On 15 October 2024, Ms. Sasirit Tangulrat, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East, and African Affairs, together with other department officials, attended the opening ceremony of “Bibidha Bharata 2024,“ a teacher training initiative to enhance knowledge about India, in celebration of His Majesty the King’s 72nd Birthday. In addition, the Director-General also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair of Hindi between the Embassy of India and the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.

The Bibidha Bharata 2024 project, organised for the first time by the Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University, is organised to train and enhance knowledge about India among Thai high school teachers. The program focuses on India’s history, economy, society, culture, as well as the people-to-people connection between the two countries.

On this occasion, Professor Dr. Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University, and H.E. Mr. Nagesh Singh, Ambassador of India to Thailand, co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Hindi between the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University and the Embassy of India in Bangkok. Under the MOU, India will send Hindi language instructors to Thailand to promote Hindi language education and enhance cultural understanding among students and interested individuals.