Thai-language translation of Indian Constitution launched in Bangkok
The Indian Embassy in Thailand organised an event on March 12 in which National Assembly President and Speaker of the House of Representatives Chuan Leekpai, along with other dignitaries, formally released the Thai-language translation of the Constitution of India.
The event coincided with the official launch in India of the 75th anniversary celebrations of India’s independence by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In her address, Indian Ambassador Suchitra Durai said that India@75 has been launched on a historic day when Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, launched the Dandi March in 1930.
She referred to the Indian Constitution as the “mother document” for India’s existence as an independent country. She also said that India was fulfilling a bilateral commitment that was made during Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to India in 2016 when Modi announced the translation and publication of the Indian Constitution into the Thai language.
Assistant Prof Surat Horachaikul, director of the India Studies Centre at Chulalongkorn University, who was in charge of the translation of the Indian Constitution, said it was a privilege for him to embark upon such a mammoth task of translating the supreme law of India that binds all Indians from diverse backgrounds.
Chuan said India is a great nation, whose history goes back to the Indus Valley Civilisation of more than 5,000 years and that Southeast Asia owes much to the Indian civilisation. He also said that for more than 70 years, democracy has stood the test of time in a country with tremendous diversity and that the success of the Constitution of India has become a model that attracts attention and inspires people around the world.
The event was attended by around 200 dignitaries and guests. The launch of the Thai translation of the Indian Constitution was followed by a short cultural programme, the screening of a documentary on the making of India’s Constitution and a short video clip on that country’s Vaccine Maitri initiative. The event also featured a photo exhibition on the making of the Constitution.