Another royal initiative of His Majesty the King in support of agriculture was the revival of the ancient Royal Ploughing Ceremony. Dating back to the Ayutthaya period, the ceremony had been discontinued just after the revolution to abolish the absolute monarchy, but it was held once again in May 1960 to ensure sufficient rainfall and an abundant harvest, and forge links between farmers and the monarch on a symbolic level.
Despite his heavy schedule, His Majesty found time to pursue some of his own artistic passions during this period, most notably his music, which had always been an integral part of his life since his days in Switzerland. This aspect of his life probably gave him the necessary balance to the pressure of his duties as a monarch.
In the early 1950s His Majesty set up the Lai Khram (Vintage) Jazz Band which would perform on the Aw Saw (the initials of the Ambhorn Satharn Palace where the King first resided) radio station. The band’s name was later changed to Aw Saw Band, and the King would jam live with the band for the radio broadcast every Friday, becoming known as the Aw Saw Friday Band.
This decade was also one of His Majesty’s most prolific in terms of musical compositions, writing more than 15 songs from his entire body of 48 songs within the 10-year period. During his visit to the US, he jammed with the likes of Kenny Alford and His Dixie Cats, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Lionel Hampton and Stan Getz.
The Hockschule fur Music and Darstellende Kunst (Academy for Music and Performing Arts) in Austria also presented His Majesty with an Honorary Membership, the 23rd person and the first Asian to receive this honour.