 ML Pin recalled in his autobiography that although his mother was a kind and loving figure , his father was rather strict and acted more like a teacher than a father , and that he was often fearful of him . A loyal servant of the crown , MR Pia introduced ML Pin to King Vajiravudh when he was seven years old . Another often @-@ recounted story from his childhood is that of how , before having learned to count , when his mother asked him to gather half a bunch of betel leaves for her , ML Pin set down to picking up one leaf with each hand at a time , separating them equally into two piles . 
