arvuth1 Lyrics

February 15, 2008
Elaborate undertaking

Group Captain Arvuth Ngoenchuklin explains the details of the royal cremation of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana to the media. APICHART JINAKUL

Group Captain Arvuth Ngoenchuklin is one of the ''Great Five'' - a term referring to the five renowned traditional Thai architects. The others are Vanida Puengsunthorn, best known for her design of pagodas in Kusinara in India; Pinyo Suwannakiri, known for his traditional Thai buildings; Ruethai Chaichongrak, a master of the ''Ban Ruen Thai'' or traditional Thai house; Prawet Limparangsri, a former director-general of the Fine Arts Department (FAD); and Group Captain Arvuth.

Group Captain Arvuth has a wealth of experience with high-profile projects, helping to build the royal pyre for Queen Rambhai Barni in 1985 and taking charge of the construction the royal pyre for the late Princess Mother in 1996 before he was named a national artist in 1998. He was a__igned to redesign and rebuild the City Pillar Shrine.

In the story below, you will find out much more about the man and his work, including this latest project, the royal prye for the late Princess Galayani Vadhana.

elaborate - very detailed and complicated ละเอียด ปราณีต
undertaking - something difficult that you do ภาระกิจ
cremation - the burning of the body of a dead person การเผาศพ
renowned - famous and admired for a special skill or achievement ที่มีชื่อเสียง
wealth - a large amount of จำนวนมาก มหาศาล
high-profile - creating a lot of public attention เป็นที่สนใจจากคนในสังคม
pyre - (in Thailand) a temporary wooden structure for use during a cremation ceremony, especially for a member of the royal family; a pile of wood used for burning a dead body during a funeral ceremony โครงไม้ที่ใช้สร้างพลับพลาพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพ

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A MASTER CRAFTSMAN
He is an architect, a national artist and an expert in building things the traditional Thai way, but he wishes he didn't have to do his latest job

Story by ANCHALEE KONGRUT

Listening to Group Captain Arvuth Ngoenchuklin, a national artist, enthusiastically explain the concept behind his work can be like sitting in on a Hindu mythology class.

There is a stark contrast, for the man is a respected architect. His name and face have become familiar to television audiences since he was chosen to make the royal pyre for the late Princess Galyani Vadhana.

After hearing him talk, people may not look at temples and palaces the same way.

''At the corner of the royal pyre will be sculptures of mythical animals. These creatures are half-human, half- animal because they belong to Himapan - the garden in heaven,'' he said in explaining the details of decorative sculptures on the royal pyre.

These hybrid human-animals will be crafted on the entrance gates of the pyre where members of the Royal Family will perform a wai - a gesture of respect.

''The exception is a pair of Tantima bird sculptures, each holding a baton as they guard the entrance gate to be used by commoners. In my opinion, the batons are a warning sign that people should behave,'' he said.

Obviously, architecture according to Group Captain Arvuth is more than function and form.

''The royal pyre represents Phra Sumane Mount, which is heaven. The royal cremation is the symbolic act of the passing of a Royal Family member to heaven,'' said Group Captain Arvuth.

The construction of the royal pyre began early this month and is to be completed by the end of September, and the royal cremation will be around the end of October.

master - a man who is very good at something ปรมาจารย์
enthusiastically - in a very interested or exciting way ด้วยความกระตือรือล้น
mythology - a collection of ancient traditional stories about gods, heroes and magic, especially those of a particular country or religion เทพนิยาย
stark - very clear ชัดเจน
contrast - a noticeable difference ความแตกต่าง
sculpture - a solid object that someone makes as a work of art by shaping a substance such as stone, metal or wood รูปปั้น
hybrid - a mixture of different things or styles การผสมผสาน
gesture - a movement that communicates a feeling or instruction ลักษณะท่าทาง
exception - someone or something that is different in some way from other people or things and so cannot be included in a general statement เป็นที่แตกต่าง ที่พิเศษออกไปจากกลุ่ม
baton - a stick used as a weapon คฑา
commoners - non royals, people who are not members of the royal family สามัญชน

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