Today’s Doodle celebrates Thai author, poet, and teacher Phraya Si Sunthon Wohan, who has been credited as the top authority on the Thai language during the rule of King Rama V in the late 19th century. Sunthon Wohan authored some of the country’s first Thai language textbooks, which were used to educate the country’s youth and members of the royal family.
Phraya Si Sunthon Wohan— born Noi Achan Yangkun on this day in 1822 in the Thai province of Chachoengsao— moved to Bangkok at the age of 13 to begin his lifelong linguistic journey. Over the next eight years, he studied at one of the capital city’s most ancient temples, the golden Wat Saket, where he mastered a handful of languages, including Thai, Khmer (the official language of neighboring Cambodia), and Pāli (a classical language that originated in India).
Phraya Si Sunthon Wohan’s talents ultimately attracted the attention of King Rama V, and he was appointed to the esteemed role of permanent secretary. He authored the country’s first textbook, which he used to teach the royal family at Suan Kulaab, the rose garden school in Bangkok’s Grand Palace. A poet at heart, Sunthon Wohan is also credited with writing Thailand’s very first national anthem.
Early concepts and sketches of the Doodle
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