Editorial | Anchalee Vivathanachai First Chommanard Book Prize Lifetime Achievment Award Winner.

With this issue, we have a lot to celebrate beginning with the 8th Anniversary of Elite+ magazine and the 60th anniversary of Praphansarn Publishing. Also in April, we are celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year, as well as the Jewish holiday of Passover, Muslim month of Ramadan and Christian holiday of Easter, which should make this a joyous season.

To help celebrate, our cover story features Mrs Anchalee Vivathanachai, the recent recipient of the inaugural Chommanard Book Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Winner of many literary accolades, including the 1990 S.E.A. Write Award, Anchalee has also been a regular contributor to our Literature column and in this issue, she tells the story of She, a mesmerising account of a woman and her relationship, or confrontations, with an inner self.

In this month’s Diplomatic Affairs column by Kathleen Pokrud, HE Joao-Bernardo Weinstein, Portugal’s ambassador to Thailand, shares the background of the celebration of over 500 years of Portuguese-Thai relations while our Country Portrait column, also penned by Kathleen, celebrates The Chao Phya Abhai Raja Siammanukulkij Foundation founded by Count Gerald van der Straten Ponthoz of Belgium.

We continue with this celebratory theme presenting articles based on speeches presented at the Elite+ 8th Anniversary Gala Dinner by Shigeru Aoyagi, Director of UNESCO Bangkok, and keynote speaker, Dr Sant Chaiyodsilp, MD, Chief Wellness Officer and Director of Wellness We Care Center, who was honoured when presented the 1st Elite Award for his outstanding dedication and contributions to Thai society.

In this issue, we also celebrate the success of the coaching partnership between Coach A (Thailand) and Ajinomoto (Thailand) which has contributed enormously to the continuing growth and success of Ajinomoto, a type of partnership that Coach A is ready to develop with other companies and organisations that want to transform as they strive to achieve ever greater goals.

The remainder of the columns in this issue on Travel, Indulgence, Dining, Adventure, Lifestyle and Health, as well as our Photo Essay by Ezra Kyrill Erker describing the winter beauty of Athens, each offers detailed descriptions and inspiring insights into people, places and philosophies that should all be celebrated.

To conclude, I hope you find this issue of Elite+ informative and entertaining, and, on behalf of the Elite+ team, may I wish you very happy holidays as we also celebrate the coming of spring.

Warm Regards,
Arthorn Techatada
Executive Editor