REPORT ON MIZORAM TRIP

I left Mizoram in 2000 and had gone back three times since then. The last time I went back was on December of 2003. Since the last time I visited Mizoram, it's been about  ten years and a lot of things have changed.

Some of my friends go back to Mizoram to visit every once in awhile. After they return from Mizoram, I  am always interested in listening to their experiences during their stay. I want to share with you some of the experiences they have related to me. To me some of their feelings they expressed regarding their trip were reminiscing, some were frustrating, some were amusing and most of them were heart-rending. These are the four different insights by four different observers:

Starting from the last person to return who came back a month ago, she lamented, "Our Mizoram has totally changed! I went back after a long time absence, I expected to see the same old Mizoram but it has become something I don't understand. I don't know.. probably like...I have never been to Chin Hills, but I am afraid Mizoram has become West Chin Hills. Everybody seems to know what SANPIAU, Laphetoh etc. were; which we never knew before. It is sold in the restaurant and people seems to love it. Where is our own sawhchiar, our very own thingpui? And also people have financial hardship and had to sell their plot of land. They never care who bought the land as long as it is sold at  good price. Therefore, many outsiders from Burma, Manipur Vairam have bought lands and I am scare we are truly  doomed to be assimilated! It is believed that some who has a lots of money, who had bought good locations in our city and other towns might have got from dirty jobs. Once, our Church Elder even announced in our local church that, if members want to sell their land they  should carefully see to whom they were  selling their land to. For Mizoram is the only Land we had, we need to protect it patriotically...  Vegetables vendors in the street are mostly from outside Mizoram, they work harder, longer...., they start simple and small, but in no time they overtake all the existing local vendors...very disgraceful indeed."

Another friend who returned from Mizoram also said, "We went to the Millennium Shopping center. It was new and people were proud of it. There was an elevator too. As I was with my boy we chose to use the elevator to go up. Just before the door was closed, two tlangvals ( here I can't use gentlemen) squeezed in, and as a result the elevator won't work. Obviously we were too heavy for the machine, and some people shouted out, 'we are too heavy, somebody please leave.' The two tlangvals got offended and stamped at the elevator floor cursing, 'Might as well be destroyed,' I was so dismay at their action and attitude, it took me a while to ponder when  can we treat our land and property respectfully."

My friend went to Mizoram about a year ago but gave me a surprizing positive report, he said, "When I lived in Aizawl some 20 years ago, there were not many businesses one could do with good profit. People were poor and we were thinly populated. But now, in my last trip, I clearly found that any kind of business can be successful. We have the market, we have the finance, what else do we need? Just start any business, there's enough customers for one to survive provided you work hard." 

Lastly, another male friend who made a trip some three years ago admiringly told me this. 

"For some reason (consecutive flight cancellation) I had to enter Mizoram from Manipur. From Imphal we drove via Churachandpur. There were about seven check points between Churachandpur and Mizoram border, all run by different rebel groups. In each check point we were stopped and interrogated by the insurgent  personel. It was so nervewrecking and some time really dangerous. I have become an US citizen and I was not sure what they would do to me if I told them who I really was. We heaved a sigh of relief as we passed the first check gate, we didn't know another was waiting! And there we went, seven check posts in succession. My brow got dampen all the way because of nervousness!

There was no power for four nights in Imphal and there were none in another towns too. It was really a miserable experience we had in Manipur. Then finally we reached the Mizoram border. As soon as we crossed the Mizoram border we lost all our stress. We couldn't explain exactly how our anxiety had gone. We were simply relieved, no no..we felt so secure, protected rather, but mostly, we felt at home for sure. The first village we came across was Khawdungsei. We stopped and decided to take a break in one of the houses. There we found a TV with crisp clear picture..with a Mizo program! They have the power, they have lots of water, and a computer too huh!

'There's a lot of water, feel free and cool yourself down,'  a woman in the house said to us...the first Mizo person we met; she was so hospitable, so graceful. The land so peaceful, and so progressive...very very different from our next door neighboring state. 

This is my land, this is where I belong, I am really proud of it."