IN REMEMBRANCE OF A PRINCESS
Bangkok Post staff
Princess Galyani Vadhana was recognised as a patron of the arts, culture and countless charities, many of which were initiated by Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother.
While the public admired her quiet, low-key royal grace and her dedication to public health and the welfare of the needy, academia had great respect for her intellect, her expertise in French and classical music and her knack for knowledge and teaching.
Serene and regal, the Princess stood among a handful of Thai women of her generation who were thoroughly schooled with a Western education. She was awarded degrees in both science and liberal arts from Lausanne University and in her youth enjoyed numerous adventure sports such as skiing, horse riding and flying.
In the footsteps of the late Princess Mother, the Princess dedicated herself throughout her life to worthy causes, becoming a patron of 63 charitable organisations. Through her simple, down-to-earth style she endeared herself to the public, maintaining classic regality with the least amount of fuss and protocol.
mourning – expressing or feeling great sadness, especially because of someone’s death อาลัย
patron – a person or group that supports an activity or organisation, especially by giving money ผู้อุปถัมภ์
countless – very many; too many to be counted นับไม่ถ้วน
charities – organisations that provide money or help for people or are in need because they are ill, poor or homeless องค์กรการกุศล
initiated – began ริเริ่ม (ทรงริเริ่ม)
grace – a quality of behaviour that is polite and pleasant and deserves respect ความสง่างาม
dedication – the hard work and effort that someone puts into an activity or purpose because they think it is important การอุทิศตน (การอุทิศพระวรกาย)
needy – not having enough money, food, clothes, etc. ผู้ยากไร้
intellect – the ability to think in a logical way and understand things, especially at an advanced level; your mind ปฏิภาณ สติปัญญา (พระปฏิภาณ พระอัฉริยภาพ)
knack – a special skill or ability ฝีมือ ความสามารถ (พระปรีชาสามารถ)
serene – calm and peaceful สงบ เยือกเย็นและแจ่มใส
regal – impressive – typical of a person with royal blood ความภูมิฐาน ความเป็นราชนิกูล
handful – a small number จำนวนน้อย
in the footsteps of – to do the same job as, especially someone in your family สืบทอดเจตนารมย์ ตามรอยเท้า(แม่) ในที่นี้หมายถึง พระิองค์ทรงสานต่อพระราชกรณียกิจของสมเด็จย่า
worthy – having the qualities that deserve respect, attention or admiration ควรค่า
causes – organisations or ideas that people support or fight for เป้าหมาย กิจการ
down-to-earth – sensible and practical, in a way that is helpful and friendly เรียบง่าย
endeared – made someone/yourself popular เป็นที่รัก
fuss – unnecessary excitement, worry or activity ความแตกตื่น ความโกลาหล
protocol – a system of fixed rules and formal behaviour พิธีการ
Elder sister of two kings
The eldest daughter of Prince Mahidol of Songkla and the Princess Mother, then Mom Sangwal, Princess Galyani was born in London on May 6, 1923. She was two years older than King Ananda Mahidol, Rama XIII, and four years older than His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX.On her birth certificate issued in England, the Princess' given name was May. She was later bestowed the royal name Her Serene Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Mahidol by King Vajiravudh, Rama VI.
In 1927, King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, elevated the little Princess to Her Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana. She became Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana when King Rama VII abdicated and Princess Galyani's younger brother ascended the throne as King Ananda Mahidol. In 1995, when the Princess turned 72, His Majesty the King elevated her further to HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas, or Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra in Thai.
bestowed – (formal) given ได้รับ
elevated – gave a higher position or rank แต่งตั้ง เลื่อนฐานันดรศักดิ์
abdicated – gave up the position of King (or Queen) สละราชสมบัติ
ascended the throne – became King (or Queen) ขึ้นครองราชย์
Childhood
After living in Thailand at Sra Pathum Palace until she was two, the Princess accompanied her parents to Germany where King Ananda Mahidol was born. In 1926, the Mahidol family moved to Boston so Prince Mahidol could study medicine at Harvard University. While the young Princess was attending kindergarten in Boston, her youngest brother was born, later to become His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.While visiting her mother and the baby prince at the hospital, Princess Galyani recalled in her book Jao Nai Lek Lek: Yuwakasat that she was excited and wanted to see her baby brother up close and touch him, but was permitted only to view him from a glass room.
Once the baby prince was brought home, Princess Galyani said she had great fun helping the nanny bathe, dress and take care of him, not knowing she was more of a hindrance than a help. The Princess Mother, she wrote, later asked her to keep out of the way during those busy times.
The family returned to Thailand in 1928, but after less than a year of medical practice, Prince Mahidol passed away as a result of chronic illness in 1929. The Princess was six years old.
``I still remember that day vividly,'' wrote the Princess in Jao Nai Lek Lek: Yuwakasat. She was called in to see the Princess Mother in her room. ``Mother was sitting on a bench by the window. She drew me close to her and said something I couldn't remember, and then she cried, which made me cry, too.''
Despite her grief, the Princess Mother took great care to ensure that the three little royals had a normal and happy childhood. The family photo albums show the royal children enjoying outdoor games, playing in a sand box, digging waterways in the lawn, riding horses, flying kites and swimming in the sea.
accompanied – went with ติดตาม เสด็จประพาสตาม
kindergarten – a school or class to prepare children aged about five for school โรงเรียนอนุบาล
nanny – a woman whose job is to take care of young children in the children’s own home พระพี่เลี้ยง
hindrance – a person or thing that makes it more difficult for someone to do something or for something to happen อุปสรรค ขวากหนาม
chronic – (especially of a disease) lasting for a long time; difficult to cure เรื้่อรัง
vividly – very clearly ชัดเจน
grief – a feeling of great sadness, especially because someone has died ความโศกเศร้า อาลัย
Education
Princess Galyani was a student at Rajini School when the Princess Mother decided to move the family to Switzerland on the advice of their grandmother, Queen Savang Vadhana, citing little Prince Ananda Mahidol's frail health, which was vulnerable to tropical heat and humidity. The move was also an attempt to protect the young royals from the political instability in the country at that time.Going along with the Queen's idea, the Princess Mother took her three children to live in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1933. There the Princess started her primary education at the Miremont School.
Tumultuous Thai politics finally caught up with the young royals when King Prachadhipok, Rama VII, abdicated in 1934, and Prince Ananda Mahidol, then only nine years old, was called upon to take the throne.
The Princess Mother, however, took great pains to ensure that life remained as normal as possible for her three children. HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana continued her secondary education at École Supérieur de Jeune Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where her curriculum included Latin and German.
In 1938, she was enrolled at the International School of Geneva, a boarding school. She topped her class when she graduated and was ranked third in the country.
The Princess chose to study chemistry for her bachelor's degree at Lausanne University's Faculty of Science. Pursuing her interests in liberal arts, she also took parallel courses in literature, philosophy and psychology at the Faculty of Social Science.
When Princess Galyani Vadhana married a commoner, Col Aram Ratanakul Serirerngrit, in 1944, she relinquished her title, as required by the Palace Law. She had one daughter from the marriage, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya Sornsonggram. The marriage ended in divorce, following which His Majesty the King restored her royal title.
citing – mentioning as a reason กล่าวอ้าง เนื่องจาก
frail - อ่อนแอ เปราะบาง
vulnerable – weak and easily hurt physically or emotionally อ่อนแอ เปราะบาง
humidity – the amount of water in the air ความชื้น
going along with – agreeing with or taking the advice of someone เห็นชอบด้วย
tumultuous – involving a lot of change and confusion and/or violence ความสับสนอลม่าน ความเปลี่ยนแปลง ความสงบ
took great pains – put a lot of effort into ทุ่มเทแรงกายแรงใจ
enrolled – arranged to officially join a course or a school ลงทะเบียนเรียน
boarding school – a school where the students live, usually going home on holidays โรงเรียนประจำ
pursuing – following แสวงหา ติดตาม
liberal arts – subjects of study that develop students’ general knowledge and their ability to think ศิลปศาสตร์
parallel – done or happening at the same time as something else เกิดขึ้นพร้อมกัน
commoner – a person who is not a member of the royal family สามัญชน
relinquished – gave up สละ
title – royal rank or position ตำแหน่ง พระยศ
divorce – the legal ending of a marriage การหย่าร้าง
restored – gave back คืนให้
Work and charities
After returning to Thailand in 1950, the Princess followed her calling and became a teacher. For nine years she taught French as well as French literature and history civilisation at Chulalongkorn University.The Princess later took up a post at Thammasat University as head of the French Language and Literature section as well as the Foreign Language Department, which covered German, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. She also helped formulate the curriculum for the university's French language and literature course.
The Princess also set up the Thai Association of Teachers of French to help improve the teaching of French here.
During this period, the Princess gave special lectures at universities across the country despite the rugged terrain and potential danger from the communist insurgency.
Due to her increasing royal duties the Princess was forced to relinquish her teaching work, but she continued throughout the years to lend support to various educational institutions as well as to scholarship programmes for rural students and gifted young musicians.
Having
been schooled in science, the Princess financially supported Thailand's
participation in the Academic Olympics as part of her efforts to
encourage excellence in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry,
computers and biology.An educator at heart, her interest in the education of autistic children has helped spur state commitment, resulting in more facilities and improved programmes for autistic children.
Health care was also one of Princess Galyani Vadhana's interests, an apparent effort on her part to continue the causes of her father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla, known as Thailand's Father of Modern Medicine. cc
calling – a profession or career; a strong desire or feeling of duty to do a particular job, especially in which you help other people ภารกิจ อาชีพ
formulate – to create or prepare something carefully ร่าง (หลักสูตร)
rugged – not level or smooth and often having rocks rather than plants or trees ทุรกันดาร
terrain – the natural features of an area of land อาณาบริเวณ
potential – possible อาจเกิดขึ้นได้
insurgency – an organised fight against the government of your own country กลุ่มผู้ก่อการร้าย
lend support – to give support ให้ความช่วยเหลือ ให้การสนับสนุน
rural – away from the town or city (opposite of urban) บ้านนอก ต่างจังหวัด
autistic – of a condition in which people fail to develop normal social skills, language and other communication skills to the usual level โรคออทิสติก เป็นโรคที่เกิดจากการทำงานที่ผิดปกติของสมอง ทำให้ผู้ที่เป็นโรคนี้ขาดทักษะในการเรียนรู้เช่นคนปกติ
spur – to encourage an activity or development or make it happen faster กระตุ้น
commitment – a willingness to give time, effort, energy or money to something การให้ความช่วยเหลือ
facilities – the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose เครื่องอำนวยความสะดวก เครื่องสาธารณูปโภคต่าง ๆ
apparent – seeming to exist or be true ปรากฎชัด
When the Princess Mother passed away, the Princess carried the torch and continued the Princess Mother's various charity projects, making extended trips to rugged areas to provide health care to the needy without any concern for her own health, even though she was at an age when most others would be happy to retire.
She lent her royal patronage to several health-oriented foundations that provide care to the needy. Among them were the Kidney Foundation of Thailand, the Cardiac Children Foundation, the Prosthesis Foundation and the Foundation for Slum Child Care.
The Princess was also fond of writing. She penned her first book, Nitaan Samrab Dek (Tales for Children), when she was only nine. She wrote 11 books on the royal family and 10 travelogues. She also translated three books.
Her
books on the Princess Mother and her two brothers in their childhood
are bestsellers. While she rarely wrote about herself, the voice the
readers hear through her books is one of a person who cherished honesty, discipline, simple
happiness and life wisdom beyond material
indulgences.Always a teacher, Princess Galyani Vadhana made a point of sharing with the public the knowledge gained about the countries she visited on educational trips. As in her travelogues, television coverage of her royal trips was turned into short documentaries on the destinations, not the traveller.
An animal lover, Princess Galyani Vadhana was particularly fond of dogs. When her favourite dog, Sip Sam, which means 13, died a few years ago, the Princess set up a fund for the Department of Veterinary Medicine at Chulalongkorn University to care for sick and homeless animals. She also initiated a project to set up a special emergency care unit for animals as well as a hospital for abandoned animals.
In her honour, a Thai biologist named a new species of terrestrial crab discovered in Kanchanaburi after her. The crimson crab, or Potomon galyaniae, is known as Poo Pra Pinang in Thai.
In addition to her well-known love of classical music, Princess Galyani was always keen to support traditional arts in Thailand. When the Joe Louis Theatre, a traditional Thai puppet troupe, suffered financial problems and risked closing down in 2004, she appealed to the culture authorities to help rescue this practitioner of the country's puppeteering heritage.
mobile – moving around เคลื่อนที่
remote – far from the nearest village or town ที่ห่างไกลความเจริญ
carried the torch – continued the work สานต่องาน(ในโครงการของสมเด็จย่า)
extended – taking a long time ที่ยาวนาน
foundation - an organisation that has been established in order to provide money for a particular group of people in need of help or for a particular type of study มูลนิธิ
kidney - either of a pair of small organs in the body which take away waste matter from the blood ไต
prosthesis – an artificial body part, such as an arm or leg อวัยวะเทียม
travelogues – books or films about traveling to particular places ภาพยนตร์สารคดีหรือหนังสือบันทึกการเดินทาง
cherish – to care for or love something or someone that is important to you ห่วงใย ดูแล
discipline – self-control มีวินัย
material indulgences – giving yourself pleasurable things, especially more than is necessary or good ปรนเปรอความสุขกายสบายใจด้วยสิ่งของต่างๆ
documentaries – films or television or radio programmes giving facts about a subject สารคดี
destinations – places were someone is going จุดหมาย ปลายทาง
abandoned – left because of no longer being wanted ที่ถูกทอดทิ้ง
species – a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other พันธุ์สัตว์หรือพืช
terrestrial – living on the land, rather than the sea or air บนบก
troupe – a group of performers who work and travel together กลุ่ม คณะนักแสดง
appealed – made a serious or formal request วิงวอน
practitioner – someone involved in a skilled job or activity ช่างฝีมือ
heritage – features belonging to the culture of a particular society มรดก (ทางวัฒนธรรม)
Enjoying good health for most of her life, the Princess said she started feeling the pangs of ageing when well-meaning people kept telling her she should slow down as she was approaching the age of 80.
``Only when they started to emphasize the fact that I was turning 80 did I actually start feeling my age; all the aches and pains associated with old age began to appear,'' she good-humouredly told a small gathering at her royal residence.
Her daughter, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya, tried to persuade the Princess to take a sabbatical year and dedicate herself to physical therapy, but to no avail. After surgery a few years ago, the Princess' health weakened and she had to rely on a walking frame to aid her movement. That did not deter her from attending cultural performances, classical music concerts and other charity events close to her heart.
The last concert graced by the Princess was the Saeng Nueng (One Light) on July 15 at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The concert was performed by 19 music students who are recipients of the Fund for Classical Music Promotion under the Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana scholarship programme, one of the Princess' initiatives to promote the study of Western classical music by gifted Thai musicians.
On June 15, the Princess was admitted to Siriraj Hospital, where tests revealed she had abdominal cancer. She remained at Siriraj until her death.
The public was first officially informed of the Princess' illness on October 25 when the Bureau of the Royal Household announced that a brain scan had revealed extensive damage to the left side of her brain due to clogged blood vessels.
A subsequent announcement on October 26 divulged that the Princess' abdominal cancer was the same kind as her breast cancer, which had been diagnosed 10 years earlier.
As 2007 came to a close, the Bureau of the Royal Household informed the public on Dec 31, 2007, of the Princess' breathing problem, partial kidney failure and blood infection.The following day, the Princess' condition worsened; she became unconscious, her breathing weak and her kidneys no longer functioning.
Members of the royal family went to Siriraj Hospital on January 1 to be with the Princess. His Majesty the King was beside his elder sister throughout her last hours.
HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana is survived by her only daughter, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya Sornsonggram, and one grandson, Jitas Sornsonggram.
titular – having the title of a position but not the power, duties or responsibilities พระยศ
pangs – sudden sharp feelings ความรู้สึกเจ็บปวด หรือเศร้าโศก
emphasise – to stress; to show or state that something is particularly important or worth giving attention to กล่าวย้ำ
good-humouredly – in a positive, fun or amusing way อย่างขบขัน
residence – a place where someone lives ที่พักอาศัย (พระตำหนัก)
sabbatical – a period of time when people, especially college or university teachers, stop their usual work in order to study or travel ช่วงเวลาพักผ่อน
therapy – a treatment that helps someone feel better, grow stronger, etc., especially after an illness บำบัด
to no avail – without success ล้มเหลว ไม่สำเร็จ
surgery – the treatment of injuries or diseases in people or animals by cutting open the body and removing or repairing the damaged part ผ่าตัด
deter – to prevent or discourage someone from doing something บั่นทอน
recipients – people who receive something ผู้รับ
initiatives – new actions, often intended to solve particular problems ความคิดริ่เริ่มในการแก้ปัญหา
gifted – having a special ability in a particular subject or activity ที่มีพรสวรรค์
revealed – showed แสดงให้เห็น
abdominal – of the lower part of a person’s or animal’s body which contains the stomach ช่องท้อง
clogged – blocked or filled อุดตัน
subsequent – happening after ในภายหลัง
diagnosed – recognised and named the particular illness or problem วินิจฉัยโรค
unconscious – in a state of being unaware of what is happening around you ไม่รู้สึกตัว