Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the Thai version of the Ramayana, Ramakien on Thursday. Ekkalak Nu-ngoen, along with a group of students from the Faculty of Music and Drama, Bunditpatanasilpa Institute, Thailand, presented the retelling of the epic through the fusion of two dance forms – Bharatanatyam from India and Khon from Thailand.
The timeless epic of Ramayana holds a very special place both in India and Thailand. It is a story of Lord Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya or Ayutthaya. In the Thai adaptation, Lord Rama becomes Phra Ram. Both versions, however, extol the same virtues of sacrifice, duty, devotion, and triumph of good over evil. This epic is an exemplar of shared cultural heritage between India and Thailand as similar values are cherished in both cultures.
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On PM Modi’s visit, Lalivan Karnchanachari, Thailand’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, told ANI, “Today, we welcome PM Modi to our beautiful country as he is here to attend the BIMSTEC meeting. We saw a mixture of Indian and Thai cultures during the performance.
The PM will have a great time here.” One of the artists who performed the Thai version of the Ramayana, Ramakien, said, “Today, we are very happy that we present Ramayana and Ramakien and the combination of both Thai Classical and Bharatnatyam in front of the PM and other distinguished guests.”
Earlier today, as he arrived at the hotel in Bangkok, PM Modi witnessed a Garba performance. He received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora and members of the Indian community upon his arrival. PM Modi said he looked forward to participating in the upcoming official engagements at the BIMSTEC Leaders’ Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. He was received by Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit at the airport. He shared pictures from the airport upon his arrival, in which he was seen shaking hands and interacting with the exuberant Indian community.
