On 12 September 2024, Ms. Siriporn Tantipanyathep Consul-General of Thailand in Kolkata along with the Consulate-General’s officer and staff organize a CSR activity ‘We do good deeds by heart’ under the royal initiative of His Majesty the King of Thailand by improving the learning environment and quality of life for students at Candasiri Buddha Vihar School, Vaishali, Bihar. The school was established by Phrakru Siddhipriyativides (Chalong Candasiri), the chief abbot of Wat Thai Vaishali Temple and comprises of class 1 – 11 with a total number of students around 150.
On this occasion, the Consul-General and the chief abbot shared inspiring messages with the students, stressing the importance of education as a driver for positive change and better future career opportunities, recognizing the generous contribution of the chief abbot towards improving education and assisting the people of Vaishali community, and instilling the students with a sense of ownership and responsibility towards the school, which is a charitable organization that benefits every students.
The Consul-General joined the students in the following activities: (1) The Big Cleaning Day and decluttering within the School’s premises in order to teach the students of the duty to clean the school by themselves; (2) The installation of educational charts corresponding to the needs of each class such as English alphabets, multiplication tables, names of plants and animals, periodic table of elements, solar system, human’s organ systems, history and geography of India; (3) The repainting of classroom walls in vibrant colours to create a lively learning environment; (4) The planting of vegetables and flowers in school’s garden to improve the students’ nutrition and the school’s landscape; (5) The construction of slide and playground sandbox for the students’ enjoyment; (6) The distribution of over 200 personal hygiene kits comprising toothbrushes, toothpaste, comb, soap, towel and nail cutter to teach the students of the importance of good hygiene in order to maintain good health; (7) The donation of food items and other essentials to the school such as rice, snacks, juice boxes, cooking oil, vegetable seeds for growing, watering cans, basic medicines, and stationary; and (8) The provision of lunch and snacks for the students who participated in the activities. In showing of appreciation towards the Consul-General and the chief abbot, the students assembled a group of eight dancers who performed two music tracks.
Candasiri Buddhavihar School is a commendable example of charitable activities run by Thai Temple in India for the improvement of social well-being, the quality of education and livelihood for the disenfranchised youths in rural and impoverished areas. The school also employs the Buddhist teachings to guide the students to behave themselves in good conduct. Such CSR activities are an essential part of ‘Buddhist Diplomacy’ that help strengthening the ties between the peoples of India and Thailand and promoting Buddhist teachings among the local Indian community in a sustainable manner.