History of Muang Phana book launch

Pensri has been collecting material for a history of Phana for about ten years. Her father had a big collection of books and documents on the subject and several people in the village have added to her collection by allowing her to photo-copy written materials they had, as well as offering her photographs. Wat Phra Lao has a big collection of black and white photos and they let her browse through the whole lot and she borrowed many.

An important source was the History of Laos by ML Manich Jumsai published in English in Bangkok in 1967. It is out of print but our son Dominic found a copy and gave it to Pensri.

Other people in the village contributed work of their own. The abbot of Wat Burapha, Phra Maha Jantee, wrote a history of Buddhist education as it related to Phana. Phana has been a noted centre of Buddhism since the middle of the 19th century when a monk from the village (Yakru Boonma) studied at Wat Bovornivet in Bangkok with the future King Mongkut (Rama IV). Rama IV sent him back to Isaan to reform the sangha. Since his day there have been several Phana men who have become abbots of the Thammayut wat in Ubon, Wat Supatanaram.

 

Other contributions concerned palm-leaf texts, phaya (the Lao wisdom expressed through word-play) and the weaving traditionally (and still) done in the village.

Last November was the centenary of Pensri's father's birth and she had hoped to have the book ready for that. She didn't quite make it, but nevertheless the book is dedicated to him and her mother to mark the hundred years and the publication was sponsored by the whole extended family, more than a hundred people spread throughout Thailand now.

 

The book is not going to be for sale but will be offered to interested people locally. The first to receive a copy were the 120 people who last week attended a reunion of Matayom Phana school which was founded 72 years ago and closed 46 years ago. Pensri left 50 years ago.

 

Then on Tuesday Pensri and her two older sisters had an appointment in Ubon with the Governor. They presented him with 150 copies to issue to schools there. During the course of their meeting with the Governor, Pensri was telling him how how her childhood experience catching crickets stood her in good stead when she worked in the biology lab at Exeter University in England. It seems the farangs were afraid to handle the crickets. It then emerged that the Governor had been born and raised in Isan, at Chaiyaphum, and used to catch crickets by pouring water down little holes and pickng them up by their antenna when they floated upwards. A good laugh was had by all!

This picture was taken after the meeting. The man is the Governor's PR man.

 

Friday was another difficult but proud day for Pensri. She had offered the Provincial Education office copies to distribute to schools and the Head of the Education department (a Phana man, and one of Pensri's first cousins) had picked them up earlier in the week. Then he rang to say that he wanted to distribute them to Head Teachers at a meeting in Amnat Charoen on Friday. Pensri had to make a speech, which she hates doing, so she spent the previous night rehearsing it endlessly with me timing it (at just about 3 minutes, short for a Thai speech). It went fine.

So Phana's 300 years of history is in print and all Pensri has to do now is send off two copies to the National Library, as must be done for every book with an ISBN.

 

Comments

[Michael Hare]

Well done Pii Pensri. Thank you Lawrence for all the information leading up to the book's launch.

It is great for Phana that they have their 300 year old history in print. I hope all local children read it.

And the book is very well printed with great photos and a good layout.

[Martyn]

Lawrence say a big well done to Pensri for me, what a dedicated wife you have. Pensri must have absolute pride in the area you live in to have given so much of her time into compiling the history of Phana. I'm certain the book will give many people hours of enjoyment, education and bring back many memories from the past.

I do wish young Wilai would read more but aside from photograph enriched gardening books and magazines she rarely ever does. You can guarantee the day after each lottery she has her head buried inside the national daily but that's about it until the next lottery draw.

[Sue and Bob Lewis]

Well done Pensri on completing your book on the
history of Phana...what an achievement.Looking foreward to seeing it one day this year!

Thank you Lawrence for keeping us in touch with
life in Phana and other parts of Thailand.I
enjoy reading your blog very much. Suex

[Lawrence]

Michael, Martyn, Sue:

Pensri thanks you all for your kind words. She is very relieved to have finished the book. She says it has been on her mind since the first moment she settled in England and wondered if she would ever get back here (as she used to tell Sue).

Not many Thais are great readers, so I wouldn't worry about Wilai, Martyn. As for photo-enriched texts, you seem to be reading (and writing) a few of those yourself.

Thanks to you all for your comments, they are much appreciated.