CHINAR SHADE : THAILAND AND PAINTINGS OF ARTIST PATAMARES LIVISIT

THAILAND AND PAINTINGS OF ARTIST PATAMARES LIVISIT ( born 1960 ) .

About Thailand , we generally know that it is an economy that has been run over by Western values due to tourism. A Buddhist nation where massage parlours are also attracting tourists. We generally believe that Thailand is a place where every young tourist wants to go for fun and enjoyment. That is not totally correct . People visit Thailand for its tranquil beaches, exotic cuisine, magnificent temples and scenery, colourful history, or cultural and archaeological sites.Thailand is also known it's delicious mangoes and strict rules about conversations on its monarchy.

Some of us might also be knowing that Prince Jagat Singh ( 1949-1997 ) from Jaipur’s Kachhwaha royal family had married Priyanandana Rangsit from the royal family of Thailand . And some of us might have also tasted Thai food especially curries, Som Tam Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai noodles, Satay, among others.I believe most of us know this much about Thailand .

Unless we visit the country , we don’t know many things about this beautiful land . Thailand has its ancient culture and traditions. A culture that is influenced by Animism , Hinduism and Buddhism . A country where some kings were named as Rama . A country where Ramayana is also popular. Namsate is wai to which you need to respond with folded hands.Sawadika is a traditional greeting in Thai that means "Hello". The Thai version of the Ramayana epic is known as the Ramakien. The Rama story is thought to have been known to the Thais since at least the 13th century. It was adopted from older Khmer sources.

Buddhism, the religion practiced in Thailand is somewhat unique to other Buddhist nations, having been infused with many outside elements. Hindu practices and traditional Chinese beliefs have influenced local beliefs to an extent, with animist beliefs playing a large role in making Thai Buddhism what it is today. And Monks are highly respected .The Thai people perform rituals like Namkaran ( giving new names to babies) . The joint family system prevalent in urban and rural areas keeps family ties strong.

Some important Thai festivals and celebrations are Chakkri Day, Chulalongkorn Day, the queen's birthday, the current king's birthday, Coronation Day, the Royal Plowing Ceremony, Songkran (The Water Festival), Visakha Bucha (Buddha's Birthday), Krathong (Festival of Lights), Magha Puja, Yi Peng Festival, and many more. Thi people love their King and Queen .No disrespect to royal family in any form is tolerated in Thailand.

Belief in superstitions is a part of Thai culture . People consult a priest or monk for an auspicious date before arranging a wedding, buying a house , going on a long journey , buying a car , entering a newly built house and many other situations.

Some of us must have also seen the beautiful canals and water ways in this country . Apart from being used for transport , these canals have floating markets . This is exactly like our Dal lake waterways. Early morning vegetable market in boats looks like our Dal lake vegetable Mandi . The inland waterways in Thailand are about 4000 km and are used to ferry goods , agricultural output ( mostly rice ) and passengers .Bangkok , Ayuthya ( Ayodhya )and many more towns have flourishing floating markets selling anything and everything to locals and tourists .

Over half of the vocabulary of Thai language is derived from or borrowed from Pali, Sanskrit, Mon and Old Khmer. It is a tonal and analytic language, similar to Chinese and Vietnamese.Thai script and many more South Asian scripts were the direct descendants of old Tamil Pallava Script. For this reason,one finds similarities between Thai and old Tamil scripts.It is pertinent to mention that Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pali through Hinduism and Buddhism.

Thailand has a history of dance , drama , music and paintings supported and patronized by the royal family. And This country is full of art galleries where one can see some finest contemporary art on display . This art includes modern, abstract, impressionist , landscape , portraits , decorative and realistic . Many artists, painters , singers , musicians and dancers are active in Thailand presently. This aspect is mostly unknown to us.

And I feel pleased to introduce Patamares Livisit ( born 1960 ) . Patamares is a young frontline contemporary painter from Bangkok, Thailand who paints landscapes , market scenes and portraits and most prominently the waterways of the country . His style is varied that includes realistic and Impressionist genre. I am lover of his exclusive paintings in impressionist style that depict life in waterways. He is a master in use of colours for painting markets of waterways or what is known as "Floating Markets" of Thailand .Patamares' s works are exhibited at Sombat Permpoon Gallery and galleries throughout Thailand.

( Avtar Mota )