People's farewell

The people of Thailand have begun to pay their final respects to Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana - who will be especially missed by the poor and disadvantaged. FEATURE

By Sanitsuda Ekachai

The elder sister of two kings of the Chakri dynasty, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana occupied a special place in the Thai people's hearts through her lifetime of dedication to people's welfare, education, and her love for the arts.

The eldest child and only daughter of Prince Mahidol of Songkla and HRH the Princess Mother, then Mom Sangwan, Princess Galyani was born in London on May 6, 1923. She was two years older than King Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII, and four years older than His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX.

Serene and regal, Princess Galyani was a patron of the arts and many public health and education charities. Her kindness and resolve to help the needy and to promote local talent in the fields of music, science and languages, is vividly captured in a song in her tribute entitled "Saeng Nueng Kue Roong Ngam" (One Light, Beautiful Rainbow), which compares her compassion to the light that makes everything it touches shining bright.

That light ceased when the princess passed away at 2:54am on January 2, 2008, after a battle with cancer. She was 84.

A thoroughly modern woman of her era, the princess was schooled with a Western education. She received degrees in both science and liberal arts from Lausanne University, reflecting her thirst for knowledge and her well-rounded personality. During her youth, the princess also excelled in numerous adventure sports such as skiing, horse riding and flying, while most Thai women of her generation were confined to traditional roles.

Her quiet royal grace and her compassion for the poor endeared her to the public. Throughout her life, the princess maintained a simple, down-to-earth style while maintaining classic regality with the least amount of fuss and protocol.

Meanwhile, the princess' sharp mind, intellectual knack for knowledge and her deep commitment to the profession of teaching won her high respect in academic circles.

When the Princess Mother passed away, the princess dedicated herself to the Princess Mother's charities, becoming a patron of 63 charitable organisations.

The princess was born in London when her father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla, was studying medicine in England. May was the baby princess' given name on her birth certificate. King Vajiravudh, Rama VI, who was her royal uncle, later bestowed on her the royal name Her Serene Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Mahidol.

Four years later, King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, also her royal uncle, 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.

The princess returned to Siam with her family when she was about six months old. She lived at the Sra Pathum Palace until she was two, when, due to Prince Mahidol's frail health and need for recuperation, the Mahidol family left for Germany, where King Ananda Mahidol was born.

When the princess was three years old, her family moved to Boston, USA, so that Prince Mahidol, in his wish to improve public health care in his homeland, could pursue an education in medicine at Harvard University.

It was here in Boston that her youngest brother was born, later to become His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

She recalled with fond memories in her book Chao Nai Lek Lek: Yuwakasat (Little Royals: The Young Kings) that she was so excited to see her baby brother but was not allowed to touch him at the hospital. Once home, she said she had fun playing nanny but was later told to keep out of the way because she was more a hindrance than a help.

In 1928, the Mahidol family was home again. After less than a year, the princess faced the first great loss of her life. Due to hard work in the medical field and frail health from kidney problems, Prince Mahidol passed away in 1929.

The princess was only six years old then. But she remembered that day vividly, as the princess wrote in Chao Nai Lek Lek: Yuwakasat: "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."

A young widow at 29 with three small children, the Princess Mother braved her grief to ensure that the little royals had a normal and happy childhood.

They did. Thanks to the Princess Mother's personal supervision and dedication, the royal children grew up in a healthy environment and got to enjoy outdoor games such as playing in a sand box, digging waterways in the lawn, riding horses, flying kites and swimming in the sea together - the happy threesome that the late Prince Mahidol would have wanted them to be.

Life for the little royals took a twist when the 1932 revolution ended absolute monarchy in the country. To protect the royal children from political instability, and to improve little Prince Ananda Mahidol's health, which was vulnerable to tropical heat and humidity, their concerned grandmother the Queen Dowager Savang Vadhana advised the Princess Mother to move to Switzerland with her three children. At the time, Princess Galyani was a student at Rajini School.

In 1933, the family arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Princess Galyani started her primary education at the Miremont School. But her family could not escape the political turmoil back home.

In 1934, the turbulence of Thai politics ended the Mahidols' normal family life when King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, abdicated in 1934 and nine-year-old Prince Ananda Mahidol was called upon to take the throne in accordance with the Palace Laws on succession.

Thanks to the Princess Mother, the royal children were able to have a relatively normal childhood. HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana continued her secondary education at Ecole Superieure de Jeune Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where she also studied Latin and German. An ace student, she was enrolled at the International School of Geneva, a boarding school, in 1938. When she graduated, she not only topped her class, she was also ranked third in the country.

Given her interest in both science and the liberal arts, the princess chose to study chemistry for her bachelor's degree at Lausanne University's Faculty of Science while studying in parallel courses in literature, philosophy and psychology at the Faculty of Social Science.

In 1944, she married Col Aram Ratanakul Serirerngrit, a commoner, and relinquished her royal title, as required by Palace Law. They had one daughter from the marriage, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya Sornsonggram. His Majesty the King restored her royal title after the couple divorced.

In 1950, the princess returned to Thailand to answer her calling as a teacher. Fluent in French, the princess began teaching French as well as French literature and history at Thammasat and Chulalongkorn universities.

The princess was highly admired for her dedication as a teacher, as well as for her down-to-earth personality which never failed to touch everyone's heart. At Thammasat University, the princess took up a post as head of the French Language and Literature section as well as the Foreign Language Department, which covered German, Japanese, Chinese and Russian.

The teaching of French, in particular, received a boost under her royal patronage during this period. The princess not only helped formulate the curriculum for the university's French language and literature courses, she was also a key figure in setting up the Thai Association of Teachers of French.

Despite the busy schedules at Thammasat and Chulalongkorn universities, the princess still found time to give special lectures at other universities across the country. The rugged terrain and potential danger from the communist insurgency apparently failed to deter her from meeting her people and sharing her expertise.

When the increasing royal duties became more demanding, the princess decided to stop her full-time teaching job but continued to provide support to various institutions as well as scholarship programmes to rural students. During this time, she also stepped up efforts to assist local talents in science and classical music where her heart was.

Having been academically trained in science, the princess was very keen to see Thailand participate in the Academic Olympics. The princess herself gave both financial and moral support to assist this project in order to nurture excellence in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computers and biology, which she believed essential to national development.

An educator with great compassion for the disadvantaged and the disabled, the princess' interest in the education of autistic children has also helped garner state commitment, resulting in better facilities and rehabilitation programmes for those afflicted.

Throughout her life, one of her main missions was to continue the legacy of her father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla, who won nationwide respect as Thailand's Father of Modern Medicine. Hence her many royal charities in public health care. She almost always accompanied the Princess Mother with mobile medical units to visit villagers in remote areas. She also worked hard behind the scenes to make sure the needy there received much-needed health services.

Thanks to her dedication to carrying the torch of her parents, the charities under the royal patronage of the Princess Mother continued uninterrupted. While many people her age would be happy to retire, the princess continued to make extended trips to villages far from modern health facilities to fill the gap. She did this with a strong vigour without concern for her health.

Apart from the Princess Mother's mobile medical units, the princess also gave royal patronage to several other charitable foundations which give health services to the needy. They included the Kidney Foundation of Thailand, the Cardiac Children Foundation, the Prosthesis Foundation and the Foundation for Slum Child Care.

Ever serene, the princess might have come across as aloof to some. It was through her many books that readers would learn about her touching, down-to-earth personality.

Her fondness for writing started when she was very young. She wrote her first book, Nitaan Samrab Dek (Tales for Children), when she was only nine. Altogether, the princess 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 were instant bestsellers. They have become some of Thailand's most favourite books. The readers noticed, however, that the princess rarely wrote about herself. Yet her personality shone through. The voice of the royal narrator was one of a very honest person who treasured simple happiness, frugality, discipline and life wisdom beyond material indulgences.

During her golden years, Princess Galyani Vadhana was very fond of travelling. She took the Thai people with her through many TV documentaries and travelogues about royal trips. A teacher at heart, the news documentaries and travelogues were her way of sharing the experiences and knowledge she gained from the educational trips with the Thai public. She always made sure that they were about the places she visited, not herself.

The princess was also an avid dog lover. Although she kept several of them, all received her fond affection. When her favourite dog, Sip Sam, which means "13", died, the princess transformed her grief into an effort to help less fortunate animals. In Sip Sam's memory, she set up a fund for the Department of Veterinary Medicine at Chulalongkorn University to care for sick and homeless animals. She also initiated a special emergency care unit and a hospital for abandoned animals.

Honouring her love for animals and science, a Thai biologist who discovered a new species of terrestrial crab in Kanchanaburi province named his discovery after the princess. It was Potomon galyaniae, or Poo Pra Pinang in Thai.

A highly cultured person, Princess Galyani also played an important role in supporting traditional arts in Thailand, particularly those at risk of dying off. One of the troupes that benefited from her generosity and concern is the Joe Louis Theatre, a traditional Thai puppet troupe.

When it suffered financial problems and risk of closing down in 2004, the princess intervened by appealing for rescue from the culture authorities.

The princess was always active in the cultural scene, lending support through her royal presence and patronage. This continued despite her frail health.

Probably no one was more surprised at the toll of ageing than herself. The princess had enjoyed good health for most of her active life. She enjoyed different kinds of outdoor sports in her younger days. She also travelled extensively in her golden years. When she was approaching the age of 80, however, she more often heard words of concern for her to slow down. That was when she started to feel the pangs of ageing, she said.

"Only when they started to emphasise 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 said good-humouredly during one gathering at her royal residence.

No one probably was more concerned than her daughter, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya, who tried to persuade the princess to take a year off to rest and undertake physical therapy. To no avail, however.

The princess' health weakened and after surgery she had to rely on a walking frame to aid her movement. That failed to deter her from attending cultural performances, classical music concerts and other charity events close to her heart.

Saeng Nueng (One Light), on July 15 at the Thailand Cultural Centre was the last concert she graced. It was a concert to express gratitude for the princess' dedication to the arts.

All 19 performers were recipients of the Fund for Classical Music Promotion under the Patronage of the HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana scholarship programme. The fund was 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. She was diagnosed as having abdominal cancer.

The public was first officially informed of the princess' illness on Oct 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.

An announcement on Oct 26 said the princess' abdominal cancer was the same kind as her breast cancer, which had been diagnosed 10 years earlier.

On Dec 31, the Bureau of the Royal Household informed the public of the princess' breathing problems, partial kidney failure and blood infection. Her condition continued deteriorating until she became unconscious, her breathing weak and her kidneys no longer functioning.

His Majesty the King and other members of the royal family rushed to Siriraj Hospital on Jan 1 to be with the princess. His Majesty was beside his elder sister throughout her last hours.

HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana is survived by her only daughter, Thanpuying Tasanavalaya Sornsonggram, and grandson, Jitas Sornsonggram.

Though Thailand's beloved Princess Galyani Vadhana is no longer with us, the fond memories of her dedication to the people and the arts will always remain in the hearts of the Thai people.