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Many former Ekamai residents sold their land and moved out of town for a better environment. Among the residents suffering from a development incursion into the area are national artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit and members of the Sethabutr family.

Chakrabhand is now embroiled in a conflict with Singaporean-Thai joint-venture firm Dalvey Home, which is planning to build its 32-storey DLV Condo project on the site right next door to his home.

For Chakrabhand, his house is not only home sweet home, it's also the location of his studio and the Chakrabhand Posayakrit Foundation and Museum. The museum is located opposite Big C, which was built above an old garden nursery.

"I have been living and working here for more than four decades. In addition, dozens of my students, puppeteers and artists work here every day. If the condominium is built, it will damage my work with the dust, disrupt work at the foundation and pollute our community," Chakrabhand, 64, says.

Thailand is currently grappling with the issue of urban zoning regulations. In a cosmopolitan city like Bangkok, turning residential areas on busy streets in the heart of the city into commercial business areas has become a contentious issue.

Dalvey Home was successful in building its latest Bt400-million complex on Thonglor Soi 20. The firm then saw the potential in building its 120-room complex on the 400 square-metre plot of land that Chakrabhand's cousin sold to a broker last year.

The cousin claims he had no idea that a condominium complex would be built on the site.

Dalvey Home organised a meeting with members of the community in January. Locals voted against the construction, citing the environmental damage it would cause. The firm has yet to begin the project.

Prior to this conflict breaking out earlier this year, the general public barely knew of this national treasure's existence, but for his fans and art-lovers, the living museum is known as a place where all manner of art is created. Chakrabhand and his team draw, paint, and make puppets daily.

The artist and his team are busy completing khon costumes to be used in the "Battle of Brahmastra" episode of the Ramakien. The costumes were ordered by Her Majesty the Queen and need to be completed by the middle of next year. He is also working on murals for Bangkok's Tri Thossathep Temple and Chanthaburi Khao Sukim Temple.

On the last Sunday of every month, Chakrabhand opens his home to fans, giving them a chance to see him and his troupe rehearse his much-awaited puppet show "Taleng Phai".

Visiting museums may not be "Thai culture", many people may argue. To me, visiting art centres or cultural institutes or even "private-homes-cum-museums" is a part of my nature thanks to my family. I grew up in a Buddhist family that taught me about our culture and society in the temple while we made merit.

Internationally, artists' homes that have been turned into museums are major tourist spots. The homes of Rembrandt, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Goethe and Hemingway are a few cases in point. Their relatives or their foundations converted their homes into museums when they died. Visiting their museums, we learn about their lives and work.

By visiting the Chakrabhand museum, while the artist is still alive, you can learn more, direct from the artist's mouth.

Our government-run museums are suffering from a shortage of funding. Running a private arts centre is a hard task. Whenever anyone devotes their life to promoting our arts and culture, we, especially the government, should support them.