17 This was my first encounter, and what I felt then was that there are outstanding people in Cambodia. In the conservation and restoration of the ruins by France, I noted a display of French national prestige, and felt that the work of restoration was being undertaken because the Cambodians were unable to do so on their own. Cambodia had no freedom until it attained independence in 1953. I personally felt that the Cambodians were agile, and that they had a natural sense for jobs such as moving stones at ruins and so on. With this on-site experience of mine, when I later got involved in works of conservation and restoration, the fact that the conservation, restoration, and research linked to the monuments of Cambodia should be conducted by the Cambodians for the Cambodians, was displayed as a philosophy of global cooperation. This was the setting for focusing our attention on the development of human resources among the Cambodians. There was a second encounter that led me to devote myself to Angkor research, and that was with Madeleine Giteau of the EFEO, a colleague of Dr. Groslier and specialist in Cambodian iconography. From iconographies of objects such as reliefs left in the ruins, she conducted research intended to elucidate the religious significance and the spirit of the times when they were created. She was blonde and single, perhaps in her late thirties. On one occasion, on confronting a complex issue pertaining to my research I went over to her office in order to speak to her about it, and there I abruptly asked her, “Why don’t you get married?” It was a very impudent thing to do, but that’s the type of naïve youngster I used to be. She seemed a bit dazed on hearing me, but then she answered seriously as follows, “I have thought about getting married, but right now the most critical thing for me is iconographic research on Cambodia. I think it is a research for which I have to devote my life.” Her zeal instantly passed on to me, but when I said, “I too would like to do the same,” she promptly chided me with the words, “it is not easy.” Nevertheless however, the more I encountered her passion
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