Introduction
Today I am writing about a city, rather a state, because we can’t talk about the city without thinking of the state as a whole. It is a state which, though endowed with immense natural beauty most of us tend to ignore. It is not that it is not a significant place or has no status of its own, but, it being on a far limb of the country it is generally forgotten. I am going to write about Mizoram.
Mizoram was a part of Assam State and became a Union Territory in 1972 and a full fledged state of the union in 1987. One day I asked some college students where Mizoram was and was shocked at the replies. One says “Is it in Bhutan?” Another says “It is in Kashmir”. One even said, “It is somewhere in the South”. There were many more surprising answers. I analysed that one can’t blame the students. Anything which is out of sight is out of mind. It was then that I decided to write a review on this beautiful state and the lovely people which I first visited in 1979 at the height of insurgency.
Location and Geography
Mizoram is located in the NorthEastern corner of India and is one of the seven northeastern states, with Bangla Desh on the West and Myanmar on the East and South. Parva is the southern most tip, where the borders of the three countries meet. Mizoram means. Land of the Highlanders. The entire state is perched on high hills which are steep running North to South with an average height of about 1000 meters above sea level. There are thickly wooded jungles with winding streams gushing past, forming deep gorges at places. The highest peak is about 2200 meters. Strategically it is very important as it has an international border of over 700 KM. Mizoram is endowed with a vast reservoir of natural beauty. It is endowed with a wealth of flora and fauna, which would be a botanists dream.. The climate is very pleasant and ranges between a low of about 10 deg C in winters to a maximum of 25-30 Deg C in summers. There are heavy rains during the monsoons. Aizawl the state capital is the biggest city in the state and is connected by air from Imphal and Kolkata. The other important cities is Lunglei. There are a number of other smaller cities.
The People
Mizos are a part of the Mongolian race. Chrisitan missionaries reached here in the early 19th century braving all odds and after walking for days to reach the inaccessible tracts. They made Mizoram their home and introduced the Roman script for the Mizo language. As a result, most of the Mizos are Christians and the literacy rate is amongst the highest in the country. The Mizos area a close-knit society with no class distinction and no discrimination on grounds of sex. I have even seen common toilets for boys and girls in schools where boys and girls line up together to use the facilities. They follow the code of ethics called ’Tlawmngaihna’ which means to be hospitable kind, unselfish and helpful to others. The Mizos are happy go lucky people and keep smiling. I have not seen any child crying. They are fond of music and it is a common sight seeing them sitting in groups singing and dancing in the evenings. The influence of Western music is distinct and guitar wielding youth a common sight. The girls are very fashionable and love to use the latest cosmetics. Ninety percent of Mizos are cultivators and the village exists like a big family. Cultivation is done in step fields called jhooms. Fibreless ginger. Paddy, maize, mustard, sugarcane, sesame and potatoes are the main crops. The women folk are very hard working. One often sees women working in the fields or carrying the produce back home while the men folk walk back empty handed. Most of the festivals are centred around cultivation. If a boy wants to marry a girl, he has to pay the bride price to the parents of the girl. The boys and girls are permitted to mix freely during the period of courtship. The marriages are held in the Church in modern outfit. Traditionally drivers were held in high esteem. The people thought that if a horse could pull a cart over long distances, here was a man pulling a huge vehicle across long distances, so he ought to be tough. Pretty girls loved to sit next to the driver in a bus. (Any volunteers??) Food The Mizos are very fond of non vegetarian food. In fact I was surprised to see that they eat anything and everything that moves. Be it a dog or a monkey or a rabbit or rat. They are all delicacies for a Mizo. It is rare to find birds in Mizoram, as all birds are killed for food. Even the crow is not left out. They catch hold of grass hoppers and put them on the tava (hot plate) and when it gets roasted they eat it. Pork is a special delicacy. I was surprised to find how they kill a pig. They tie its feet and then three or four people surround it and hit it repeatedly on the head with logs of wood. When the head breaks, as a result of the beating and the pig dies, they celebrate and cook the whole pig in a huge pot.
Clothing
The traditional dress of the Mizos is the Puan, which is a very colourful piece of cloth somethings akin to the South Indian lungi, but much more colourful. The puan is woven with intricate traditional designs by the women on looms in most homes. It takes about 15 days to weave a puan.. It is like weaving a dream. Both men and women wear puan, however now people are switching over to western clothes for their comfort.
Places of Interest
Aizawlthe state capital located nearly 4, 000 feet above sea-level, is located on top of a elongated hill and a number of smaller hill tops. It has immense scenic beauty. It is the cultural and religious centre of Mizoram. You can buy ingenious handicrafts at the Bora Bazar or the Luangmual Handicrafts Centre. Mizoram State Museum is worth a visit. You can buy a beautiful Puan to use as a fancy dress at The Weaving Centre. Good puans cost upto Rs 1500/-. For the children a visit to the Zoo would be interesting.
Champhai is a beautiful resort on the Myanmar border. Most of the latest goods and gadgets reach here faster from Myanmar than from other parts of India. Tamdil is a natural lake some 60 km from Aizawl. It is surrounded by virgin forests which are thickly wooded. It is possible to get lost int eh forest and keep moving in a circle if one is not careful.
Vantawng falls, five km from hill station Thezawl, are the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in Mizoram.
Phawngpui, (meaning Vast Meadow) is the highest peak. It is also known as blue Mountain. There is a garden of rhododendron near the peak which is worth seeing.
There are many other places which are worth a visit. You can spend an entire week or even a month in Mizoram without getting bored. I think Mizoram is in the inner line and hence a special permit is required to visit the state specially for foreign tourists. All those intending to visit must find out and procure a permit in advance least they are disappointed when they are not permited to enter.