Maintaining the Royal Barges
November 6, 2007
Photo: Oarsmen ready themselves on the Anantanagaraj barge. CHANAT KATANYU
Yesterday, the waters of the Chao Phraya looked very smooth and harmless during the Royal Barge Procession. Apparently, however, that was not the case. The river, it seems, is actually quite rough on the vessels and it takes a lot of upkeep to ready them for the next ceremony. This story has the details.
maintaining – keeping something in good condition by checking or repairing รักษาไว้ อนุรักษ์ไว้
upkeep – the process or process of keeping something in good condition การรักษา
SUSTAINING SPLENDOUR
Craftsmen worked for almost a year to repair the majestic Royal Barges
Photo:
Navy personnel pay their respects to the Narai Song Suban before taking
the boat along the Chao Phraya river for rehearsals.CHANAT KATANYU People across the land watched the nation’s most magnificent riverine event yesterday when the Royal Barge Procession gracefully made its way along the Chao Phraya, which has been the country’s lifeline for centuries.
More than 100 oarsmen from the Royal Thai Navy and the Fine Arts Department powered the graceful barges majestically along the river, creating a spectacle that was watched live on television in all parts of the kingdom.
Since November last year naval officers as well as artists from the Fine Arts Department worked together to carry out extensive repairs to the barges, which suffered some damage during the Royal Barge performance last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne. All the barges used in the event are made of timber and need regular maintenance after being in the river.
According to Rear Adm Manit Soonnadum, the director of the Thon Buri Naval Dockyard Department who chairs a committee in charge of repair work, all 52 barges had some work done on them.
The main concern about the barges was that they had been out of the water for some time, causing the timber to shrink and cracks to open in the joins, resulting in water leaking in.
The naval crew had to make certain that all the cracks were fixed and watertight, said Rear Adm Manit.
‘‘It’s forces of nature that we can’t ignore,’’ he said. Almost eight months ago a team of naval officers specialising in boat repairs examined the cracks in the barges. Once they found the cracks, they forced threads of rope into them before coating them with pitch to seal them. They then rubbed down the surfaces to make them smooth.
The team finished their painstaking work in July before passing the barges on to the artists, who helped restore the magnificent decorations.
sustaining – keeping in good condition ทำนุบำรุง รักษาไว้
craftsmen – skilled people, especially those who make beautiful things by hand ช่างฝีมือ
riverine – on, near, or relating to a river สองฝั่งแม่น้ำ
gracefully – moving in a controlled, attractive way สง่างาม
lifeline – something that is very important for people and that they depend on สิ่งหล่อเลี้ยงชีวิต หมายถึง มีความสำคัญยิ่ง
century – a period of one hundred years ศตวรรษ
accession to the throne – the act of becoming a ruler – a king or queen of a country การขึ้นครองราชย์
timber – a long heavy piece of wood that is used for building a ship or house ไม้เนื้อแข็งที่ใช้ทำเรือ
chair – to act as a chairman or chairwoman of a meeting or group เป็นประธาน
shrink – to become smaller ย่อ ทำให้เล็กลง
cracks – lines in the surface of something where it has broken but not split into parts รอยแตก
join –a place where two things are fixed together จุดเชื่อมต่อ
leaking – allowing liquid or gas to get in or out through a small hole or crack รั่ว
watertight – not allowing water to get in or out กันน้ำ
ignore – to pay no attention to ละเลย
pitch – a black, sticky substance ยางมะตอย หรือ ชัน ที่ใช้ยาเรือ
seal – to close tightly or fill a crack, etc. especially so that air, liquid, etc. cannot get in or out เชื่อมหรือปิดไม่ให้สิ่งอื่นรั่วเข้ามา
painstaking – needing a lot of care, effort and attention to detail ยากลำบาก ใช้ความพยายามมาก
decorations – things that makes something look more attractive ตบแต่ง ประดับประดา
After working as an art expert for more than 20 years, Mr Niyom was aware that the traditional Thai decorations on the barges could be easily damaged by the wind and water as well as by the people using the boats.
They needed to take great care in their restoration work to bring the magnificent artwork back to its original form, said Mr Niyom.
‘‘Many people often ask why we have to fix the barges every year,’’ he said. ‘‘But floating in the murky river can be like being rubbed by sandpaper, and that is the reason the barges need redecorating from time to time,’’ he said.
Since July, Mr Niyom and some 50 other artists applied their skills to redecorating the barges. According to Mr Niyom, when the barges float in the river the golden-coated lacquer designs as well as the carvings on the barges which the royal family use get severely damaged.
This year his team of artists concentrated on fixing those designs which had been rubbed away by the river water or damaged by the oarsmen or the navy repair team while they sealed the joins in the timber.
They also strengthened the prows decorated with mythical animals such as the Garuda and Naga to make them stronger during the procession.
The team of artists only finished their work about two months ago before handing over the barges to the oarsmen for practice. More than 2,000 naval officers were recruited to paddle the barges this year. ‘‘The Royal Barge Procession is our national heritage. It also teaches us how merciful the rivers can be to us. We have the chance to make merit together through this tradition,’’ said Mr Niyom.
jointly – together with someone else ร่วมกับ
restoration – the work of repairing and cleaning an old building, a painting, etc. so that its condition is as good as it originally was บูรณปฏิสังขรณ์
murky – (of a liquid) not clear; dark or dirty with mud or another substance สีขุ่น เป็นโคลน
lacquer – a liquid that is used on wood or metal to give it a hard shiny surface แลกเกอร์
carvings – patterns or objects made by cutting away material from wood or stone แกะสลัก
concentrated – gave all their attention to มีสมาธิ หรือ ทุ่มเทแรงใจ กาย
mythical – existing only in ancient myths and stories ในวรรณคดี
recruited – found to do a job จ้างงาน
paddle – to move a boat through the water using an oars or paddle พายเรือ
merciful – showing people kindness มีเมตตาสูง