As His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 87th birthday approaches this week on the 5th of December, the entire nation is gearing up to pay tribute to a revered monarch, and reflect on His Majesty’s life-long devotion to the Thai people. For over five decades, His Majesty initiated thousands of projects with the aim of alleviating hunger, eradicating poverty and bettering lives. His self-sufficiency theory, based on the simple premise “por mee por kin” [have a moderate and reasonable standard of living], is well known and held as an ideal principle.
A practical and disciplined leader, His Majesty applies self-sufficiency concepts to both his professional and personal pursuits. Whether he initiates a new project or takes up another hobby, the King devotes himself fully, fuelled by a genuine sense of caring and a natural curiosity to learn.
For example, His Majesty is a champion of Thai rice farmers. He acknowledged that boosting rice production would greatly reduce hunger in rural areas. The King also understood that, “helping [farmers] acquire the basic needs of life is the most effective means of assistance…we enable them to help themselves.” Decades of work include visiting rural sites, talking to farmers about their challenges, and studying growing conditions and effective resource use. The latter includes the Royal Rain project, His Majesty’s patented cloud seeding operations to coax “more rain than that given by nature.”
In terms of leisurely pursuits, the King also shines. As a child, His Majesty enjoyed crafts and gradually developed a talent for woodworking. Coupled with an avid interest in sailing, the King designed and built his own sailboats. In 1967, His Majesty won his sailing category in the South East Asian Peninsular Games.
King Bhumibol also possesses a deep-seated interest in the arts, excelling in photography, painting and sculpture. In addition, he is an accomplished musician, proficient at the alto and soprano saxophones, as well as the clarinet, trumpet, piano and guitar. He has jammed with jazz greats, including Benny Goodman. To date, the King has written 48 songs, many of which are played at concerts and in people’s homes. His Majesty was inducted into The Academy for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in 1964, the first Asian and youngest person to receive the honour.
These are just a few examples of a truly exemplary life. We proudly join the nation in wishing His Majesty King Bhumibol a Very Happy Birthday.
King – Photo credit: LiveTradingNews.com
Grand Palace – Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com
