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Nathee Utarit paints the Ballad for Khrua Inkong
Preeyanoot Jittawong
Chiang Mai University Art Museum has placed more than 50
works by Nathee Utarit on show. The paintings represent over four years
work.
The
Ballad for Khrua Inkong painting exhibition.
Nathee said that the inspiration to create these works
came from him interest in each subject, combined with imagination. Each
painting was differently created but the entire exhibition was inspired by
the imagination of Khrua Inkong, a well known artist during the period of
King Rama IV.
The exhibition will run until August 21 at CMU Art Museum on the second
floor, open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from Tuesdays to Sundays.
Entaneer Music contest
on at Kad Suan Kaew
Nopniwat Krailerg
The 2nd Entaneer Music contest was organized by Kad Suan
Kaew Department Store and the Chiang Mai University Faculty of Engineering
Music Club. The idea was to give students more public performance experience
and by doing so, keep away from drugs.
First
round of 2nd Entaneer Music contest at Kad Suan Kaew Department Store.
The first round took place on July 24 at Kad Suan Kaew
store between 13 teams.
Seven teams made it to the final round, which will be on August 26 at
Sala Ang Kaew, Chiang Mai University.
Being Thai is in its mixing
Dr. Chris Baker reveals all
Reinhard Hohler
Political-economist guru, Dr. Chris Baker, a British
academic from Cambridge University, gave an enlightening talk about
“National identity and mass society in Thailand” at the Faculty of
Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University on August 5.
Famous for his critical book about PM Thaksin, Dr. Baker
entertained his audience, mostly academics and students, looking at the
consequences of mass society in today’s Thailand. Going back in history
for some 200 years to the Rattanakosin era, he explained the development of
a dominant Thai identity, which centered on the Thai elite around the
monarch and included a Chinese merchant class, Mon refugees from Burma and
Khmer war prisoners. During the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Western
influence brought the concept of nation state and with it an artificial
delineation of borders.
After the 1932 revolution, when Thailand became a
constitutional monarchy, Thai identity was highlighted by a theory that
there was a historical migration from the Altai Mountains in Mongolia down
to the Gulf of Thailand. However this idea of a “Thai” race had no hold
in the modern world and Thai history is now “a story of widening trade
networks, which produced ever greater ethnic complexity, which in turn
demanded broader and more sophisticated political systems.” Dr. Baker
summed it up: “Being Thai is in its mixing.”
Over one generation during the last quarter of the 20th
century, Thailand’s society changed rapidly. Urban capitalism produced a
new middle class and also a new working class. Information arrived via
satellite, TV, movies and Internet and created a global worldview. Paved
roads, tour buses and motorcycles heralded the coming of mass society.
“National mass media was creating a social mirror, where the imagined
unity of the nation was fragmented. The reflection revealed the variety of
the ethnic make up of the society, the diversity of religious practice, and
the scale of social divisions,” Dr. Baker concluded. A lively questions
and answers session ended a highly timely talk. For more information, the
new book from Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit: A History of Thailand,
Cambridge University Press, 2005, is now available.
Sorasak Saengmuang
wins young designer award
Preeyanoot Jittawong
Chiang Mai is trying to become a center of fashion and
Kad Suan Kaew Department Store seized the opportunity to present a Fashion
2005 project. The first activity was the “Fashion of July and Young
Designer Award” organized by the Kad Suan Kaew drama school. Shops inside
the store took part.
Thianchai
Aksoradit (second right), Faculty of Fine Art lecturer at Chiang Mai
University, presents an award for the winner, Sorasak Saengmuang from Thai
Wichitsilp School.
To ensure that customers do not get bored, the Chiangmai Fashion 2005
project will be changed each month. Fashions in August will emphasize the
chic worker fashions; September will stress sports collections; October will
present kids’ fashion, and November will show local cloth. The project
will end in December with all styles of fashion.
Chiang Mai University opens
CMU Center at YNNU in China
Chiangmai Mail Reporters
Chiang Mai University has set up a CMU Center at the
Institute of Chinese and International Studies (ICIS) Yunnan Normal
University (YNNU), China.
CMU Center at YNNU is the first information center being
set up abroad with the purpose of disseminating information about the
university and to support the university’s policy to encourage
international academic participation. This includes developing the
university as a knowledge center, especially in the Mekong River basin area.
The center provides information about Chiang Mai
University’s faculties, education curricula, both general and
international, plus facts on Chiang Mai province and Thailand itself.
Anubarn Chiang Mai School
- best English Program
Nopniwat Krailerg
Anubarn Chiang Mai School competed against 17 bilingual
schools throughout the country to determine the best at teaching ability and
to compete further in Bangkok this month. Anubarn Chiang Mai School
presented their “International based on Thai style” slogan and performed
local culture and communicating in English, acted by 18 students of grades 2
and 3. The performance started with northern local instrument playing then
introduced the school, showed hill tribe dances and ended with a chorus.
The championship winning school was decided on ability
and participation of students, parents and both Thai and foreign teachers.
“This success could bring fame to the school and Chiang Mai province,”
said Prayad Lamjuan, president of the Anubarn Chiang Mai School.
Bank of Thailand supports education of young Thais
Preeyanoot Jittawong
Bank of Thailand, Northern region branch, held an
activity to support the education of young Northern region Thais on July 30
at the northern office of the bank. It included economic knowledge
competitions, and books and bookcases were presented to ten schools in the
northern region.
ML
Predeeyathorn Devakul, Bank of Thailand director, presents scholarships to
students of Satree Sri Nan School from Nan province.
The Bank of Thailand representative said that the
activity was organized to encourage knowledge about statistics, economics
and the important role of the bank in the country’s economic position.
132 schools entered the competition with 1,000 students
overall. The champion school was Satree Sri Nan School from Nan province and
10,000 baht and certificates were presented to that school’s students
attending the competition, while 100,000 baht was presented to the school.
The first runner-up was Pua School, also from Nan
province, and each student received 5,000 baht along with certificates, and
50,000 baht was presented to the school.
The second runners-up were Srisawat Wittayakarn School
and Sawan Anan Wittaya School, again from Nan province, each receiving
30,000 baht and 4,000 baht presented for each student.
ML Predeeyathorn Devakul, Bank of Thailand director presented the awards
and 200 books and bookcases for 10 schools in the north region.
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