Khun Nilawan Pintong’s 107th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 107th birthday of Khun Nilawan Pintong, a Thai women’s rights activist and editor. She founded the country’s first female publication, Satree Sarn Magazine, which inspired women to play a more active role in civic and community affairs.

Born on this day in 1915, Khun Nilawan grew up in a household in Bangkok that valued community service and charity. She went on to study English and French at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts. Upon graduating, she taught for a year at the Ministry of Education before joining the Department of Public Relations (Khrom Kosanakan). 

Khun Nilawan later became chief of the Foreign Press Section at the Department of Foreign Affairs. During this time, she encountered Western ideals that inspired her to challenge traditional gender roles. 

At age 32, Khun Nilawan left her stable position as a diplomat to start a women’s empowerment magazine called Satree Sarn. Despite operating with limited funds, it quickly became one of Thailand’s most popular magazines. Satree Sarn also offered a children’s section with educational content for underprivileged students. By doing so, the magazine helped support literacy at rural schools that could not otherwise afford reading materials. 

Khun Nilawan went on to found two other magazines: a weekly news publication called Sapdha Sarn, and a youth magazine called Darun Sar. 

When she wasn’t busy running magazines, she served as president of Thailand’s PEN Center, executive secretary of the Thai Foundation for Journalism Education and held positions within other notable organizations.  

In 1961, she became the first Thai recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, also known as the “Nobel Prize of Asia,” which honored her contribution to nation-building and women’s empowerment. 

Happy birthday, Khun Nilawan Pintong! Thank you for your work to uplift female voices and stories.