A truly great monarch
Today is indeed a sad day, a day on which we will bid farewell to Thailand's beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The late King endeared himself to his people in ways hitherto unknown among any of the world's rank and file. King Bhumibol made promises and kept them. He swore when ascending the throne that he would rule with justice and fairness for all people in his kingdom. He adopted the Ten Moral Codes, or Tossapit Rajadhamma, and manifested each of the codes through his simple and austere living.
A simple example was narrated to me once by a prominent Thai who said the people in an upcountry location were despairing over a lack of water and the imminent drought they faced.
His Majesty the King, learning of this, summoned his staff and carefully studied the geological conditions of the terrain of land, and soon found springs of water hitherto unnoticed by the people.
On arriving at the location, the King asked that small rocks on a particular mound be removed and, to everyone's relief, water was found. The probity of his thought, the care he took to study problems and issues, and the solace he extended to people are spoken of among myriad Thais.
On Oct 13 this year, about 3.45pm, I looked out of my window and watched the clouds gather in the distance over Bangkok. Two water cranes flew by my window, one a white bird, the other a black winged crane.
Instantly, I recalled the mid-1990s on the occasion of His Majesty's birthday anniversary, when I was in the audience to receive his address with the rector of my university. We had seen a flock of the black winged cranes on the lawns of Chitralada Palace.
In his address, His Majesty referred to these cranes and spoke of how he had raised them from fledglings, as they were endangered. He told us that he would release them into the wilderness. They were necessary in the ecological balance.
The cremation of the King will be sad but momentous. For in his final ascent, the kingdom of Thailand will have taken leave of a truly great King, who was a saint for both man and nature alike.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej lived and died true to his name, the brave and wise protector of a kingdom he was always ready to serve and defend. We shall miss him.