A calendar is a practical instrument for organizing our time when we fill them with information about social events, appointments at work, birthdays and the like. Official calendars are also a practical medium whereby the state expresses a dominant ideology and a dominant historical narrative. This finds expression in the calendar’s articulation of what events are regarded social significant and commemorated with national holidays. In doing so, the calendar encapsulates a commemorative master narrative which highlight certain aspects of the past and hereby suppresses other events that could nourish an alternative commemorative narrative. In Thailand, this commemorative master narrative is connected with the monarchy and Buddhism. That is, national holidays are primarily celebrating these institutions in Thai society. At first sight, the celebration of Constitution Day on 10. December could be seen as a deviation from this pattern. It is not the case as this event is linked with King Prajadhipok officially granting the country’s first constitution while the role of the People’s Party in this political transformation is left out.
Recently, calendars appeared which offered elements in an alternative commemorative narrative with reference to the People’s Party and the revolution in 1932, published by the Puey Ungpakorn Project and Sathirakoses – Nagapradipa Foundation. The first calendar was published in 2020 with entitled ‘New Thai’, with water color images, appearing on every page of the calendar, of important art and architecture that were created during the People's Party era. The second calendar was published in 2022 – the year which marked both the 90-year anniversary of the successful revolution in 1932 and the 110-year anniversary of the failed revolution attempt against the absolute monarchy in 1912. entitled ‘The 2475 Vanguard’. The calendar portrayed in text and cartoons people central to these two events in order to ‘bring back memories of the promoters who made Thailand belong to the people’ as it was noted in an advertisement for the calendar. The Third calendar was published in 2023 entitled ‘Honoring the Constitution’ to commemorated the first year of constitutional rule in Thailand. With reference to central events in 1933 presented in text and cartoons the calendar highlights how the People’s Party managed successfully to consolidate constitutional rule in Thailand in a political environment marred by both internal political conflicts among members of the People’s Party and by an abortive royalist countercoup – the so-called Boworadet rebellion.
These calendars enact an alternative commemorative narrative. The first by emphasizing the People Party era through art and architecture at that time. The second by emphasizing the social significance of the first unsuccessful revolt against the absolute monarchy and the 1932-revolution in the unfolding of constitutional rule in Thailand. The Third by emphasizing how the introduction of constitutional rule in Thailand was contested by the royalist – not only in political discourse but also by overt violent means. In doing so, the calendars rematerialize the People’s Party and counter the existing commemorative master narrative which is blind to the central role of the People’s Party in the history of constitutional rule in Thailand. The calendars constitute important everyday political tools contesting the dominant ideology in Thailand.