Deeply influenced by the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Thailand Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn wanted to study under the bard's guidance in Shantiniketan.
Talking to teachers and students of Rabindra Bharati University campus at Jorasanko, Tagore's birthplace, Sirindhorn today said as a child she was so impressed by the bard that she had decided to come to India and study arts and music under his guidance.
As she grew up she realised that the Nobel laureate, who had visited Thailand in 1927, had already passed away.
Along with her troupe, the Princess enthralled the audience at a function as she played a Thai stringed instrument on classical tunes.
RBU students, on the other hand, performed on Tagore songs.
Along with a group of about 85 cadets of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, Sirindhorn visited some of the city's landmarks like Victoria Memorial, Fort William (Army's Eastern Command headquarters), Indian Museum and Jorasanko Thakurbari.
The Princess heads the department of history of the Academy where she teaches Thai history and the history of Thailand's relations with its neighbours in South East Asia and beyond.
"I wanted them to see the place because I think it is better to see the place than listen about it. So I decided to come here," she said about her day-long Kolkata visit.
RBU Vice Chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Roy Chaudhury said they discussed academic collaborations with her on music and dance.
"We discussed about having academic and cultural exchanges with their universities in Thailand," he said.
