Life behind the palace walls was not all fun and games, says ML Neuang Nilrat, whose writings have generated much interest among readers.
The thought of living in the palace of King Rama V might conjure up a romantic fantasy of a tranquil existence with all the creature comforts life can offer; music filling the air, a variety of entertainments, endless trays of delicious food ... But for Mom Luang Neuang Nilrat, 88, former lady-in-waiting at Suan Sunandha Palace, the truth was rather different.
``I didn't like living in the palace at all. If I had been given another choice, I would have just said `no','' said the noted senior writer, famed for her memoirs on palace life. Emerging as a writer at the age of 72, ML Neuang is recognised in literary circles for her graphic descriptions of a bygone era, her outspoken comments on a lifestyle about which others wax nostalgic, and, most importantly, for her sense of humour.
Her two best-selling novels _ the two-part Cheewit Nai Wang (Life in the Palace) and nine-volume Cheewit Nok Wang (Life Outside the Palace) _ have been serialised in the biweekly magazine, Ploy Kam Petch, over the past eight years.
Her tales about palace life and later _ seasoned by authentic royal Thai cuisine recipes _ are a major magnet for magazine readers. The popularity of her series of books, now in their 10th printing, has been far beyond what she had ever imagined.
``I began my writing career too late,'' she said at a recent public talk on the ``Lifestyle at Suan Sunandha Palace'', held by the Department of Fine Arts.
Her first piece was an article in a funeral book for long-time friend MR Srikam Thongtham. ``At first I did not want to write anything, but they said it was a funeral book, that no one was going to read it anyway.
``After a few days, I began to receive many calls from those wanting to know more about my service in the palace. And later, many publications contacted me, asking me to write for them,'' she recalled.
She began with recipes for Thai food, but it was her life story that attracted the attention of the public. Many wondered who she was. Every day, she said, visitors and guests arrived at her home in Nonthaburi wanting to see what she looked like in the flesh. ``Some called and wondered why my voice was still crystal clear. I replied, `My body might be ageing but my voice isn't'.''
Readers related to her stories, so much so that some would show up at her house and offer her free rides on days when they knew she was planning to go somewhere. What's so special about this lady? Knowledgeable and skilled, she is the stereotype of a lady-in-waiting. Yet ML Neuang said she was not all that sweet and beautiful, not like Mae Ploy, a fictional, well-groomed lady-in-waiting in MR Kukrit Pramoj's Si Phaen Din (The Four Reigns).
Instead, she said she was quite a character. ``I was hard-headed and rebellious. If I had had more guts, I could have been very combative.''
Born to Mom Rachawongse Un and Fuak Nilrat, ML Neuang was presented to Mom Chao (Princess) Sabai Nilrat, her grandmother. MC Sabai was the chief lady-in-waiting and responsible for overseeing the culinary affairs of HRH Saisavali Bhiromya, a consort of King Rama V, at Suan Sunandha Palace, which was restricted to female members of the royal family and female servants.
``My grandmother wanted to have one of her nieces living with her. She told my mum to bring me when I was still a baby.''
Her aunt, MC Yamyeon Singhara, pointed out that the baby had thick black eyebrows, considered an auspicious symbol, and consequently she was accepted right away. ``I don't remember much until I was around seven, when I began to study the Thai alphabet,'' she said.
Romantic fantasies aside, life in the palace was hard work _ all the women worked hard, day in and day out.
``Everyone had their own duties _ cooking food, flower arrangements, embroidery. Even a child like me had to lend a hand,'' she recalled.
Food was a major concern in the palace. Every member of the royal family had their own kitchen as well as dining room. They ate four times a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea at three, and supper at seven.
By helping out here and there, she learned the high-culture arts that were popular with the royal court.
``Unlike my grandmother, I didn't like cooking at all. But I was, and still am, good with floral crafts,'' she said.
She was fortunate to get the chance to go to school, an unusual opportunity for a woman of her generation. Located within the palace boundaries, the Nipakarn Girls School provided the best teachers in town, with a British woman teaching English, and noted artists offering training in craftsmanship.
Singing was her favourite subject. ``People said I had a sweet voice, so years later when I became a teacher myself, I taught singing and art,'' she said.
However, while other palaces were filled with music and plays, all forms of entertainment were prohibited inside the Suan Sunandha Palace in order to ``keep things orderly''.
``The Princess was always on the go. She often had things for us to do _ cleaning her accessories and jewellery, working with flowers. Everyone had long faces; they were kept busy all the time. Even the princess herself would knit, cook Western food, or translate books.''
The princess' palace was famous for its culinary excellence and floral arrangements; consequently, many came asking for favours when they needed to stage a function. ``Some just made requests, but offered no payment. It all came out of the princess' personal funds. She was way too kind,'' ML Neuang said.
Since her grandmother had been a long-time servant at court, ML Neuang was inducted into service in her pre-teen years, but her nervousness threatened to sabotage her career even before she was accepted. ``According to tradition, those offering themselves for service to a member of the royal family had to present a floral offering.'' Nervous, she accidentally spilled her tray of flowers, sending them flying all over the floor. ``The princess said, `Oh! You have started it from day one _ I can predict what I will have to deal with right now','' she recalled with a laugh.
She was assigned to run errands and given a salary of five baht a month. Eventually she earned a higher salary, with more work and responsibilities. ``I always tried to avoid work, using studies and sickness as an excuse. Had I been more enthusiastic, I could have excelled in Thai culinary arts and other things,'' she said.
There were two unacceptable phrases at the palace, she added: mai dai (I can't) and mai mee (I can't find it/I don't have it). All requests had to be carried out immediately, she said.
``There were so many rules _ no running, singing, no playing around,'' she said. ``You would be condemned as an ill-mannered girl if you violated those golden rules.''
But naughtiness was second nature to her, and the 122-rai palace became a playground at night.
``Quite often, my friends and I would sneak out in the early hours of the morning to steal fruit from the garden. Sometimes, just flowers would be enough to satisfy us in our nightly excursions,'' she said, eyes glowing.
If caught, their salary would be docked, but there were no beatings or other forms of punishment.
Nothing could tame ML Neuang's spirit, and she was always looking for something to spice up her routine behind those gilded walls.
``Every Monday, for example, a car from Chulalongkorn Hospital would come to take sick people to the hospital. I would pretend to be sick so I could go see life outside just for a while,'' she said.
At 21, her life in the palace changed. In June of 1932, soldiers surrounded the peaceful palace with a wall of Thai flags. ``We could not get in or out. We had no idea what it was all about ... Soldiers roamed inside. We all were afraid that we were going to die,'' she recalled. It was not as bad as all that.
They were informed that Khana Ras (The People's Party), a revolutionary group led by Pridi Banomyong, had taken charge of the nation and that it was time for the country to change from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. Because of the change in the political climate, many members of the royal family moved abroad, fearing for their safety.
The approximately 200 women in the palace were left to fend for themselves, and later left to go live with their own families.
``I went to stay with my parents. It was like living with strangers. We first met when I was 12, and only once a year on my birthday ... I learned later they had been prohibited by my grandmother from seeing me,'' she said.
Life outside the confines of the palace was far more lively and meaningful. ``Now I was out. I never wanted to go back. It was too much fun being out. No rules and prohibitions about this and that.''
She went to see a stage show every week, sometimes seeing the same show over and over again.
Why?
``It was compensation for my [lost] childhood.''
Eventually she went to work at a private school. On a salary of eight baht per month, she taught whatever she could, and even tutored the schoolmaster's children.
``One thing they didn't ask was whether I could clean a toilet,'' she said. ``But had they requested it, I would have done it. I needed the money.''
Then a friend asked her to move to another state-run school, where she would be able to earn more. It was there that she met schoolmaster Vichai Vaichana, who was to be her future husband. They married when she was 32, after a seven-year courtship.
``I made him agree to three conditions before I would accept his proposal. First, no cooking _ I hated it. I could just eat a boiled egg to survive. Second, I would not raise kids because I had to work during the day.''
Her late husband was understanding and employed a maid to assist with the housework and child-rearing.
But the third request was a bit harder.
``Third, I refused to change my surname. There was no one apart from me to carry it on because my two brothers had already passed away. I reasoned that my surname had been given to us by King Rama II _ wasn't it better than my husband's surname?'' The marriage lasted eight years. After her husband passed away, she was left with two sons to bring up on her own.
Now 88, her two sons have both died, and she lives with two grandchildren from her first son, and a niece and nephew.
She's frequently asked about her ``secret for longevity''.
``Many elderly people just order other people around, making them do things on their behalf. I don't ... I do everything myself,'' she said, adding that she makes her own bed and takes care of all the errands around the house.
She also credits a good diet. She has avoided strong and spicy food, ``unwholesome fruits'', and stays away from too much meat.
``I am very picky with food because I ate too much good food in the palace ... these days, I normally go for things like seafood, an egg, nam wa bananas.''
While she's happy to be outside the palace walls and its restrictive lifestyle, she's also grateful to have had the experience.
``I owe [the palace] a huge debt. I am surviving today because of the skills I acquired during the years I spent there.''
By ALONGKORN PARIVUDHIPHONGS, Bangkok Post, June 2002
