อนุสรณ์งานพระราชทานเพลิงศพ ศาสตราจารย์กิตติคุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิทธิ์รัฐสินธุ์

อายุุประมาณ 10 ปีีมาขอทานผู้ชายคน ้ นั้้น เขาก็็เอามืือล้ว้งกระเป๋๋าเสื้้อหยิิบ เงิินออกมา และเด็ก็มอมแมมก็ยื่็่�นมืือดำปี๋๋�มารัับเงิิน ฉัันรู้้สึกดีีที่ ึ ่�เห็็นคนมีี เมตตา เราสองคนไม่่ได้้ให้้เพราะเรากลัวัเขาตามตื๊๊�อ จััณฑาลเป็็นวรรณะต่่ำ ที่สุ่� ุดจริิง เห็็นกัับตาเลยว่่าคนกวาดฝุ่่นบนรถไฟยัังทำตัวมีี ั อำนาจเหนืือเด็ก็ คนนั้้น เห็็นเขาตะโกนไล่่เด็กที่็น่ ่� ่าสงสารคนนั้้นให้้ไปพ้้น ๆ สักัครู่่หลัังจากนั้้น ชะตาชีีวิิตเราก็็เปลี่่�ยนฉัับพลััน คนตรวจตั๋๋ว�เดิินมา ขอดูตัู๋๋ว�ฉัันแทบเป็็นลม เมื่่�อเขาพููดว่่า คุุณนั่่�งที่ผิ ่� ิดแล้ว้ต้้องไปชั้้นสาม เลข ที่่�เดีียวกััน ฉัันงง เพราะเพื่่�อนอิินเดีียที่ซื้้่� อตั๋๋ว� ให้้บอกว่่าเป็็นชั้้นสอง เราก็จ่็่าย อััตรานั้้นด้ว้ย แต่่เราเถีียงไปก็็ไม่มีี่ ประโยชน์์ ก็็ยอมลุกุขนของเดิินไปโบกี้้ที่่� เป็็นชั้้นสาม ที่นั่่� �งแย่่มาก เป็็นม้้ายาว ๆ นั่่�งเรีียงเหมืือนรถสองแถวเมืืองไทย ตลอดการเดิินทางโดยรถไฟ ฉัันมีีความรู้้สึกึหลากหลายประสมกััน ภาพสองข้้างทางที่ร ่� ถไฟแล่่นผ่่าน ดููเพลิิดเพลิินโดยเฉพาะภาพชาวนาผู้ห้ญิิง นุ่่งส่่าหรีีทำนา ภาพตรงข้้ามกัับที่ฉั ่� ันนั่่�ง ที่่�แม่่คนหนึ่่�งนอนตะแคงเหยีียดยาว ให้้นมลููก ไม่่มีีการเขิินอาย ไม่่มีีอะไรปิิดบััง เป็็นภาพที่่�แปลกและเป็็น ธรรมชาติิมากจนดูสวูยงาม แต่ก่ารแก่่งแย่่งที่ว่ ่� ่างของผู้โดย้ สารบางคนโดย พยายามเบีียดให้ฉั้ันและเพื่่�อนเขยิิบเลื่่�อนไปเรื่่�อย ๆ เพื่่�อเขาจะได้นั่่้ �งสบาย ขึ้้น ทำให้ฉั้ันเศร้้าใจมาก ปััญหาเรื่่�องจองอะไรไม่่ได้้อย่่างที่ต้ ่� ้องการ ยัังมีีอยู่่ เมื่่�อถึึงเมืืองอััคระ และลงจากรถไฟแล้ว้ เพื่่�อนไต้้หวัันต้้องไปเช็็คอิินห้้องพักก่ั ่อน ปรากฏว่่าพอ เห็็นห้้อง เพื่่�อนไต้้หวัันก็บ่็่นว่่านี่่�ไม่่ใช่ห้่ ้องแบบที่่�เขาจอง เหมืือนเขาเอาห้้อง ไม่ดีี่ราคาต่่ำกว่่าให้้ ผลปรากฏว่่า เขาบอกห้้องหมด ถ้้ามีีจะเปลี่่�ยนให้้ แต่่ ให้้เราฝากของเอาไว้ก่้่อนได้้ ฉัันก็ฝ็ากกระเป๋๋าเสื้้อผ้้าไว้ด้้ว้ย ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.)

ทััชมาฮาลซึ่่�งเป็็นจุุดหมายของการมาเมืืองนี้้สวยงามสมคำร่่ำลืือ และสมกัับตำแหน่่งมรดกโลก ฉัันประทัับใจมาก เพีียงแต่่เราเสีียค่่าเข้้า ชมแพงเป็็น 30 เท่่าของคนอิินเดีีย ตอนซื้้อตั๋๋ว� เห็็นคนอิินเดีียจ่่าย 20 รููปีี (ประมาณ 20 บาท) แต่่คนต่่างชาติิต้้องจ่่าย 20 เหรีียญอเมริิกััน (ประมาณ 600 บาท) สิ่่�งก่่อสร้้างที่น่ ่� ่าทึ่่�งนี้้เป็็นตัวัแทนของความงามแบบศาสนาอิสิลาม ซึ่่�งแสนจะต่่างจากวััด วัังฮิินดูู และวััดซิกข์ิ ์ ที่่�บรรยายไปข้้างต้้น สีีขาว ดูสูะอาดเอี่่�ยม รููปแบบอาคารดูสงู่่างามลวดลายดููเป็็นระเบีียบ สมแล้ว้ ที่่�คนทั่่ว� โลกอยากไปเยี่่�ยมชม ภาพที่่� 12 ด้้านหน้้าของทััชมาฮาล 154 อนุุสรณ์์งา อนุุสรณ์์งานนพระราชทา พระราชทานนเพลิิงศพ เพลิิงศพ

ภาพท ี่ 13 ส่วนประกอบด้านข้างของทัชมาฮาล ภาพท ี่ 14 กับเพื่อนไต้หวัน ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.)

ขั้้นตอนสุุดท้้ายของทริิปนี้้คืือพาตััวเองกลัับบ้้านโดยสวััสดิิภาพ หลัังจากชมทััชมาฮาลแล้้ว ฉัันก็็อำลาเพื่่�อนไต้้หวัันขึ้้นรถไฟกลัับไปที่ ่� กวาลีีออร์์ ดููเหมืือนเดิินทางย้้อนศร แต่่ฉัันซื้้อตั๋๋�วเครื่่�องบิินไป-กลัับ นิิวเดลีี-กวาลีีออร์์ไว้้ ต้้องใช้้ตามนั้้น นั่่�งรถไฟกลัับไม่สนุ่กุเลย คนแน่่น โดนแย่่งที่ ่� ว่่างตลอด เครีียดด้้วยกลััวว่่าจะไปสนามบิินไม่่ทััน พอถึึง สถานีีรถไฟ ก็รีี็บวิ่่�งไปรัับกระเป๋๋าที่ฝ่� ากไว้้ แล้วก็้ ็ลากไปขึ้้นแท็กซี่็ ่� เพื่่�อ ไปสนามบิินกวาลีีออร์์ ภาพที่่� 15 ลวดลายดููเรีียบง่่ายเป็็นระเบีียบ 156 อนุุสรณ์์งา อนุุสรณ์์งานนพระราชทา พระราชทานนเพลิิงศพ เพลิิงศพ

แท็กซ ี่พาฉันไปถึงสนามบินเร็วพอควร ดูเวลาแล้วน่าจะทัน เครื่องบิน แต่เกิดปัญหาอีกแล้ว โอพระเจ้า ฉันมีเงินรูปีไม่พอจ่าย ค่าแท็กซ ี่ ประมาณร้อยกว่า เงินดอลลาร์ก็มีแต่แบงก์ใหญ่ จะวิ่งไป ธนาคารก็ไม่มีเวลา ก็เลยหยิบเงินไทยใบละร้อยให้ 2 ใบ ให้พร้อม เงินรูปีทั้งหมดที่ มี คนขับแท็กซ ี่ไม่ยอมรับแต่แรก ฉันก็อ้อนวอนเขา อยู่นาน บอกว่าแลกที่ธนาคารได้ ได้กำ ไรด้วยขอให้เมตตาเถอะ เพราะฉันไม่อยากตกเครื่องบิน ในที่สุดเขาก็ยอม ฉันรู้สึกเป็นหนี้ บุญคุณเขาจริง ๆ หลังจากนั้นก็ไม่มอุปี สรรคใด ๆ อีกจนกระทังถึงเม่ องไทย ื และกลับถึงบ้านโดยสวสัดิภาพ พร้อมความทรงจำ มากมายเกี่ยวกับ “พิพิธภัณฑ์ทม ี่ ชีีวิต” ทให้ทั้งค ี่ วามรู้และประสบการณ์อันยากทจะล ี่ มื ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.)

Preface The content of this book was taken from a journal written when I had the opportunity to attend a conference, The Fourth Biennial International Conference on South and Southeast Asian Studies in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, 2006. The content is narrative. of what and why I experienced and thought that was new to me nowadays. I admit that I am older, have new knowledge, and have a lot of good memories of India, Especially, it was my first visit to India. And I went there alone too. The description of any events in the book about Indian society or Indian people may look disturbing or full of conceit. Actually, no such idea exists in my head. Amara Prasithrathsint 26 June 2023 ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 161

Attending an academic conference in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, October 2006 Preparation This trip gave me the feeling of awe, uncertainty, challenge, and adventure. Of course, it was not easy to go to India by myself for the first time. Eventually, I decided to go there for several reasons. First, the conference was organized by my friend named Dr. Lipi Ghosh, who was a visiting researcher at the Thai Studies Institute, Chulalongkorn University, during the time I was director. She was nice and bright, and I had trust in her. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 163

Secondly, the venue of the meeting was in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, unheard of for me. But when I searched on Google, I found that the city was rich in history and worth studying. Thirdly, I would like to see the atmosphere of an academic conference in India. I should not have any problem because they would use English at the conference. (But the fact is the opposite. It turned out that I did have a lot of trouble understanding English in India.) Lastly, at first, Ajarn Pawan (my best friend) said she wanted to join me to Gwalior. She could be my best travel companion, but later she canceled it. So I went on this trip alone. Figure 1 Professor Lipi Ghosh, PhD 164 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Figure 2 Map of India showing Gwalior The preparation was a little tricky as I had no experience travelling in India. But it’s convenient to pay all by myself, apply for everything by myself, and book my own plane tickets. The money I would take with me ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 165

would be US dollars and Thai baht to exchange for rupees in India. The plane ticket for the flight from Bangkok to New Delhi was bought from the Thai International Airways—no problem. After that, I booked a small Indian domestic flight to fly to Gwalior. They demanded that I pay via Western Union, which charged high fees, but I immediately got the plane ticket. There was nothing else to worry about. The clothes were ordinary clothes I normally wore to work. The food doesn’t need preparation because I eat easily, but I secretly took a small bottle of honey with me to prevent emergency hunger. A small jar of honey—the same type that was used as a souvenir for Chuen’s wedding guests. The bottle was small, slender, compact, and easy to carry. Arrival in New Delhi (October 11, 2006) This was a day full of excitement, adventures, and surprises. Starting from the minute I got on the plane flight from Bangkok to India, I heard a kind of noise suggesting something unusual had happened. Just before the plane took off, I saw a man running around and shouting that 166 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

he had lost his carry-on bag. Then a few flight attendants ran around too, helping that man find his bag. It was a real commotion. Then everybody was relieved when that man finally found his bag in an overhead bin. He had forgotten that he himself put it there when he stepped into the cabin. The flight was OK, but after the landing and as soon as I walked into the arrival room, nothing was OK. The New Delhi airport was small and crowded. I managed to get all my luggage anyway. It was very late— almost midnight. The domestic plane ticket that I got was open. I had to have it scheduled and get a boarding pass there to go on to the conference site. No information. No one knew what I should do. I had to wait until the morning when they would start to work again. The most terrible thing is that there was no lounge for passengers to hang on or take a rest. Anyway, I succeeded in finding one room with some chairs to sit on. I tried to take some rest there, but too bad it was not really a “room”. because many passengers walked past that space, dragging their heavy suitcases to go to some other spots of the airport. You can imagine how teeming ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 167

Sight-seeing in New Delhi (October 12, 2006) Morning came, but trouble remained. I found with disappointment that there was no flight from New Delhi to Gwalior in the morning. I had to wait until 1 p.m. But why just wait? I looked for something to do to kill time. Ah! Why not go sightseeing? Wow! What an idea! I walked out to look for a taxi. No need. More than ten taxi-drivers immediately surrounded me, trying to win me as a passenger. I picked one and bargained for the cheapest fare for taking me around the city until noon. I felt proud of myself for my skill at bargaining and for not being cheated by Indians. The taxi driver led me to a parking lot. He stopped at a point where a few cars were parked. I was going to get into one that looked good, with windows decorated with white lace. The driver stopped me and said, “Well, for that one, you and noisy the place was and how hard it was for me to fall asleep. I also had to watch out for my belongings, particularly my handbag, which I was hugging tight to my chest all the time there. 168 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

have to pay another price.” See? No one can beat an Indian. They always outsmart you. Finally, I got the oldest, smallest, and ugliest car. Still not lucky. I told the driver to take me to important places in the city. You know? The first place he took me to was kind of a beautiful house. But as soon as I walked inside, I knew immediately that I was trapped. It was a shop selling woven fabric. I wasted almost an hour watching a man show me many kinds of beautiful carpets. In the long run, I was persuaded to buy two pieces, but I was so glad to get out of that place. The second place was not bad. The taxi driver dropped me off at Qutub Minar. It was a vast area full of temples and monuments. I walked around, taking pictures. Two Indian families saw my camera and asked me to take their pictures. I did and they gave me their email addresses telling me to send them photos. (I did.) It seemed that not much time was left to stop at any other place, so I told the driver to drive me around on several streets so that I could see life in this city. I stopped to buy some bananas, the only kind of fruit ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 169

Figure 3 Qutub Minar, New Delhi Source: ANKUR20 (National Capital Territory of Delhi, India) that was easiest to eat, as in the Thai saying: “As easy as eating bananas.” Too bad I did not have the chance to eat any of the bananas because on a street while waiting at the red light, a very dirty-looking teenager girl carrying a baby ran to my taxi to beg, and I gave her all the bananas. No words would be enough to describe how miserable the girl looked. The driver told me that she was a person in “the untouchable caste” and suggested that I ignore her. Finally, my sight-seeing ended when the driver dropped me off at the airport. I paid my fare plus a tip, 170 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Going to Gwalior, the conference venue (October 12, 2006) At the domestic airport of New Delhi, I stood at the boarding gate. There were no seats. I was alone at the gate. No one seemed to travel to the seminar with me at all. I felt scared and insecure, but for a moment, I saw a non-Indian couple. They looked like participants going to the same place as me. So I walked over to them and asked them. It turned out that my guess was right. I was very glad to have these companions, who were from Japan. Then I saw a Chinese-looking woman walking to where I was waiting. Her face seemed to suggest that she might be as much bewildered as me. I was glad to have another seminar friend. She was Taiwanese. There might be other people going on the same flight. But I did not pay attention after having got the three companions. but to my surprise, the driver looked at me and said, “Madam, be generous! Come on! Be generous!” He did not want to go and made his hands move in the manner of forceful begging. I was so scared that I quickly grabbed all my bags and walked away quickly. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 171

Arriving at Gwalior airport, we were picked up by a van driver, who took us to a hotel, which should not be called “hotel” at all because it was a very old three-storied building by a road. After check-in, the guests went to their assigned rooms. Many people must have been shocked like me because when entering the room. I was shocked to see a thick layer of dust on the floor, on the cupboard, and on the table. The TV was broken; it couldn’t be turned on; and the toilet flush did not work. The room was not suitable for people to stay in. I immediately ran to the counter to complain. The man at the counter said he would send someone to fix it. But I insisted on having some other room entirely. I must have been good at negotiating. Finally, they let me move to a new room on the third floor. I felt that I must have done something good previously or had made a lot of merit. The new room was very nice and different from the old room, as the sky was different from the earth. Everything could be used normally, and the room was clean and free from dust. I secretly felt happy but sympathetic to others because, while walking back to move my belongings to 172 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

During the conference (October 13-15, 2006) The first morning of the meeting, I felt ready but nervous because I was scheduled to present my paper that day in the afternoon. After eating at the hotel, a car picked up the participants including me, taking us to the meeting venue at a university. The conference was entitled The Fourth Biennial International Conference on South and Southeast Asian Studies the new room, I heard other guests run to the counter to complain about a hundred problems, such as water not flowing, no hot water, no air conditioners, no blankets, etc. Many problems, really. I asked myself what level of hotel this was. Since it was already late in the evening when I arrived at the hotel, I could not find any place to eat. Also, a lot of time had been spent on solving the problems with the room. It was late, but I was glad that I had a small bottle of honey, some bread that I had brought from home, and also cookies taken from the plane. That was enough to make me survive until the next morning. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 173

organized by INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR ASIA AND PACIFIC STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA. The reason why it did not take place at the University of Calcutta was that the organizer wanted the participants to visit important historical places in Gwalior. The meeting started in chaos. At first, no fixed schedule was informed to the participants. They did not know which room they should be going to first. But someone told me not to go into the room and that they would start with group photo taking in front of the building. Then I saw the participants standing and talking while walking on the street or in the yard in front of the building. We waited very long, and the sun was extremely hot. The cameraman did not show up. They seemed to be waiting for a few important people to join in the photo-taking. Oh, I nearly fainted. In the end, after almost an hour had passed, the group photos were taken. I never saw those pictures, which had been taken with a long process. (They never sent any to me.) The rarest thing at this conference was a toilet. After the photo shoot, I happened to feel like peeing. Oh, it became a big deal. When I asked where the toilet was, everyone’s eyes widened. They answered, “I 174 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

don’t know.” “I don’t think there is a toilet here in this building.” Oh my god! I kept asking more and more people. Finally, someone walked me to a building that was far from the conference building. When I got there, someone pointed to the upper floor. When I went upstairs, I couldn’t find any room looking like a toilet. So I asked someone who seemed to be a professor. She pointed to a plain-looking room without any sign of a toilet. Oh my god, it was just a bathroom. No toilet, so I did it on the floor near the sewer hole. The next day, I found that some buildings had squat toilets, which were good enough for me. The conference formally began with a plenary lecture in a large room. The speaker gave a talk in English, which was rather difficult for me to understand. I had seen examples of varieties of English, such as Chinese English, Japanese English, Korean English, Russian English, German English, etc., but this Indian variety of English was difficult for me. However, I grasped some content of the talk. This language experience sheds light on the reasoning of the famous Indian linguist Braj Kachru, who used the word “Englishes” to refer to varieties of English used differently around the world. The ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 175

word “Englishes” implies those language varieties may be separate languages even though they have the same name (English). Those “English languages” (Englishes) may be mutually unintelligible. The English language varieties spoken in India strongly support Braj Kachru’s idea. Indian culture was evident in this international conference. Before the speaker started his talk, he brought a revered idol and set it on the table. Some brought one, some two, or maybe even three. Whichever god was being worshipped seemed to be different among different scholars. The most common ones were Vishnu, Shiva, and Ganesh (I asked my Indian friends which one was which). In parallel sessions taking place in small rooms, I didn’t see any idol worshippers, probably because it would be a waste of time. The room where my article was presented was not neat. It looked like a classroom, with chairs here and there. My presentation was attended by quite a few people, probably about 20. The desktop computer in the room had only a CPU and a keyboard, no monitor. I had to look at my Power Point presentation on a wall or a board that was used to 176 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Figure 4 Myself with one of the attendees in the room where I presented my paper project images on. The title of my paper was “Traditional views of female predominance in Thai society as evidenced in the metaphorical use of’mother’ in Thai.” ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 177

After the presentation was finished, during the tea break, several female academics came to talk to me. They asked about the role of women in Thailand. They wished India had been like Thailand in that men paid the dowry. In India, women who want to marry a man have to pay the dowry to the man’s family. Names and costumes are interesting. They also indicate social status. All the female participants were dressed in sarees, which were beautiful and various in style. One participant told me that the saree varied by caste, in terms of the type of fabric and style. In addition, everyone’s last name indicated caste. She pointed to a professor in that room who was talking to someone else and said that the person was a Brahmin, judging by the name and the clothes she was wearing, which were made of silk. It looked luxurious. Afterwards, I went to ask that woman professor how much the dress she was wearing cost. He replied that the price was 20,000 (in Thai money). She looked very high-class, but when eating, she ate by hand like everyone else. I peeked at her while eating and found her very clean and neat in eating. The drinking water given to the participants during 178 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

the meeting in the big room came very strange—not in a bottle, not in a glass or a box, but frozen in a soft plastic bag, sealed tightly. It looked clean and safe, though. I saw Indian participants tear the bag with their teeth and suck it up. As for me, I was waiting for it to melt. Then I poured the water into your mouth. Indeed, bottled water was available in this country, but they did not provide it at this academic conference. It might be sold in shops, and you had to buy it for yourself, as on the day they took the participants to visit a Sikh temple. When the car stopped, we came out feeling very hot. My Taiwanese friend ran to buy bottled water sold at a nearby drink stall. She bought several bottles for everyone, including the van driver. Immediately, the leader of our group, an Indian professor, forbade us to give the driver bottled water. She said, “No, no, don’t give him water. He doesn’t drink that kind of water.” I thought the driver was from the lower caste (Sudra caste) and should not eat or drink like a university professor who belonged to the Brahmin caste or Vaishya caste. This event stunned my Taiwanese, Japanese, European friends, and myself. However, we eventually understood ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 179

more deeply the Indian culture. The eating culture here was authentically Hindu. Hindu food is vegetarian. It is cooked with a variety of spices. I tasted a very delicious Hindu meal for lunch on the first day of the meeting. The participants had to walk to eat at a building other than the building where they presented their articles. It looked like a relatively new building. The dining room was a hall with no seats. The room was very big. At the end of the room were a few tables on which food was displayed with a serving person for each type of food. Each of us had to pick up a hole tray, and got in a line to get food. They served naan (flour sheets) and rice. One could choose either or get both. The main food was a variety of curry dishes. All ingredients were vegetables. We could not find spoons, forks, or chopsticks in this cafeteria. Everyone had to eat with their hands. I looked around the room and saw the Indians eat their lunch with their hands skillfully, neatly, and quickly. I myself had seen my grandmother eating with her hand when I was young and had tried doing that. It made me know how to take food into the mouth with a hand without making a mess. 180 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

The food was delicious, particularly the dessert. One kind of dessert was very tasty. It was made of milk curds boiled in milk with sugar and light spices. I finished eating it and got in a line for another bowl. For dessert, they gave us a small plastic spoon. Eating by hand was a big problem for the Chinese and Japanese participants. They really could not do it and requested chopsticks, but what they got were plastic spoons used for dessert instead. The next day, the organizer invited everyone to have dinner at the dean’s house, which was a luxurious white mansion of colonial style with a spacious area around it. Therefore, the dinner party was held outdoors in the garden. The food was more diverse than the lunch at the university. It was decorated to look luxurious. Spoons and folks were available for those who did not want to eat by hand. However, the food was strictly Hindu—purely vegetarian. It was different from the food served at the hotel where we stayed, which was slightly international. One could order some non-vegetarian food, such as eggs and meat. Regarding Hinduism, which is the main religion of India, this city of Gwalior was not a hundred percent ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 181

Figure 5 The Sikh temple I visited Source: justdial.com Hindu because the first day after the meeting ended, the host took us to a Sikh temple. Sikhism is another religion that is different from Hinduism. One difference is that the Sikhs are not vegetarians, and men often wear a turban, like the Sikhs in Thailand. The Sikh temple that we visited was very beautiful. We had to buy a piece of cloth to use as a head scarf. Everyone who entered the temple had to wear a head scarf and had to wash their feet in the cistern in front of the entrance. The inside was glittering gold and very beautiful. Photo-taking was forbidden. 182 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Unlike Sikh temples, Hindu temples are beautiful in another way. Their most outstanding feature seems to be intricate and detailed carving. I was amazed at the craftsmanship of the carving. That made me forget Banteay Srei in Cambodia, which I had deeply admired before. Figure 6 Fine carvings in a Hindu temple Source: outlookindia.com Beautiful Hindu art was clearly manifested to me when I had an opportunity to visit the ancient Gwalior Fort and Maan Palace after the closing of the meeting on the final day of the conference. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 183

Figure 7 Gwalior Fort and Maan palace Source: outlookindia.com The Gwalior Fort and Maan Palace was marked by ancient Indian art. Carved patterns were unlike those in other Hindu temples. They looked fairly unique, showing strength and durability. We walked around outside and then went inside. There were many rooms, which were very complicated. There was also a hiding place and a treasure room. 184 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Figure 8 The front courtyard of the palace Figure 9 Part of the fort area ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 185

Figure 10 The inside of the palace Source: 123rf.com Figure 11 Outside the palace Source: dreamstime.com 186 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

A highlight of the visit to this ancient site was to watch a sound-light show on the grand amphitheater in the courtyard outside the Fort and Palace area at night. When they started, the light was turned on and projected onto the castle with the sound of horses galloping. It was exciting. But the narration was in Hindi. Oh, well. I did not understand any words. An Indian friend of mine sitting next to me tried to translate it into English. The content of the sound-light show told the history of the former monarchs who ruled Gwalior. There were wars with other cities. Media techniques convinced the audience that they were hearing horse riding, and gun shooting. There were also background music and storytelling, along with dialogues of the characters in some episodes. It was not just the show that was exciting. I also saw a family descended from a Gwalior king come to the show. I realized that when the show was about to begin. I saw a family of about eight members walk up to the highest row of seats on the amphitheater. Before that I had been wondering why no one was allowed to sit in the top three rows. Before the show started and ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 187

it was still dark, someone took a roll of white cloth and spread it on the top floor seats decorating them with cushions. After that, I saw a group of people dressed in all white drapes, looking very beautiful, slowly walk up to the top floor. I saw that the royal caste was glorified and treated well by Gwalior people. This caste story is interesting. It is also a basic principle in Indian society. It reflects various aspects of daily life, such as names, clothes, attire, food, and how people in society treat each caste. Another thing that has caught my eye, that I will never forget, is the image of the people in the streets. It started with the picture of that young woman of the untouchable caste holding a child and begging people in a car at a red light (the one I gave bananas). I remember well the picture of the van that we rode in the streets of the city. I had never seen anything like that. The streets were very narrow, and on both sides of the road were shops with items placed clearly to let people see what they were selling. Some items were hanging and swinging back and forth. The road surface was not good. The car had to go slowly. Passing through some 188 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

Last day in India (October 16, 2006) The last day was a day of adventure, as intense as the first day. After having breakfast at the hotel, I and my Taiwanese friend left for the train station. We had planned to visit the Taj Mahal together. An Indian friend had helped us book train tickets for a trip from Gwalior to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, situated halfway between New Delhi and Gwalior. streets, I saw carts, bicycles, and cars run together on the same street. On one narrow road, I remember seeing an old man with a bent back sitting in front of a shop. house door. Nearby there was a wet ditch of water flowing through. In the middle of the road, I saw a cow lying and looking relaxed. Some places had piles of cow dung. Wherever cows walked, sat, or lied down, no one said anything or forbade them because Hindus respect cows regarding them as sacred because they believe that the cow is the vehicle of certain gods. The concrete importance of the cow is evident from the fact that India has a Ministry of Cows, a cow minister, a cow cabinet, a cow holiday (Indiva Gopastami), and cow weddings. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 189

The Indian Railway experience is truly unforgettable. I carried many bags because I would not come back to the hotel again. My plan was to go to Agra and come back to Gwalia Railway Station. Then I would take a taxi to the airport to connect to New Delhi and then board a Thai International airways plane back to Thailand. As for my Taiwanese friend, she planned to stay on and enjoy herself in Agra before returning to her country. Someone suggested that I leave some luggage at the train station so that I would not have to carry it all back and forth. I had one suitcase deposited in the room where there was a depository sign. It was a small room. I had to pay first. Then the person in charge gave me a slip of receipt. I looked at the condition of the station and doubted whether the bag would survive safely or not. On the floor, I saw many people sitting and sleeping. The person took my suitcase and placed it on the floor, without lockers or anything to cover it. I left with three small bags: a small garment bag, a handbag, and a computer bag. My Taiwan friend had two bags. She had to take everything with her because he would not return to Gwalior again. 190 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

While walking through a big crowd to get on the train, a man tried to stop us. He volunteered to carry our bags for us. We let him carry two bags. He lifted them up to the head and then walked off very quickly. I was afraid to lose him and felt so stressed that I had to gather my strength to run after him. He took us to sit at a second-class section, as indicated in the tickets. We paid the porter. I felt comfortable because the coach was not crowded. On the train, I saw another “Untouchable” girl and felt good to see that someone was kind to her. After sitting for a moment, a well-dressed man came to sit opposite us. Then the small “Untouchable” girl in ugly ragged clothes, probably about 10 years old, came to beg the man. He put his hand in his pocket, picked up some money, and put it in her dirty-looking hand. It was nice to see such a kind person. Neither of us gave money to that poor girl because we were afraid that she would come again and again. I could see how the Untouchables were actually treated as the lowest caste. I saw a sweeper on the train show his power over the poor girl. He shouted to drive her away. Shortly after we tried to settle in our seats, our ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 191

destiny changed dramatically. A ticket examiner came to check our tickets. I nearly fainted when he said, “You are sitting in the wrong place. You have to go to the third-class coach.” I was confused because my Indian friend who had bought the tickets for us told us that it was second class. We also paid that rate. We argued to no avail, so we got up and walked to the third-class carriage. The seats there were very bad. They were long seats, just like the two-row seats in a minibus in Thailand. Throughout the journey, I had mixed feelings. The view on both sides that the train passed by was enjoyable, especially the image of women peasants dressed in sarees working in rice fields. The picture opposite where I was sitting was also striking. A mother lying on her side, stretching to breastfeed her baby. No embarrassment and nothing to hide. It was a very strange and natural image that looked beautiful. But the act of vying for the space of some passengers by trying to push me and my friend to move and move so that they could sit more comfortably made me very sad and sick. The problem of not being able to get what we had reserved still existed when arriving in Agra. After getting 192 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

off the train, my Taiwan friend had to check in her reserved room first. When she saw the room, my Taiwanese friend complained that it was not the type of room she had reserved. They probably gave her a room that was cheaper than what she had reserved. Finally, they said they would give a new room to my friend. We left our stuff there and went to the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal, the destination of coming to this city, was as beautiful as what people had said about it. It was a world heritage, too. I was very impressed. However, there was one negative thing we experienced. We had to pay for the entrance fees 30 times as expensive as Indians. When buying tickets, we saw that an Indian paid 20 rupees (about 20 baht), but foreigners (like me) had to pay $ 20 (about 600 baht). This stunning structure represents Islamic beauty, which was very different from Hindu and Sikh styles, as described above. The Taj Mahal was totally white and looked clean. The building style looked elegant. The patterns of decorations looked neat. It really deserves appreciation and admiration from people all over the world. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 193

Figure 12 The front of the Taj Mahal Figure 13 A minor part of the Taj Mahal 194 อนุุสรณ์์งา อนุุสรณ์์งานนพระราชทา พระราชทานนเพลิิงศพ เพลิิงศพ

Figure 14 With my Taiwanese friend Figure 15 Simple and orderly patternsl ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.)

The last part of this trip was to take myself home safely. After having left Taj Mahal, I bid farewell to my Taiwanese friend. Then I took a train back to Gwalior. It looked like I was going backwards, but I had bought a round-trip plane ticket—New Delhi-Gwalior—and had to use it. My taking the train back to Gwalior alone was not fun at all. The train was crowded. I was stressed for fear that I would not make it to the airport. As soon as I arrived at the train station, I hurriedly ran to pick up the bag and dragged it into a taxi that took me to Gwalior airport. The taxi took me to the airport fairly quickly. Looking at the time, I thought I was not late for the flight check-in. However, there was another problem that made me really tense. I did not have enough rupees to pay the taxi driver. The US money that I had were big bank notes. I did not have time to run to a bank for money exchange. So I gave him two Thai banknotes, one hundred each. The taxi driver didn’t accept it at first. I begged him for a while, telling him that it could be exchanged to rupees and he would have about 60 rupees as profit. He finally agreed. I really felt indebted 196 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ

to him. Otherwise, I would miss the plane. After that, there were no more obstacles until arriving in Thailand and returning home safely. I was filled with many memories about the “living museum,” which gave me a lot of knowledge and unforgettable pictures and stories. ศาสตราจารย์์กิิตติิคุุณ ดร.อมรา ประสิิทธิ์์�รััฐสิินธุ์์(ม.ว.ม., ป.ช.) 197

ช่องทางการดาวน์โหลดทรัพยากรท ี่ให้บริการ ของภาควิชาภาษาศาสตร์ คณะอักษรศาสตร์ จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย https://www.arts.chula.ac.th/ling/ resources/resources/ 198 อนุุสรณ์์งานพระราชทานเพลิิงศพ