Khun Khun may refer to: * Khun (, long vowel, middle tone), the colloquial Thai name for the Golden Shower Tree * Khun (courtesy title) (, short vowel, middle tone), a common Thai honorific * Khun (noble title) (, short vowel, rising tone), a former ...

Nilawan Pintong ( Thai: นิลวรรณ ปิ่นทอง; 6 December 1915 – 7 February 2017) was a Thai feminist whose efforts toward the development of women's rights in Thailand earned her the title ''Steel Lotus Blossom''. She is best known as the founder of the Ounakorn Center and Satree Sarn Magazine, Thailand's first women's magazine which aimed to inspire women to have active participation in community affairs. In 1961, she is also the first Thai recipient of the

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...

for Public Service. The award was given for her role in giving "Thai women a new and creative role in nation-building." The award included $10,000, a gold medal and a certificate given to her and the other recipients.

Early life and education

Khun Nilawan was born on 6 December 1915 in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. She owes her

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

education to her father who became a monk after Nilawan's mother died. Having been educated in the spirit of charity and service since young, Nilawan pursued her dream of being a teacher and earned her certificate from the Bethaburi School of Teacher Training in Bangkok. In 1936, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages (English and French) with First Honors in English from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

Career and legacy

Khun Nilawan taught for a year at a secondary school under the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, after which she became chief of the Official Publications Section, and later chief of the Foreign Press Section, both under the

Department of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

. It was during this time when, exposed to Western notions of human freedom, she realized the importance of education for the limitless self-fulfillment of an individual, in contrast to the traditional role women played in society; confined within the domestic sphere with no involvement in civic and community affairs. Despite the lack of funds, Nilawan founded the fortnightly magazine Satree Sarn Magazine in 1947 with the help of three friends. The magazine was targeted at women and its contents ranged from fashion and crafts to art and literature. In just a span of three years, it became Thailand's most widely read magazine until its last publication in 1996 due to financial problems. Her publishing venture flourished with the founding of Daroon Sarn (Youth's Magazine), a weekly for adolescents and young adults, and Sapdha Sarn, a weekly newsmagazine containing in-depth significant news. Alongside Daroon Sarn, Khun Nilawan launched the Preeya Club for children which organized arts and crafts classes and other children's activities. Aside from these, she also ventured into other projects like a translation services and a weekly radio program, while collaborating with the Thai Library Association to raise the standards of library work in Thailand. She was also the Society of Printing president for a time. Among her various positions were president and secretary of the

PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

Center of Thailand; executive secretary of the Thai Foundation for Journalism Education; member of the National Council on Education, chairperson of the Executive Committee on the National Council of Women of Thailand; member of the Thai Merchants Association; vice president of the Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association. To provide a home for various homeless NGOs, she founded and directed the Ounakorn Center which also served as a home to foreign visitors in related fields. Pintong died on 7 February 2017, aged 101.

Awards

for Public Service * Honorary Doctorate of Arts in

References

External links

Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pintong, Nilawan 1915 births 2017 deaths Nilawan Pintong Nilawan Pintong Nilawan Pintong Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Nilawan Pintong Nilawan Pintong Buddhist feminists Nilawan Pintong