Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
NOT ALL IZZ WELL WITH THE WALL
The famous ‘Rancho Wall’ in Leh will soon be relocated; Rajkumar Hirani says if it is hampering kids’ education, then it’s the right call
Remember Chatur Ramalingam (played by Omi Vaidya) being electrocuted in the film, 3 Idiots — by a device made by school kids — when he pees on a wall? Back then, thanks to the popularity of Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 blockbuster, that wall was painted and christened ‘Rancho Wall’ (named after Aamir Khan’s character) by Leh’s Druk Padma Karpo School. Almost instantly, it became a popular picture spot for tourists.
But now, Rancho Wall is apparently set to be relocated to a spot around 200-300 metres away from the main school building. The school’s principal, Stanzin Kunzang, has said that the decision was taken as it had become very difficult to control the large number of tourists visiting the wall every day. Besides the fact that the school campus was being littered badly, students were also reportedly getting distracted by the number of tourists flocking to the Wall.
When contacted, Hirani said he was aware of the issue. He said, “Yes, I’ve read about the decision to relocate the Rancho Wall. My entire cast and crew and I have some wonderful memories of that place.” But what’s his take on the rationale behind the decision? “Honestly, if the constant stream of tourists is hampering the kids’ education, distracting them and creating problems, then I feel it is the right call. At the end of the day, they were the ones who created and gave that wall its name, so I am sure it must be very close to them as well.”
A few days ago, there were reports that the school was planning to raze the wall and ban tourist from the campus, but the school’s authorities have apparently denied those reports, saying tourists are “very much still welcome”. But for health and safety reasons, they’ve been stopped from wandering through the school. Reportedly, an enhanced 3 Idiots visitor experience has been planned in the vicinity of the school campus, near the existing Rancho’s Cafe.