Accomplished in traditional northern music, painting and "jerng" traditional martial arts, Chiang Mai native Saran Suwannachot’s passion is to perform and preserve these art forms through teaching. He began learning "jerng" as a teenager and realised it was what he wanted to do as a career. He sought out the traditional masters and apprenticed with them one by one until he in turn was acknowledged as a master in his own right. In reaching out to the younger generation and preserving this ancient art, he says his biggest challenge is to reconcile the modern way of life and the needs of traditional culture. He has a very Buddhist outlook on life’s ups and downs—when things are good, do not get attached; when things go bad, do not give up easily.It is a mantra he lives by as, despite financial constraints, he dedicates himself to keeping beloved northern traditions relevant and alive.