with the venue decorated with orchids and thailands national flower the bright yellow ratchaphruek thai consulate members adorning their conventional attire and an elaborate spread on offer it was tradition at its best during the celebration of the national day of the kingdom of thailand the event took place at a city hotel on monday evening the day also marked the birth anniversary of thailands late king bhumibol adulyadej the great as well as fathers day in thailand the chief guest of the event was s suresh kumar ias additional chief secretary power department government of west bengal the evening kickstarted with a speech by thai consul general in kolkata sweeya santipitaks she said i extend my warm welcome to all the distinguished guests present here to commemorate the outstanding work by the late majesty of thailand in the development of agriculture food security and the overall improvement of the thai populations livelihood we have gathered here to pay tribute to him highlighting on the prosperous and friendly ties between india and thailand sweeya added thailand has extended the visa on arrival fee exemption scheme applicable to indian tourists until april 30 2020 we hope this measure will encourage a greater number of indians to visit thailand chief guest s suresh kumar was seen enjoying the party he said its a great pleasure to be here on behalf of the government of west bengal the late king was multitalented and its fitting that he is also the father figure of thailand india and thailand have extremely close consul relations as well as commercial interests that are entwined together i hope this tie will only strengthen further in the coming years one of the highlights of the event was a fashion show where models and some of the members of the citys diplomatic core sashayed down the ramp sporting apparel made of thai fabrics and wearing traditional floral headgears of thailand designed by phubast chesdmethee vicepresident of the world flower council asia pacificfoodies delightwhats a thai national day celebration without indulging in their mouthwatering cuisine the gastronomic delights were specially curated by the hotels chef who specialises in thai cuisine for the event on offer were dishes like hot basil and thai herb noodles mutton massaman curry seafood and mince chicken glass noodle salad thai mince chicken salad and much more the dessert counter served the traditional thai tender coconut ice cream with accompaniments like crispy biscotti pumpkin in syrup roast peanut tab tim krob and soaked basil seeds there was also sliced thai bananas in coconut milk nayantara palchoudhuri who was seen digging into the delicious dishes shared it was an evening with a difference at todays celebration i am thoroughly enjoying the exotic cuisine the banquet is so beautifully designed with flowers and the fashion parade was the cherry on top