Who is Rapee Sagarik and is Google 97th birthday today?

Rapee Sagarik is Google doodles today to celebrate its 97th birthday as a gardener, botanist and father of Thai orchids, a country that is home to nearly 1,300 native orchid species.

Professor Rapee Sagarik - Shaken with orchids since the age of 6

Professor Rapee Sagarik (1922 - 2018) when he was a 6-year-old boy in Thailand, realized one thing that bothered him: planting and enjoying orchids is just a hobby for the elite. The act of keeping these attractive and attractive flowers from the general public is not allowed.

The whole life of Professor Rapee Sagarik associated with orchids.

So when he happened to see some orchids thrown away in the sun and rain, he brought the diseased plants home for research and health care. By saving these unwanted orchids, Rapee has learned the complex nuances of caring and propagating highly sought-after plants. These first orchids were the beginning of the rest of his life.

At the time, I was a small boy and had no money and often didn't have the means to eat a proper meal. I promise myself that if I can experiment with these plants and teach myself the art and sciences of orchids, I will spread the secrets of orchid cultivation to the public so that the people who are interested will had the opportunity to learn with me, Professor Rapee once said.

At about 20 years old, he compiled all the materials and knowledge he gathered after years of taking care of his own orchids and started teaching an evening course. This first course lasted four months, and much information about orchid care, culture and propagation was passed on to his eager students, but another level of observation and learning was also in progress. takes place.

Rapee Sagarik is always the focus of every orchid event he participates in. (Photo: Boat Magazine).

Professor Rapee Sagarik began to notice that as the course progressed and the student's understanding of orchids increased, the class changed. Even students change as they relate to each other about the knowledge of these very special plants.

As a 93-year-old expert in her field, Rapee refused to retire. He works 12 hours a day writing articles, storing photographs and papers, communicating with various orchid associations and speaking globally.

When he appeared in public, fans publicly lined up to take pictures with him. When he was asked what his secret to a long, healthy life was, he once said, I had three suggestions. One, eat just a little bit not too much, just enough. Two, work hard. Three, be happy to keep a positive attitude throughout the day, and make it a part of your life.

The Google logo today celebrates Professor Rapee Sagarik's birthday. (Image: Google doodles)

Professor Rapee Sagarik - A whole life with orchids

Professor Rapee Sagarik gradually realized that his attraction to orchids was simply a door to another lifelong research, that is, humans. At 93, Professor Rapee was a sage, a man who seemed to have gathered knowledge and wisdom from every fragment of life and was eager to provide it to anyone who heard it.

Sitting in his office at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, he told me that he used orchids as a tool to study people. He believes that these plants are capable of encouraging a mentality of acceptance, patience and conservation in all of us.

Professor Rapee Sagarik at his office at Kasetsat University in Bangkok.(Photo: Boat Magazine).

Orchids are plants that contain a basic and important element in themselves, promoting love and kindness in humans. The variety of orchids reflects the diversity of people. These plants attract all different types of people, like magnets, and this allows him to study humans at the same time I am studying flowers.

He has been a guest speaker at the World Orchid Conference since 1963, hosting the 9th conference held in Thailand in 1978. Professor Rapee Sagarik has been active in the American Orchid Society in for decades and was president of the Thai Comprehensive Education Council in Thailand. In 2008, he was awarded the Philosopher of the Land Land by the Thai King.

Rapee Sagarik, nicknamed the Father of Thailand Orchids, recognizes his contribution to the establishment of the orchid industry in Thailand, which is now the world's leading orchid exporter and earn billions of baht. forex every year.

Professor Rapee Sagarik.(Photo: Boat Magazine).

Professor Rapee Sagarik 's original goal was to develop the domestic orchid industry in Thailand not for profit, but to encourage the conservation of many species of orchids that naturally grow in the Thai forests and empower villages. Local is at the forefront of work. The Western world, capturing the financial potential of orchids, has been a growing concern in Thailand.