People need to understand that this is a school and the primary purpose of this place is to impart education in a proper atmosphere, Kunzang said, adding “tourist influx had made life difficult, and we have girl students as well, so safety is a concern too.”
“We are very happy about the fame the film ‘3 Idiots’ brought to our school, but beyond a certain point, the crowd of tourists became practically unmanageable, as they would just try to wander in from all possible entry points to catch a glimpse of that famous ‘Rancho Wall’ as seen in the film, and click photos,” she said. Only two big, polished wooden panels on either side of the gate show the name ‘Druk Padma Karpa School’ and the architect firm which built the institution. The school’s sprawling campus is designed like a Buddhist Mandala, and the main gate does not have the word Rancho. Like Kunzang, teachers and students of the school in Shey, about 15 km from Leh city, want people to identify it as ‘Druk Padma Karpo School’ and not as ‘Rancho’s School’. The institution in this cold desert of Ladakh imparts world-class education to children of this Himalayan region, including those of nomadic tribes, she said. The local people still call it Druk Padma Karpo School and they take a lot of pride in the Buddhist tradition and philosophy with which it was created, principal Stanzin Kunzang said. Druk Padma Karpo School in Ladakh, popularly known as ‘Rancho’s School’, is delighted about the fame the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘3 Idiots’ has brought to it, but the 18-year-old institution does not want the Bollywood connect to overshadow its original identity and values.
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