prolonged hunger strike places the body under immense stress. Dehydration and malnutrition begin affecting every organ. Blood pressure drops, and the body gradually shifts from burning stored carbohydrates to breaking down fat and eventually muscle, including proteins from vital organs.

As the fast continues, vitamin deficiencies, a weakened immune system, electrolyte imbalances, and slowing metabolic functions increase the risk of fainting, heart rhythm abnormalities, kidney damage, and a potentially fatal condition called starvation ketoacidosis, where excess ketones make the blood dangerously acidic.

Even after the fast ends, eating too quickly can trigger refeeding syndrome—a life-threatening shift in electrolytes that requires careful medical supervision.

Only when we understand what a prolonged hunger strike does to the human body can we truly appreciate the magnitude of such a sacrifice.

3. When You Do It Sincerely, You Become Unstoppable

When Sonam Wangchuk, an educator himself, wholeheartedly decided to go on a hunger strike, it touched countless people.

The brave young people who joined the hunger strike have shown immense grit. They said their protest was not meant to awaken the conscience of politicians but the conscience of their fellow citizens.

I am in awe of Sonam and the youth who took this extraordinary step, sacrificing their comfort for the benefit of the students and the youth of this country.

This is mutual respect, concern, and responsibility.

It is easier said than done to voluntarily go on a hunger strike. I heard one person say that the first six days are especially painful for anyone undertaking one.

4. Conclusion

We should stop taking the sacrifices of such people for granted.

The government should question its conscience about the level of callousness that has led to this situation. Every citizen is precious, and every life matters.

We should not wait until people are on the verge of death before they are heard. Listening to the tears and concerns of ordinary citizens is not an act of mercy—it is the duty of those in power.

As one celebrity said, “I just could not bear the inattention given to those who had been on a hunger strike for 20 days.”

As a citizen, I feel that pain too.

A nation progresses not only because of its leaders but also because of ordinary citizens who are willing to sacrifice for people they may never know. Their pain should never become invisible. If we truly value our democracy, we must learn to hear them long before their silence becomes irreversible.