As the founder of the original dek naew bible, A Day Magazine, Wongthanong Chainarongsingha, 47, is never short of new projects. This week sees the screening of A Day’s first movie, The Down (watch the trailer below), a touching look into the lives of five Thai teenagers living with Down’s Syndrome. Here, he discusses why everyone deserves a fair chance in life and the impending launch of A Day Books Foundation Bookshop.
As the founder of the original dek naew bible, A Day Magazine, Wongthanong Chainarongsingha, 47, is never short of new projects. This week sees the screening of A Day’s first movie, The Down (watch the trailer below), a touching look into the lives of five Thai teenagers living with Down’s Syndrome. Here, he discusses why everyone deserves a fair chance in life and the impending launch of A Day Books Foundation Bookshop.
Seeing just how well accepted people with Down’s Syndrome are in Italy inspired me to make The Down documentary. I saw people living regular fulfilling lives with great self-esteem and equal opportunity, without being labelled as handicapped or different.
Thai people judge those with Down’s Syndrome by their looks, not their abilities. Often we don’t even see them in public, because their parents feel embarrassed and hide them at home. I want to change this perception. I’m constantly amazed by their learning abilities, whether it’s engaging in full-time work or completing master’s degrees.
Sometimes I feel envious of people with Down’s Syndrome because of their ability to live for the moment. They never seem sad or worried. I would say it is god’s gift to be so cheerful.
The most unforgettable moment during filming was when we visited Piboon Prachasan School, a school for special kids, and Sommai, this teen I’d never met before, came up and hugged me. After seeing other cast members embrace me, he just walked over and asked me, “Can I hug you?” We hugged for about two minutes—one of the longest and purest hugs I’ve ever received.
Our education system breeds misunderstanding and disillusion. How come we’re so quick to praise fortune tellers rather than believing in ourselves?
Many of our young generation feel lost. I like to inspire people so I give lots of motivational speeches at schools. What worries me is so many kids don’t know what they want in life, let alone harbor big dreams.
I’m really excited about launching A Day Books Foundation Bookshop around Thailand. I was inspired by Oxfam’s second-hand shops where they sell donated things in order to help others. I also hope this model will provide job opportunities for young students. I plan to open the first three shops at universities this year.
Print media won’t disappear any time soon. Our relationship with paper is so firmly established. I still see people in developed cities reading books on the train. Of course, daily newspapers do face new competition due to social media and digital organizations.
The best thing in life is freedom. I used to dream of working in hotels, so I did an internship at one. It was a nightmare. I asked myself, “Do I want to be cleaning chairs forever?” After that, I switched to studying humanities and social sciences, and became a writer.
Be proud of what you do. I had a friend who studied hospitality and was the doorman of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the same time I started A Day. I’m proud of both of us, as we both got to do what we love. He even had a higher salary than me!
I love my life, every second of it. I get to do what I love and believe in. I’m still bursting with energy and creativity, just like when I started out.
