Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai City

November 1986

Loi Krathong in 1986, Chiang Mai

The Loy Krathong Festival is Thailand's most beautiful and meaningful celebration.

It is a festival of light, of public fireworks and millions of candle flames flickering and moving in gentle water currents.

Loy Krathong takes place on the full moon in November.

Loi Krathong Parade at night through the Chiang Mai streets.

Each village sent their decorated car with color lanterns, flowers and big krathong some village also has the traditional dancing and music band to joint the parade as homage to Lord Buddha and Goddess of River.

By the end of the evening, there are hundreds of flickering lights bobbing up and down on the water.

This Festival is a 13th century Sukhothai tradition of Brahmin origin to give thanks to the Goddess of water and to seek forgiveness for misdeeds.

This tradition is strong in agricultural societies where the river gives life and sustenance in a close bond between Man and Nature.

During the evening, many people come to the river to float their krathongs. People usually make a wish at the same time. They believe this will bring them good luck.

As each individual's krathong floats away, it is time to say goodbye to old regrets and to look forward to a brighter future.

The krathongs (photo above) contain a flower, a candle and three incense sticks. The sticks are lighted before being placed on the water.

The Akka Village

November 1986

I have long been interested on the tribal people in the North Thailand and while in Chang Mai I took the opportunity to joint a guided 2Days 1Night hill track to an Akka Village.

The journey :

By mini bus from Chieng Mai to a small village;
From the small village by elephant up to a hill station;
From the hill station walk up to a Akka Village for the night

A panoramic view of the Akka village where our tour group spend the night. The tourist hut (hotel) is at the right hand side.

The children (in the middle of above photo) don't go to school and it didn't look as though they were doing any agricultural works. But it good they do not ask for “Money” like children in other tourists corrupted area I been to.

This Akka village seemed untainted by tourists. They keep their traditional natural feel without any false acts.

The Aka generally prefer to live along mountain ridges at high altitudes of approximately 1,000 meters and they rarely moved south. The Aka houses are on low stilts, with a large porch leading into a square living area with a stove. The roof is steeply pitched.

Our group consists only 6 tourist on 3 elephants. Each elephant has a care taker.

With an Akka rice farmer (photo above) beside her rice farm.

The Akka are shifting cultivators. They cultivate dry rice for consumption and grow corn, millet, peppers, beans, garlic, sesame and other varieties of vegetables as additional subsistence crops.

Crop production is often inadequate to meet their needs.

The Akka are well known to tourists for their extraordinary costumes and exotic appearance. They originate from Tibetan Highlands.

Over the years they left their homeland and migrated south to Yunnan, North Burma and Laos, and have only recently entered North Thailand, 150 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akha_people

--

無拉巷袁其良學院

1986 - International Year of Peace

1986 - International Year of Peace

THE PROMISE OF WORLD PEACE

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PEACE

Founder of Santitham School in Thailand

Years previously I hear of this Baha’I school and wished to visit one day.

That wish came true in 1986 in Bangkok when an LSA member asked me to make a trip to Yasothon Town Santitham School. I do not have to do any teaching or do any volunteer service there. My job is a simple but great honored mission : To accompany Mrs. Shirine Fozdar to Santitham School.

And Mrs. Shirine Fozdar is the founder of Santitham Vidhayakhom School in Yasothon Town of North Thailand.

It was an over night bus trip from Bangkok City at night and reaching Yasothon early in the morning. The bus journey may be comfortable to us but may not for Shirine Fozdar. Not because of her age but because of ……………………

......... Just a year before, Mrs. Fozdar accidentally fall down in the school compound and seriously broke a leg. She had to be specially attended to and transported back to Singapore from Thailand. Though the school is in Thailand, Singapore is where she lives and where she would recuperate her leg and health.

Now a year has passed, and she is now strong and energy to return where she last fall. This was the timing I happen to met her at Bangkok and would accompany her to return to her school………………………..

The bus reached Yasothon early morning. I was suppose to be the nurse providing services and convenient to an eldery but not. I was new in Thailand and spoke no Thai (except Ning, Song, Sam, Si, Ha, Taulai ). Getting down from the bus I was lost not knowing what to do. Instead Mrs. Fozdar shout out loud to some men opposite the road:

“Samlo! Samlo!”

Instantly, a bicycle richshow rush to her side with smiling face. Another few more words in Thai from Mrs. Fozdar and off we went to her school her long to see again.

Mrs. Shirin Fozdar with some of the student at the Secondary Commercial Section the morning she arrive after a year of absent for recuperating of a broken leg from a fall in this school compound.

Santitham Vidhayakhom School

Santitham Vidhayakhom School 1986

Santitham Vidhayakhom School is a non-profit educational institution founded by Mrs. Shirin Fozdar who always worked for the upgrade of wellbeing and status of Asian women.

The School provides educational services which promote the moral, intellectual and physical development of its students.

The School is divided into three sections and each section has a separate buildings:

1) Nursery & Kindergarten,
2) Primary
3) Secondary (Commercial).

The School charge a very low fees to enable the poor children to obtain education.

The School receives donations from organizations and individuals.

3) Commercial Secondary Section

2) Primary Section

1) Nursery & Kindergarten Section

1986 Santitham Vidhayakhom School