India's Benevolence to Thailand
Different roots and religious beliefs are keeping apart Thais and ethnic Indians living here despite the enormous influence India has had on almost every aspect of Thai daily life.
From language to food, Thais are in contact constantly with Indian influences since they have been part of Thai life from before the Sukhothai empire.
Thais speak and write a language that derives from Pali and Sanskrit, their traditional clothing, or sarong, was introduced by Indians, and they deeply enjoy nam phrik, a dish adapted from an Indian recipe.
"Surely, we would not know how to eat nam phrik had we not befriended the Indians," said the late venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku.
Indians mix onions and chili with vinegar in their dish, wrote the renowned monk in his book "India's Benevolence to Thailand". Without contact with Indians, Thai cuisine would be totally different. The other major culinary influence, Chinese, does not use peppers and spices.
Indeed, the four basics in life - food, clothing, housing, and medicine - all comprise Indian elements to varying degrees here in Thailand, and of course, there are the rites and ceremonies rooted in Brahminism, he writes.
But the most important gift of all, the monk said, is Buddhism.
"Indian culture and its religions, Buddhism in particular, coalesced under the name of the Wheel of Law and were firmly established here, thus giving birth to the Thai Buddhist Realm.
"Had the Wheel of Law not been established here, we might have been followers of other religions, maybe Christianity or Islam."
Buddhism is believed to have been introduced to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries more than 2,000 years ago when the land was ruled by the Khmers. The great Indian king, Ashok, is said to have dispatched two Indian monks, Sona and Uttara Bhikkus, to introduce Buddhism here.
Karuna Kusalasaya, a well-known writer who spent 13 years in India studying the Sanskrit and Hindi languages, confirms the influence of India on Thailand, saying religious and cultural links closely knitted the two countries.
But these bonds have not translated into close contacts between Thais and Indian immigrants, unlike with the Chinese, another major ethnic group, who have integrated smoothly with the local people.
Thais and Chinese mix easily due to their shared Mongol roots while Indians are Indo-Aryan, according Mr Karuna, who translated Buddhadasa Bhikku's book and other Indian literature.
Both the Indians and Chinese left their home countries to settle in Thailand to take advantage of the better economic opportunities here. But the Indians brought with them their religious beliefs and social barriers which make it difficult for them to integrate with non-Hindus because of religious factors, he said.
"The class system discourages Indians from marrying local people" and this has blocked their full integration.
"Blood is very important in binding different groups to each other so they sympathize with each other," he said.
Worse, Indians have a negative image among many Thais typified by the old saying: "When confronted by an Indian and a snake, hit the Indian first."
Mr Karuna said Indians still suffer from the impression created by the first immigrants, who lived rough while trying to build a new life similar. This is common to all such immigrants. "Even the Chinese were once looked down on by Thais."
"We cannot use this image to generalise about all Indians," he said, adding that things are changing as Indians become more involved in the country's development.
Mr Karuna called on Thailand to study India, which is seen as an impoverished nation characterized by selfishness despite the fact it is a land of freedom where many religions were given birth.
"The world is smaller in this age of globalisation so we should put more effort into understanding countries around us based on facts and information. We should no longer underestimate them."
From language to food, Thais are in contact constantly with Indian influences since they have been part of Thai life from before the Sukhothai empire.
Thais speak and write a language that derives from Pali and Sanskrit, their traditional clothing, or sarong, was introduced by Indians, and they deeply enjoy nam phrik, a dish adapted from an Indian recipe.
"Surely, we would not know how to eat nam phrik had we not befriended the Indians," said the late venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku.
Indians mix onions and chili with vinegar in their dish, wrote the renowned monk in his book "India's Benevolence to Thailand". Without contact with Indians, Thai cuisine would be totally different. The other major culinary influence, Chinese, does not use peppers and spices.
Indeed, the four basics in life - food, clothing, housing, and medicine - all comprise Indian elements to varying degrees here in Thailand, and of course, there are the rites and ceremonies rooted in Brahminism, he writes.
But the most important gift of all, the monk said, is Buddhism.
"Indian culture and its religions, Buddhism in particular, coalesced under the name of the Wheel of Law and were firmly established here, thus giving birth to the Thai Buddhist Realm.
"Had the Wheel of Law not been established here, we might have been followers of other religions, maybe Christianity or Islam."
Buddhism is believed to have been introduced to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries more than 2,000 years ago when the land was ruled by the Khmers. The great Indian king, Ashok, is said to have dispatched two Indian monks, Sona and Uttara Bhikkus, to introduce Buddhism here.
Karuna Kusalasaya, a well-known writer who spent 13 years in India studying the Sanskrit and Hindi languages, confirms the influence of India on Thailand, saying religious and cultural links closely knitted the two countries.
But these bonds have not translated into close contacts between Thais and Indian immigrants, unlike with the Chinese, another major ethnic group, who have integrated smoothly with the local people.
Thais and Chinese mix easily due to their shared Mongol roots while Indians are Indo-Aryan, according Mr Karuna, who translated Buddhadasa Bhikku's book and other Indian literature.
Both the Indians and Chinese left their home countries to settle in Thailand to take advantage of the better economic opportunities here. But the Indians brought with them their religious beliefs and social barriers which make it difficult for them to integrate with non-Hindus because of religious factors, he said.
"The class system discourages Indians from marrying local people" and this has blocked their full integration.
"Blood is very important in binding different groups to each other so they sympathize with each other," he said.
Worse, Indians have a negative image among many Thais typified by the old saying: "When confronted by an Indian and a snake, hit the Indian first."
Mr Karuna said Indians still suffer from the impression created by the first immigrants, who lived rough while trying to build a new life similar. This is common to all such immigrants. "Even the Chinese were once looked down on by Thais."
"We cannot use this image to generalise about all Indians," he said, adding that things are changing as Indians become more involved in the country's development.
Mr Karuna called on Thailand to study India, which is seen as an impoverished nation characterized by selfishness despite the fact it is a land of freedom where many religions were given birth.
"The world is smaller in this age of globalisation so we should put more effort into understanding countries around us based on facts and information. We should no longer underestimate them."
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