Royal service

One month after the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, people still remember his grace. We talk to four professionals who served His Majesty as his shoemaker, watch repairman, tailor and veterinarian for his dogs

• Video: Fixing things for the King

Khongsak ThiangtumVeterinarian

Like many people who worked for His Majesty the King, veterinarian Khongsak Thiangtum never anticipated this. The first time Khongsak had the chance to meet the King was around 1991, when he and another veterinarian were tasked to reside at Klai Kang Won Palace in Hua Hin.

"There was a team of veterinarians working in shifts at the palace -- two vets per week," he explained. "I was one of the people who took care of Tongdaeng [His Majesty's favourite pet dog]. The team consisted of vets from the Kasetsart University Veterinary School. I was able to work for His Majesty from my third year in university."

For more than 10 years, Khongsak did health check-ups for His Majesty's numerous pet dogs each morning, and would treat them if any emergencies or accidents occur. "The King would visit to see the dogs, so we'd have a chance to give information about them," he said. "He'd ask a lot of questions on how each of them are."

Khongsak not only took care of His Majesty's pets, but also helps advise the Hua Hin Dog Shelter, set up under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King in 2002.

Located on the grounds of Wat Khao Ittisukhato, the spacious 22 rai shelter is now home to more than 800 stray dogs.

"We all know that His Majesty had his own pets that he takes care of," said Khongsak. "But he also thinks about other dogs and the surrounding community as well."

The shelter, which was last visited by His Majesty three years ago, co-operates with the local government and community to vaccinate and sterilise stray dogs outside the shelter in order to prevent an increasing amount of strays. Inside the shelter, there's various activities from adoption centres and blood donations to even a doggy swimming pool where the public can bring their own dogs to treat joint or muscular problems.

"His Majesty was extremely passionate about dogs," said Khongsak. "As a pet owner, he had a very high responsibility in taking care of his pets that every Thai should take as an example. Like when Tongdaeng got sick, he took her to the vet himself. If you're thinking of raising a pet, you have to be responsible. Stray dogs, abandoned dogs and dogs getting rabies are due to irresponsible pet owners. When [the dogs] are cute, they raise them. When they stop being cute, they abandon them at a temple or just stop taking care of them completely.

"His Majesty never explicitly said that he loved dogs, and he didn't explicitly say why, but it's in his actions. It's something I witnessed firsthand, how he treated his pets. And the way he treated stray dogs -- he fed them, got close to them, and asked how they're doing. When he played with dogs he was extremely happy. When he talked about his pets and stray dogs, he was content, he smiled."

Working for His Majesty, for Khongsak, was something he is extremely proud of. "It was the best moments of my life."

-- Apipar Norapoompipat

Sornkrai Naensrinil Shoemaker

 

Sornkrai Naensrinil, owner of a leatherwork shop Kor Premsilp, can still remember the day 14 years ago when a man carried a pair of shoes into his shop with an unusual manner.

"He came in carrying the shoes with care. He then put them on my working table, prostrated before them and said they're His Majesty's favourite shoes," recalled the 69-year-old who runs an old-school shoe repair and leatherwork shop in Samsen Road.

"I repeatedly asked him a few times if they really were the King's. It's hard to describe how content I was. I actually got goose bumps."

The shoes' condition, according to the cobbler, seemed like they had been used for at least a couple of decades. The courtier who brought the shoes in was uncertain whether or not the shoes could be mended. Later, Sornkrai believed that the pair were those that the King wore when he played music.

"If they were just other people's shoes, I might have suggested the owner to just buy a new pair. But since His Majesty was willing to get them repaired, I devoted myself to them," said Sornkrai. "I told the man that it might take some time to fix because I wanted them to be in my shop for a while.

"The way he's really clinging to sufficiency philosophy is so much more than anyone can imagine.

"A man like him could just say that he wanted new shoes. Then people can offer him many choices. But it seemed like if things can be fixed, he would choose to fix them first," said Sornkrai.

Apart from those first shoes that were brought to fix, Sornkrai also had a chance to fix four other pairs for His Majesty. All were worn from long use. There was a pair that needed a pad to be replaced, Sornkrai was very happy that he could keep the pieces to venerate.

The shoemaker made 15 pairs of new shoes that he offered specially to the King. He created the new shoes by measuring the size of the King's old shoes.

"One day, the courtier brought the shoes that I had made back to the shop. I was so afraid that he didn't like them. But what he asked me was to put on an anti-slip. I was so relieved."

It's not just the pride Sornkrai got from having a chance to work for the King. As the story of his service to the King was publicised, many new customers came to use his service.

Though the shoemaker never met the King in person, Sornkrai learned directly with his own eyes just how thrifty the King was, which inspired him to apply the philosophy to his life.

"I was once in a bad economic situation. But as I've tried to follow the philosophy -- to estimate my own capacity, it really helped me. And I believe that if other people do it, we can all be happy."

-- Pattramon Sukprasert

Anuluck Tanapant Watch repairman

 

When he was alive, watch repairman Anuluck Tanapant was a man of few words, especially about his A-list clientele, including members of the royal family, the late Supreme Patriarch, and movers and shakers in Thai society. Most prominently, he also repaired watches worn by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

"If you interviewed my father in person, you will not get much detail about his service to the King," said Somsarit, one of Anuluck's eight children.

Anuluck passed away in 2013, but the story of his horological services has surfaced with much fanfare. Media coverage has noted his discretion about his royal clientele. Before he passed away, Anuluck was approached by several watch companies asking him for his endorsement. They also wanted to know which brands of wristwatches that the late his Majesty favoured.

"My father never spilled the beans. He didn't want to be associated with any commercial endorsement or profit from presenting himself or tying himself with his famous customers. My father believed his only duty was to repair watches as best as he could," said Somsarit, who's a lecturer on architecture at Rangsit University.

Anuluck began providing watch repair services to the King more than 40 years ago. One day, an official from the Royal Household Bureau came to his shop, "Aor Luck Technic Karnchang" (Aor Luck Watch Repair), on Maharat Road between Silpakorn University and Thammasat University, asking him to repair a small music clock. He was told that the clock had great sentimental value for the King as it was a gift from his parents.

From then on Anuluck had more royal family members sending their watches to him. He was also asked to repair and provide maintenance to watches and clocks in royal palaces and important temples, including the clock placed nearby the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaeo. Part of his legacy is that he repaired and provided maintenance more than 100 of the clocks used for the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Bangkok in 1982 -- a task that his children recalled took their father one year to complete.

Being watch-repairer for the King does not bring only great honour; it also provided life lessons for the Tanapant family. "My father learned about King Bhumibol's sufficiency philosophy. He always told us that King Bhumibol was prudent in spending money. Despite being the King of Thailand, he never throws away things easily. When my father proposed to replace a strap or some worn out part, the King will ask him to stick with repairing not replacing. So, my father would often caution us about wastefulness and overspending, using His Majesty the King as an example."

-- Anchalee Kongrut

Sompop Louilarpprasert Tailor

 

Over four decades ago, a few things were passed into Sompop Louilarpprasert's responsibility after his father passed away. One of them was July Tailor, a tailor shop that specialises in making suits. The other -- one that Sompop deemed his proudest achievement -- was to become King Bhumibol Adulyadej's tailor.

At the age of 66, Sompop now operates July Tailor in the busy district of Sala Daeng. The shop can be easily spotted with a grand garuda crest perched high above its entrance -- a symbol of honour bestowed by the late King of the service this tailor house has provided to the Thai royal family for over half-a-century.

The King was a man of practicality, and that reflected in his clothes. Sompop said that in the King's younger days, His Majesty liked to wear sports jackets, especially during his rural outings. And these jackets must have a lot of pockets in order for the King to carry around his radio, documents, map and camera.

"For fabric, I used cotton mainly for comfort, and I padded it up a bit to make sure it can give protection from the rain and sunshine," said the tailor. "His Majesty was also fond of the chequered pattern for his sports jacket. That was his preferred wardrobe when he travelled to meet his people."

As the King aged, his sports jackets morphed into colourful blazers for daytime events, and dark suits for more formal gatherings. Aside from his daily wear, Sompop also crafted the King's formal white uniform, as well as the red royal guard uniform used during official royal occasions.

"His Majesty tended to keep his clothes for years. Some he wore for more than a decade. He'd send in clothes for mending once in a while. It had to do with his philosophy of sufficiency economy," Sompop said. "In whichever area he could save, he'd save."

For measurements and fitting, Sompop said he got to meet the King almost yearly. One of his most memorable moments occurred eight years ago when he travelled with his family to Klai Kang Won Palace in Hua Hin to deliver the red royal guard uniform.

"His Majesty was trying on the uniform, and he was telling us stories about his dogs." Sompop smiles fondly as he recalled these precious moments. "He was very happy, and was smiling and laughing throughout. That was something I could never forget."

A lesson King Rama IX personally taught Sompop was to always do his work with care.

"He told me that work has to be done with precision, and that I have to give my all in any task to save energy, time and money."

For someone who worked closely with the King for decades, Sompop revealed he had never felt pressured by this grand responsibility.

"It was my duty as a servant to do my best for him. That was one way I was able to repay his everlasting kindness for our country," Sompop added.

-- Melalin Mahavongtrakul