By Itsarin Tisantia
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
On December 5, Thai subjects will celebrate His Majesty’s 87th birthday anniversary throughout the Kingdom of Thailand. As a huge source of inspiration to Thai people, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been the centre of love and unity since his accession to the throne in 1946.
This week’s Exercises explore some interesting facts about the monarch.
Born on December 5, 1927 and married to MR Sirikit on April 28, 1950, His Majesty has become widely known as the world’s hardest-working and longest-reigning monarch. Apart from his famous philosophies and countless royal activities, here are some facts about our beloved king that you may not know.
His Majesty the King’s nickname is Lek, and his royal name “Bhumibhol” was christened by King Rama VII.
His Majesty the King is short-sighted, so he started wearing glasses at the age of 9.
His Majesty the King first chose to study science at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, but had to switch his major to political science and law to prepare himself to rule Thailand.
On October 4, 1948, His Majesty the King had a major car accident near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. His car crashed into a truck.
His Majesty the King started writing songs when he was 18 years old and has so far composed more than 40 songs. His first song is called “Saeng Tien.”
His Majesty the King was proclaimed Maharaj (The Great) on May 5, 1987.
His Majesty the King surpassed King V as the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history on July 2, 1988. His Majesty is also the world’s longest-reigning monarch, followed by Queen Elizabeth II.
Kings and queens from 29 countries around the world were invited to Thailand’s celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the King’s accession to the throne on June 2005.
His Majesty’s favourite sports include badminton, skiing and sailing.
The King plays several musical instruments including the piano, guitar and saxophone. However, the instrument that he first learned to play was the accordion.
His Majesty wrote many famous novels, for example, A Man Called Intrepid and Tito, both of which he initially wrote by hand. Later, His Majesty wrote stories on a PC, including his masterpiece The Story of Mahajanaka.
His Majesty has initiated more than 3,000 royal projects aimed at developing the country in many ways.
His Majesty the King usually writes notes with a pencil. He uses only one pencil per month until it can no longer be used.
The King presided over graduation ceremonies at educational institutes nationwide since 1950. It is estimated that he has given graduation certificates by hand to more than 400,000 graduates and postgraduates in Thailand.
The King can fluently speak at least five foreign languages including Latin, French, English, German and Spanish.
Exercises
Read through the story. Then, answer the following reading comprehension questions.
1. What is the first song by His Majesty the King called?
2. How old will HM the King be turning on the upcoming December 5?
3. At least how many foreign languages can the king speak fluently?
4. His Majesty ascended to the throne in 1964. True or false?
Vocabulary
- subject (n): a person who has the right to belong to a particular country, especially one with a king or queen
monarch (n): a person who rules a country or an empire, especially a king or queen
proclaim (v): to publically and officially tell people about something important
accordion (n): a musical instruments that you hold in both hands and produce sounds by pulling the ends apart and pushing them together while pressing keys and buttons to produce different notes
masterpiece (n): a work of art such as a painting, film, book, etc. that is an excellent, or the best, example of the artist’s work
