Vawksa Man

Tlem laia vawksa man san khan Mizorama thil man fix dan min ngaihtuah nasat tir a. A ṭhenah Rs 450 (Rs 500 pawh a ni thuai ta bawk a) in vawksa kg 1 an zawrh laiin a ṭhenah chuan Rs 400 ti mahse a bukah 800gms te an han ti bawk a. A tu ber hi nge in bum hlawm aw, ka ti rilru deuh a. 

Mikhual neih ṭuma vawksa kg 3 siam duh laia a zuartuten kg 2.4 min buk sak tlat chuan lem deuhin “4kgs” (a takah chuan 3.2kgs) lei ngai ta kher lai kha a ho hi ka ti rilru khawp a. Ti to ve ta mai se, buk dik zawk se, rawngbawl a va dik duh zawk awm ve aw! Kan Mizo vawksa recipe ah “per kg” ah spices chuti zat tih a awm lo a ni mai pawh a, sap recipe hman dawn chuan recipe kan zawm dik thei lo der. Mahni inah buk leh turin buk lung leh bukna ka nei lo leh pek bawk nen AVBT.

Thil dang man pawh min ngaihtuah chhunzawm tir ta zel a. Choka hman thlai leh sa man loh theih lohin rilru ah a lang a. Mahnia khawsak inrel chuan thil man to hian min tih buai em em loh na chen a awm a. A quantity a tlem chuan thil man lo to hlek pawh ni se kham khawp a tlem tho a, ka uite bak chawm nei lo leh sorkara hlawh la tan chuan ka harsat phah em em hran lo a, chawhmeh man hi ka lo ngaihtuah lo ṭhin a. Ka rilru chawlh deuh lai leh Vawksa Man hike an intawng fuh zeuh vangin ka ngaihtuah ta chauh. Ka bazar hian, chhungrual tan chuan lei a har dawn anih hi, tih kha ka ngah ta. 

Interesting ka ti a. Silchar emaw Burma emaw lam aṭanga kan lakluh ang te hi lo to deuh hlek pawh ni se a awm a. Transportation Cost hi thil manah a bet lo thei lo a, kawng a ṭhat chiah loh phei chuan a lo sang ve deuh ṭhin a. Mahse tual thar si, to em em hi chu hriatthiam a harsa deuh. Kan la thar tam tawk lo anih hi, tih hi ka ngaihdan a ni zui ta a. Thar tam ila, a chhiat hlauh tham kan neih chuan thlai thar emaw forest produce ang te hi chu a man a tam em em thei lo. 

A rei deuh tawh nangin kum 2000 chho khan Roorkee, Uttaranchal ah theihai season ah chuan theihai hmin thlum ṭha kg 1 hi Rs 5 ten kan lei ṭhin. An thar tam bawk a, a loh theih loh. Thil chhe awlsam an ni a, thlai man chu supply/demand in a siam rem mai. Sorkar in upper limit a set ṭhin ve tho in ka ring a. Chutih laiin a zuartuten sorkar rate chauh an changchawi a, theihai man an hniam theih hauh loh chuan thlai thar paih vek a, pawisa a tlem emaw a tam emaw chan tawp kha a ni mai a. Thlai paih chhiat ai chuan Rs 5 te te pawh a ṭha zawk zel tho.

December 2025 khan Vairengte ah alu leh parbawr kan lei a. Alu hi a zat chiah ka hre tawh lo na in Aizawla kg 1 ka lei theihna zat in Vairengte ah kg 3 ka lei thei a. Parbawr hi kg 1 cheng 30 in ka lei a, Aizawl ka haw in kg 1 cheng 80 in ka lei a, Hnahthial ah khan ka hriat sual loh chuan cheng 120 in ka lei. A em em deuh e, ka tia. Transportation Cost hi chu thil awm a ni a, a tur ve reng pawh a ni. Mahse a over hret hi chu a awm a. Nutrition thlir phei chuan Hnahthial-a chawhmeh to lutuk chu a va ṭha lo ka ti ta rum rum.

Aibawk ah ka awm laiin ar vulh ho nen kan titi ṭhin a. Ar man hi sorkar/society in a man a set a, tih hi min hrilh ṭhin dan a ni a. Keiin arsa man sorkarin a bituk tih hi Maximum Price angah ngai ula, a aia tlawm chuan hralh thei tho ula, Customer Base siam ila, Aizawl leh Serchhip tal supply tum ang u, ka ti ṭhin a. Kan thleng thui lem lo. Silchar ar lakluh khap sak tura ngenna kha BDO ah kan dawng ṭhin a. Ka vulh ve lem loh vangin ka hriatthiam phak loh chin a tam a, Financial Management a MBA chu theory chauh kan hriatna chen a tam bawk piah lamah theory pawhin Mizoram context kan zir ngai lo hrim² nen, ka ṭang na lem lo. Mahse tun thleng hian Aibawk-ah Aibawk block chhunga ar vulh aia Silchar ar a la tlawm zawk tho theih nachhan kha ka la hrethiam thei lo.

Silchar ar chu an naupang a, tih hi argument 1 a ni a. Lehlamah chuan Mizo tho in Silchar ar naupang chu kan lei duh tho si chuan ar naupang deuh, chaw an heh tak taka chawm an hautak hma khan hralh ve ta mai ila, a ṭha tho lo em ni? Mizo kaa tui, ar puitling, thau tawh ang kha a hranpa deuhin a ṭhen azawng vulh ve mai theih awm tak kha a nia. A ti pawh an awm tho ka ring, mi zawng zawng nen kan titi lem lo a.

Champhai hi ka awm rei a. Thlai zawng chuan a tlawm hran bik lo na in a variety a ṭha thung a. Manipur leh Burma buai hma, min supply hneh em em lai phei kha chuan Aizawl aiin thei phei chu kan hmu ṭha zawk a, a tlawm zawk. Covid lai pawhin thei kan tlachham tak tak lo. Treasury ah ka awm lai vel phei kha chuan a thla a thla ka awm ṭhin bawk nen, Aizawl ka haw hi chuan chawhmeh hi ka hawn hnem ṭhin a. 

Bawngsa ka hawn hnem ber ṭumin kg 20 ka hawn a. Ka fridge ah leng hek lo, Treasury staff Vengthara awm ve ho Freezer ah kan dah khal nghek a. A nawm dan a dangdai ve. Bawngsa kha khatih lai khan a ti kg 1 cheng 400 in ka lei a, Vengthar hovin min duhsak bawk a, a ti ṭha min dah sak ṭhin a. Aizawl ah kg 1 cheng 600 a lo ni a, 20 kgs ah chuan kan hlep ṭha phian. 

Bawngsa piah lamah chuan Nghalpui hi ka pu in a duh ṭhin a, a tlawm in a tak zawk a, ka hawn sak ṭhin a; a lawm thei phian a. Nghachik rep hi a man zat chiah ka hre tawh lo na in ka nu nen price kan compare a, a kg-a ka hawn fo ṭhin zinga mi chu a ni ve.

Local thlai leh ran sa man a tlawm thei miah lo hi hriatthiam a harsa ka ti ṭhin a. Market lam aṭanga thlir chuan mihring kan la tlem vang emawni aw, ka ti a. Demand a tam loh chuan Supply kha a ti khaihlak a. A letling zawngin Supply a ṭhat loh miau chuan Demand ngaihna awm lo ve bawk nen. December aṭanga ka rilru luahtu ta chu Demand leh Supply in market price siamrem tir ai chuan Association in kan siam rem a, a tawpah chuan a zuartu in a tuar mai piah lamah a leitu pawhin a tuar phah ta mai mai lawm ni le, ka ti ta deuh.

Kan vengah ar puah sa kg 1 cheng 280 a ka lei theih laiin bazar ah 350 a ni a. Engvangin nge 280 a ka lei theih, home delivery theih na na na, bazar ah ka zuk kal anga 350 + petrol man + ka energy leh hun ka zuk sen kher ang? Arsa ka lei dawn chuan dawr duh bik ka nei ta a. Anni in englai pawha arsa ei reng, kar tina lei duh customer min nei ta mai bawk a. Keini ang tho chhungkaw dang an awm ve nual nen, customer base ṭha tak an nei nghal a, bazar-a ṭhut man an pek a ngai lo bawk a, anni tan pawh a hlawk tho. Market hi supply leh demand in a chin fel theih mai chin a awm a, sorkar a in rawlh na tur chu a lutuk ven na chauh hi ni se Leitu leh Hralhtu tan a ṭha.

Control tu fel taka awmna ah chuan Competition hi thil ṭha a ni a. Kan intihsiak loh chuan fel tumin awmzia a nei lo a, tih ṭhat duhna a awm thei lo bawk. Kan lawmman chu pawisa a ni emaw, hmingṭhat a ni emaw, mahni inthiamna a ni emaw, thil dang a ni emaw, engemaw lawmman awm loh chuan mihringin hma kan sawn lo. Market pawhin intihsiakna engemaw chen tal a awm loh chuan hma a sawn thei lo. Hmasawn lohna market hi a return a tlem lo thei lo a, hlawkna tam ve deuh hlek duh si chuan cost-cutting measures a lo hman loh theih loh a, product duhthusam pha lo, “a quality a qual lo” tih ang chi kan siam chhuah phah a, tu tan mah thil ṭha a ni hran lo. Kurtai siam apianga chini-a pawlh dal ziah ang chi te.. thil ṭha vak a ni lo. Return customer neih pawh a har. Tunge thil ṭha lo lei nawn lei nawn duh bik ang?

Vawksa man hike ka rilrua a thawh nat em em nachhan 1 leh chu a jump sang lutuk kha a ni a. 400 atanga 450 a kai dawrh kha chuan kg 4 vawksa kan leina ṭhin zatin vawi leh khatah kg chanve a hma aiin kan lei tlem thei ta zawk a, pawisa hlutna a tla chak fu. Uṭawk chhuan so an sawi ang deuh khan kan tuar tur rau rau ah thil man hi zuang awk awk lo ṭhin deuh se, kan tuar dam zawk fu dawn si a. 

Hemi relate deuh, Millenium Centre ah pawh kawr man han zawt ila “3000 man a nia, 2500 in ka pe ang che” an tih chuan lawmawm deuh mai a ni. Cheng 500 tlawm hnawk kha chu tam tham deuh a ni. Han chhui chiang lah pek ila, cheng 1200 vela an lak, 2000 pawhin hralh se (chu sawi loh 1500 pawhin hralh se) an hlawk tho tawhna tur te a lo ni leh pek bawk a. Thil man hi a jump sang ṭhin a ni.

Lei duhtu an awm tho a, thawmhnaw phei chu a to loh chuan a ṭha lo emaw an ti tho, kan hralh thei lo, tih hi ka hre tawh bawk a. Mizoram Market hi essential market lehzel pawh luxury market ang deuh thawa kal na chen hi a nei leh zeuh ṭhin a. Thil fascinating tak, zirchian tham a ni.

Vawksa ah bawk chuan let leh ila. Mizoram sorkarin Market Regulation Dan a siam ṭhin a, thlai hnah – antam, anthur, bakhate etc – te thlengin a man a bituk a. 

Pakhatna ah chuan, “Upper limit” tih a ni ṭhin lo deuhin ka hria a. Ni mai se, mahni thlai thar te chu mahni duh zat angin kan chhiar tho a, te ka ti a. Ka thu lo mai bawk si a. Association chakna tak takah phei chuan mi aia sa man cheng 20 a lo hralh tlawm pawh an in hrem bawk nen, Karl Marx te sawisel tur hi chu kan ni vak lo.

Pahnihna ah chuan, Delhi ah West Kidwai Nagar ah kan cheng ṭhin a. INA Market ah vawksa kg1 cheng 90 in a lei theih a, A tui vak lo a, rep hmui a ngai ṭhin a, kan rep peih tho a, pocket money kan ngah vak lo nen, INA vawksa kan lei a, kan rep ṭhin a. Chutih laiin Pigpo ah te, Khubchand ah te chuan vawksa kg 1 hi Rs 200-300 te a lo ni a, an hmui mawm deuh a, an chhum tawp tlak a, an tuihnai zawk a. Vawksa chhum tawp, engmah dang thlak loh, tur atan chuan tlema to deuh hlek kan lei ṭhin. 

Mizoramah vawk kan vulh dan a in ang lo a. A sa man erawh a in ang vek thung a. Vawk sa, a thau bawl deuh ṭhem ṭhum leh ṭhenawmte vawk, an vulh dan leh duat dan kan hriat vek te, a man zat in ang vek hi chu uluk taka vawk vulh tan incentive a nuai bo fu. Tuikuk vawk kan tih ang te, Yorkshire pig te nen an sa a in ang lo leh a, an man erawh a in ang vek tho a. Tual vawk leh Burma vawk pawh a in ang vek tho. Kobe beef leh Wagyu steak market te chu kan la hlat hret.

Tih ṭhat man a awm vak lo. Tih chhiat deuh pawhin kan communist/socialist angreng a, Dan Pui leh Pawl Dan ten min protect vek. Chu bakah duh zat zat lei tur pawh a la awm meuh loh na economy ah chuan engemaw chenah Supply/Demand tih ngawt chuan a la kal theih hmel loh a. Association leh pawl khuahkhirhna hnuai aṭang ni lem lova hmasawn hun erawh chu a nghahhlelhawm.

Pathumna ah chuan, farmer ni ta ila, vawk vulh emaw leilet huan thlai neih emaw, sangha dil nei emaw ten ei zawng ila, sorkar in ka thil thar man min ruat sak tawp chu ka la na viau in ka ring a. Sorkar rate aiin lo hralh sang ila, min hek chiam tu an awm pawh ka ring lem lo a. Moot Point lek lek ve deuh a. Mahse farmer ka ni lem lo a. Sorkar hna ka thawk a, ka hlawh sorkar in min pe a, ka lungawi fu a. Mahse hemi point tak hi he blog rawn chhuahna a ni thung. Sawi tur ka nei tlem a, zirchian ka chak hle thung a, ngaihruat dan leh ngaihdan siam dan ka hre vak rih lo. Research paper awm se chhiar ka chak fu a. A ziaktu ni phei ila zir a nuam ka ti fu ang.

Delhi hi ka lehkha zirna a ni a, hmun danga thil man ka hre tam lo a. Delhi a sabji mandi hrang hranga thlai man inthlau theih em em danah hian sorkar in a man a bituk em em lo emawni aw, tih te ka rilru ah a awm a. Upper limit te (MRP thlengin), safety regulations te, food mileage leh farmer protection te hi chu Rampum huap ang te pawhin news ah a lang fo a, khatiang ni pha lem lo, a man tesep em em hi chu sorkar in a ngaihtuah vek lo em ni aw, ka ti ta deuh. Hrim hrimin thlai kan lei pawhin a kg in kan lei a, Mizorama chawhmeh kharchhawng hovin awm tawk an tih zat an tel tawp a, an hralh pawp ai hi chuan a man to tho tho ah pawh rilru a dam deuh.

Intermediaries tlem theih dan ber hi chawhmeh man tlawm theih dan chu a ni ber, tih hi Common Sense a hriat a ni a. Mahse Sociology ah chuan Common Sense hi paih bo phawt a, zirchian hnuah chauh thu sawi tur, kan ti ṭhin a. Mizoram thlai market ah pawh hian intermediaries an tam chuan a man a to tho na in, a thar tu te ngei aṭang pawhin kharchhawng man nen a danglam chuti teh vak chuang lohna hi a tam tho mai. Common Sense hi a dik vek seng lo.

BDO POV atang hian kan sawi zeuh zeuh ṭhin a. Zinkawng thingpui in paha titi a ni tlangpui a, research emaw hmalak tum em em emaw lam a ni lem lo bawk a. A ril vak lo a, a pipedream deuh a. Mahse kan lo sawi ve fo ṭhin chu Mizoram hi Point of Contact hrang hrangah ṭhen ila, thlai network hi ṭha tak a siam theih a rinawm. District 11 kan nei a, HQ tin hi POC an ni thei a. RD Block 28 a awm a, heng area zel pawh hi POC ah a hman theih chuan Mizoram chhung hi chu kan thlai thar te, kan USP vegetable leh fruits te hi kan in lei sak tawn thei ang a, a nuam ve fu ang, kan ti ṭhin. Sorkar ni lovin private players thawh ni thei phei se duhthusam. Chutiang ti thei khawpa pawisa nei ni ila, a titu nih phei chu chakawm lehzual.

Entirnan Champhai ah hian Pa Uithin te a tam lai chuan a tam a, a tui bawk a, a travel vak thei lo thung a; midangin an lo chah emaw, inthawn bik te a nih loh chuan miin an kharchhawng vak lo ang a. POC to POC ah erawh chuan Aizawl leh Hnahthial te pawhin an ei duh ve tho ka ring a. 

Thingtlang khua kan len kual ṭhin naah maipawl te, mai tai te, hralhna mai awm lem lo an lo awm ṭeuh a, a chang leh min hawn tir a. Aizawl ah POC fel tak awm se, thleng regular thei se chuan Aizawl ah maipawl hang deuh deuh, man man zawkin a awm ve thei mai awm se, kan ti ṭhin.

Tuaithur te hi Hnahthial ah ka hmu ngai lo a, Hnahthial ah POC ṭha tak awm se chuan Champhai lamin a kg in Tuaithur te chu an nei ṭhin a nia, tih ka ngaihtuah ṭhin. Bastenga Pork siam duh thut takin tiin Aizawl aṭanga chawhmeh bazar a ṭul leh ṭhin.

Champhai ah thei leh ser, local produce sawi tham a awm lo a. Sailam leh Chamring ah te chuan serthlum thlum tui tak tak an lo thar thung a. Champhai POC ah POC dang aṭanga sertawk, sermam, serthlum te an thlen theih mai chuan Mizoram hmun danga thei thar te an va hlu lehzual in a eitu turte an va lawmpuiawm dawn tak. 

Ka ngaihtuah hi a sang vak lem lo a, Mizoram chhung mamawh – mahni tharchhuah tihralna leh Mizorama mi vek man tlawm deuh zawka chhim ve theih dan – hi ka ngaihtuah a ni rih mai a. Ka hre tam vak lo. Sawi tawh ang khan a la castles in the air deuh a, kan hisap nasa thei em a, thawh theih tak tak a tlem em em si laiin ka mention ve mai mai.

A thui tawh mah mah. Disclaimer ziak ila, tawp rih teh ang. Naute thar kan nei a, ka nu in naute pian lawm nan vawksa kg a lei aiin vawk pum a hauh pop mai a, engzat man tak ni ang maw LOL.

Disclaimer: Sapṭawngin i ziak kher a, jump tih aiah zuang a tih theih tho a, tih ang kha ka hre sa tho e, thank yew! Ka ṭawng dan pangai ania, ka blog ania, a context bak grammar lam ka uluk vak hran lo. Chhiar ring phei ila chuan Mizo Aizawl Elite accent in ka chhiar ang. Calome. Tih loh ah chuan in discuss peih chuan ka discuss peih. Sociology ka zir lohna a rei tawh a, Sociological Theories phei chu hna ka hmuh kum, 2013 aṭangin ka chhiar leh ta lo. In refresh ṭhata Economic Sociology lama PhD Thesis tur khawpa zirchian ka chak ta riau. Theih tak maw!

Real Life is Stranger Than Fiction

Yk what's really funny about the whole Epstein files and how it has succeeded grandly in the terrorism line?

It's made everyone paranoid and all the conspiracy nuts are having a field day because guess what, sometimes those nutjobs and their whackadoodle theories turned out to be real. Just enough to make people think: if that is real, this could very well also be. It's good fun though, for people who love crazy stories. Such as die-hard sci-fi fans like me.

For example, aging.

Celebrities have never been allowed to get old and show their human-ness. But now celebrities who have become old and have mandatorily physically changed in the process are now believed to have been essentially cloned. As though no one is allowed to change. Like ever.

Britney? Cloned.

Miley? Cloned.

Ariana Grande? Cloned.

Taylor Swift? Cloned out of a Satanic Priestess.

Jim Carrey? Spoke out against the Illuminati and cloned and they didn't even get the eyes right.

Selena Gomez? Cloned and dead dead dead.

I wonder what it's like to have grown up, changed your beliefs, become different, meaner, kinder, more or less something, become somebody different from who you were at 16 and then the internet is like "the real her died in 2011 because she sacrificed herself to save her baby that she had with Justin Bieber and that baby is Kourtney Kardashian's 'son' Reign and JB has been mourning her hence his spiralling out and ooh, Hailey Bieber is his handler," it's like... heh???

It is already funny when people knew you and a situation five years ago and they think you're still stuck there with the same tea the same story, I mean I forget things from yesterday I am not the same person. I don't think these celebrities are either.

Also not to mention, having spent 100s of thousands of dollars on plastic surgery and products to have people claim you are an imposter is just chef's kiss! Not only are they saying you don't look like your younger self anymore (which let's face it, is a big reason for plastic surgery), they're also saying your surgeon made you look worse than you did before (which is ya, less than ideal).

The stupid part is they say certain people are clones because they don't look like their favs. Cloning, you'd think, especially of the sci-fi adult human kind in a big giant lab in a scary island, would produce units that you can't tell apart. The definition of cloning. No?

Some people have come up with a good explanation for this, again. Introducing Non Local Consciousness!! Of the quantum entanglement variety. Very Douglas Adam's Dirk Gently. Very The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once. Very Dan Brown's Secret of Secrets. I think the less sci-fi inclined would be more familiar with astral projection and OBE. 

Which is how they're explaining why Selena Gomez seems taller than she used to be (she's literally grown up in the public eye, I think people do grow taller sometimes?) as well as don't talk like she used to (some debilitating condition apparently). So yes it is Selena Gomez's body (which they say is different looking so why bother?), but it is Geena Davis' soul! If that be true, Geena Davis is still alive and kicking! Did they clone her soul as well? Colour me most curious. Poor Geena Davis. She must be wondering why the internet is abuzz with her name quite out of the blue!

As to why they'd clone people or replace them with body doubles or NLC them, there is also a theory. Control. They are celebrities. They influence people. They numb you to the pains of reality. They are the beautiful scantily-clad Magician's Apprentice, their sleight of hand, their shiny distraction. This is the part I buy. I think art as entertainment and less "human soul" is a big product of Hollywood and its wannabes. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, perhaps one day it can be a duck... perhaps? 

For now, let me go check my Black Mirror aka IG for more cloning reels. It's grand fun.

The Precision Engineering of Joy

Something about old cars makes you happy. Or me, at any rate. When I was a kid, the cars I was familiar with were Gypsies, Jeeps and Ambassador cars. I was a happy enough kid. I was well-fed, well-watered and well-seasoned. Little joke there. But yes, for all intents and purposes, I was a regular kid. I cried when I was unhappy but I also spent a lot of time being happy. 

A lot of those times were spent hanging upside down because I was showing off my acrobatic skills. We took turns hanging upside down, anchored by our knee-joints off the support structure of our iron swing set. Either that or we’d hang on to the bar with both hands, then turn full circle, feet over head, and touch back down to the ground. 

The officers’ kids all attended the same school. So they’d cart us off in an old faded blue Jeep. The Jeep was always jam packed. On days when the Jeep was empty enough, we took turns doing the same routines in the moving vehicle from the support bar of the soft-top Jeep. We were insane but then again, we were also children. 

When we travelled, and we did that quite a bit, it was in a shiny white Gypsy. Most of my memories of road travels in Gypsies have me hanging on to the passenger seat, standing up, sometimes for eight hours, because I wanted to be close to my mother who was in the passenger seat, holding Samuel and Feli had dibs on the cushion stuffed between the driver and passenger seats. What did we need of hand-brakes; dad was on the wheel, yes? I think Lee was usually in the backseat, chatting up a storm because that kid had never been introduced to the concept of motion sickness.

Regular town trips were made in a white Ambassador car with the quirkiest driver in the world. He convinced us to think of sludge and mud on the road as coffee froth, which was endlessly entertaining to us kids. When there was a puddle, he’d speed up and send dirty puddle water flying in every direction, kids cheering everywhere! As an adult, I can’t imagine those stunts being anywhere good for the car, but back then, it didn’t matter. We had fun. And no one got car sick.

Those were, in the lingo of the excellent Pixar animation movie Inside Out, “core memories” in the making, I realise. This is probably why the thought of three cars has been fixated in my head: Mahindra Thar, Maruti-Suzuki Jimny and Volkswagon Beetle. 

Realistically, the Beetle was never going to reach me. So I thought I’d save up for a Thar. And I was, honest to god. From some time around Covid, I believe, if memory serves. But I test drove it one time the first chance I got and I realized it was wider than I was comfortable driving. As much as I loved its look and design, I realized I would never really drive a Thar. It truly is bigger than it looks. Which is how I decided to continue saving for a Jimny. A Jimny is still bigger than it appears but it is slenderer than a Thar. I would have to be comfortable with it if I was to ever own a car because as lovely as driving small cars are, I just like the looks and feel of the Jimny.

What do you want a 4x4 for? I get asked constantly. This is very valid. I truly don’t need it. I most probably will never take it anywhere that I would need a four-wheel drive for. But if I were to ever own anything purely for the aesthetics, this was it. Mostly I buy things for their functionality. But the most expensive thing I have ever owned turned out to be purely for the aesthetics. Life is funny that way.

I talked about it endlessly with my family. In 2024, I said: I’m getting promoted soon; if I get posted somewhere I don’t get a government allotted vehicle, I am buying a Jimny. That particular stipulation didn’t get fulfilled till January 2026. My sister Feli and my by-now good friend TZa helped me book one. A white Jimny was in stock and I didn’t even need to wait! Talk about meant to be.

I wrote the cheque for and drove home my Jimny on the 6th February, 2026. It was a Friday. It drives smooth. I am not a particularly smooth driver or it would drive even smoother. The engine hums and thrums with a quiet confidence. It is elevated so high I have to climb up a bit to get in. It looks smart and poised wherever it rests, dignified and graceful. Best I can say about it is – this is a car engineered for joy.

All of these have been a journey laced with the precision engineering of joy.

The Showgirl and the Gospel

You know how Dolly Parton looks. She jokes about it in good humour in the self-deprecating yet confident twang that is so her. She looks every inch the showgirl, with her OTT blonde wigs, her OTT plastic surgery, her OTT slender figure, her little flirty quips… quintessential showgirl!

She also recorded one of my favourite versions of my favourite hymns – Church In The Wildwoods. Nothing about her flirting or her tongue-in-cheek, off-colour jokes or her showgirl outfits and makeup have ever stopped her from singing gospel. You could say, she gives to Caeser what is Caeser’s. Yes?

Elvis Presley, too. Or Carrie Underwood. A lot of Hollywood artists never let their fame, fortune and Hollywood stop them from singing their gospel songs and hymns. Their roots, you could say.

What do we know of their “souls” or their tickets to heaven? What do we know of our own “souls” and our guaranteed (or not) entry into heaven? What do we know of anything for certain of The Beyond? All of Belief rests in that very word – faith. 

I mention all of these because I find it troubling when in Mizoram, people seem to divide music into two sections: gospel and love songs. Not all songs can be categorized in those two sections! Besides, those aren't even true genres. It frustrates the core of my being when people give their testimonies and say: I can’t sing love songs anymore because I am born-again. (I want to swear here but it seems inappropriate to do so just here.) 

Whatever I mentioned about Dolly Parton or Elvis Presley or Carrie Underwood is this: no matter how worldly they appear or how they earn their livelihood, they don't abandon their God or their church or their Belief. What do I know of souls? Or play-acting Believer or not? That is immaterial. What is factual is they get all decked up in Hollywood fineries AND they will also attend church and sing gospel.

I find this worth mentioning because we seem to say the exact opposite in Mizoram of singers. Look how worldly they are and yet they dare to sing gospel songs! we say (and spit on the ground, perhaps.)

What is dare? It is not because people are so spiritual that they sing gospel. Perhaps a section of gospel singers are truly spiritual. But there's a vast majority that sings gospel - especially in church - because of the music and how it moves them beyond the lyrics. Sometimes the tune simply just hits right.

Besides which, I believe God gives us different talents. If your talent is bureaucracy, bury your nose in the red tape and help government push along. If your talent is teaching, help the younger generation learn. If your talent is numbers, perhaps start a business or trade. If your talent is singing, sing. FFS.

Nobody ever accuses government servants or entrepreneurs or doctors or engineers or footballers as shameless for daring to sing or preach the gospel despite how they earn their livelihood. Or how they dress in their places of work. Why measure singers differently?

The world always needs art. Keep them coming. The world is bleak. Some days art is all that helps us survive.

Tunge Pawimawh Zawk?

Kumin hi Sunday School ah, “Ka awm nghet ngai chuang lo, hming ka ziak lo mai ang,” ka ti ve ngawt a, nimin chu ka va in ziak leh hna hna a. Zirlaibu pawh ka nei lo reng bawk a. Vawiin zirlai pawh sawiho tur kha ka chhiar lawk ve lo a, Hruaitu in a chhiar chhuah chiah khan mitko ka lo san deuh awk.

A va ril ve, ka ti a. Political Sociology ah ka rilru a lut nghal a. Thesis tham lawih mahni rilrua lo luh dan anga han sawiho mai chu a uiawm lek lek anih hi, ka ti a. Ka va hrilh ruk sar sar ka laizawn te lah chuan an ngaihven lo dun nasa. An bu liam mai mai.

Ka ngaihtuah zui leh mai mai a. Tlai lampang ah chuan “Sorkar tha nei turin sorkar hruaitute nge pawimawh mipuite?” tih chu zawhna dik vak a niin ka hre ta chiah lo. Pawimawh zawk awm thei ngaiin ka hre ta lo a. Sociologist ho hi chu kan vague ṭhin a, kan thu hi a fin aiin a frustrating zawk mah mah ṭhin. Tunah pawh Sociologist ṭawngkam takin ka thutlukna chu: Mawhphurhna hran kan nei a, pawimawhna chin a in ang lo, tih a ni leh ta tlat pek. AVBT.

Bureaucracy lam kan ni bawk a, heti zawng lo chuan thil thlir a har a, ka thlirna pawh a zau em em tawk lo ṭhin. Bureaucracy – Mizoram ah chuan sorkar hnathawk kan ti awlsam mai a – ah chuan red tapism hi kan mutan a ni a. Hna thawh ṭhata thawh tam aiin ziakin a fel em, tih hi a pawimawh em em mai ṭhin a. Kan hun tam zawk pawh hetah tak hian kan hmang ral a. Mi thluak ṭha em em, red tape a tang, an full potential ang taka thawk chhuak thei lo an awm leh ṭhin. Mipuiin kan entawn te hi US ram te, capitalist economy dang te lo ni leh si ṭhin bawk sia, anni nen India sorkar hnathawk te min khaikhin pop hi chu a fuh ber lo ve ṭhin. Kan Pathian leh Kaisara te an dang ve tlat. Amaherawhchu, kan mutan chu red tapism ka ti nangin kan dawhkan luah lai kan inthlak fo a, kan hnathawh kum te kan lo hmang zo a, kan dawta mi te tan kan awm kher lo pawha sorkar kalphung a chawlh chuang lohna tur chuan ziah fel erawh chu a lo ṭul viau zel bawk si a. AVBTQ.

Democracy ram, inthlang ram kan ni a, sorkar hruaitute lu ber chu Sorkarna Chelhtu Thlan Lal te an lo ni a. Anni nen hian in hnimhnai takin hna kan thawk a, sorkarna an chelh a, an sorkar her dan azirin a hnathawk te kan kal a, an programme leh scheme te hlawhtlin theih dan tur bureaucrats ten kan ngaihtuah pui a. Sorkar hi Motor ni ta se, a hnathawk te chu engine, a driver chu Thlan Lal te an ni ang chu. Thlan Lalte zawk hi kan Zirlaibu in a sawi hi a ni em aw, ka ti a. 

Chutiang a nih chuan mipuite aṭang tho a Aiawh thlan te an nih thin vangin sawi hran vak theih a nih ka ring lo a. Party hrang hrang ten an mi leh sa te an thehchhuak nachungin anni pawhin mipuite hneh thei tur, an vote an pek theih tur mi an thlang ve a. Chung mi te, keimahni zinga mi tho, kan aiawha rorel turin kan thlang ṭhin a. Midang an ni lo a, mipuite darthlalang lian ber chu kan Ram Hruaitu te hi an ni reng a ni. 

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ah fiamthu in political leaders te hi class hran anga an awm tawh hial na society ah chuan leader te hi Daidep an ni a, mipuite chu Mihring an ni a. Mihring te chuan Daidepte chu an haw em em a, mahse an chunga rorel turin Daidep te an thlang ṭhin e, a ti a. Chuti te chu engatinge Mihring te chuan Daidep chu an thlan kher a, tih zawhna chu, “An thlan mai loh chuan Daidep ṭha lo ten ro an rel ang asin,” tiin a chhang leh mai bawk a. Cynical takin a nuihzatthlak ka ti ṭhin a. Ngaihtuahna pawh a ti kal thui ve duh fu. 

Sorkar hi tunge? tih hi zawhna hmasa ni ta se, a chhanna pawh ngaihtuah a awlsam zawk ang em aw, ka ti a. Sorkar ṭha nei tur chuan keini society leh political system angah chuan lungthu pathum a dik a ngai: (alphabetical order in) mipui, sorkar hnathawk, sorkar hruaitute. Kan in khalh ngil tawn a, hnathawk theia kan in siam tawn a, hna kan thawh ho a ngai a ni.

Corruption kan ti a, kan do fo a. Midang tih atan kan phal lo a, keimahni tih atan chuan kan duh, an ti fiamthu ṭhin a. A dik em aw? Pawisa chungchang ah ni ta se, “sorkar pawisa” kan tih hi public money/mipuite sum tihin kan hriat chian hun chuan kan thik thu pawh a chhiat zual ka ring a. A hmanna leh hmangtu dik takin an hmang em, tih pawh kan chik zual a, kan zir peih ka ring. Hna chungchangah te ni ta se, sorkar laka kan dawn tur leh sorkarin min tihsak ngei ngei tur te hi kan zir chian a, kan hriatchian chuan tun ai hian hnathawk turin kan in tur nat ka ring. Lungthu pathum te hi sawi hran theih loh an ni. An pawimawhna ki a in ang tlat lo a, tu ber nge pawimawh ber tih zawhna hi zawhna kim a ni theiin ka hre lo a ni.

Sunday School zirlai ngaihtuah zelna atan chuan a Bible thu-hla ta chiam lo mai thei. Sociologist ho chu kan heti leh tlat ṭhin. AVBTQ+.

In Defence of Rote Learning

For someone who hated it, it comes as a shock to me to defend rote learning today. 

Far be it from me to criticise the collective wisdom that guides the education reforms and processes of a state, but to play Devil’s Advocate, I don’t necessarily think rote learning is bad. Bad is also a loaded term in and of itself anyway. But especially here, with rote learning, “By-Heart System” as we call it, I believe it would be highly erroneous and simplistic to categorise it as “bad”.

I was never very good with memorisation. It always takes me longer than normal to commit things to memory. It is not entirely fair, then, that it is so easy for me to lose these memories too. So the few things I have indeed memorised, I cherish. 

I always think of Ozymandias when I think of rote learning. I memorised the PB Shelley poem because it was part of our syllabus in Primary School. The poems I first encounter in my college years are hazy now and I may recall a vague analysis here and there but that is it. In college, we no longer memorised. When I consider how the analysis of Ozymandias that was suitable for 10 years-old Me seems quite shallow when I revisit it today, I think of that proverbial home you can't return to, or the river that you cannot cross twice. They were right; the poem hits different now. 

This is exactly it – my defence of rote learning. It would never occur to me to revisit the poem if I can’t recite it from sheer memory. It is not analysis I experience with an Ozymandias musing; it is the poet’s words that have survived inside my head. These lines resurface in my memory and find new meaning in my adult life. Mere analysis could never.

I’m not saying the current system we have in Mizoram of rote learning is good. But in itself it is not the death of education. I know a ton of Australia trivia because I learned it via “Answer By-Heart” system in Class 6; I got a lot of detention for it too, @#$%^. I remember Times because of rote learning. True, if the teachers had ever even once explained to me that all numbers are abstract; and that when we say “za” it is in fact English and we are saying, for example, two twos are four and not two two za four, it would have made memorising easier. But be that as it may, even though I didn’t understand it, I memorised Times up to 12. I still retain most of it. It helps.

I mean, how many of us kids truly understood an “I wandered lonely as a cloud...” or a “Miles to go before I sleep...” or a “Do not go gentle into that good night...” but today, on this side of 30, feel it in our very soul? These are lines immortalising their creators. We remember them because we learned them in school. Because we memorised them. Because our teachers made us. Because it was important for year-end exams. Because those grades dictated our next steps. Some things can serve dual purposes, surprise surprise!

Exams and Grade Scores are not for everyone; I will never argue that they were. But a little competition never hurt. In fact, these healthy competitions become the things that toughen us. Competition is not bad. Schools that are good are good for a reason. I believe they will also still be good if the system changes. They are good because they know what the system demands, and they supply it. If the system changes, I am convinced the good schools by way of saying the ones that deliver “Top Students” will still be “good”. 

I attended three schools in Mizoram – Nazareth English School (Aizawl), Sacred Heart School (Lunglei), and Mary Mount School (Aizawl). They all competed competently at the state level. All three taught us things beyond textbooks. They taught us AV Learning, cross-stitching, public speaking, leadership, sports (yeugh!), patriotism, music, arts, etc. And yet, all of them also focused heavily on rote learning. Thanks to which I have a bunch of facts and art forever stored in my memory banks. I do not complain.

Sometimes I think there is something fundamentally off with our society where no matter how much education you can cram inside a child, Society with a capital S will cure them of it sooner or later. Society will always be the best and worst of us. Because our Society does not want individuals. It wants sheeple. And sheeple we all become in the end. We will always blow with the strongest wind. It is good when the winds are good and then we all become this giant good thing. But woe betide us when the ill wind blows. 

This is why we don’t learn. Instead of taking things into context, we reduce all debates to What Aboutisms and Over-corrections. It is always extremes with us; never a sweet mid. We throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. Our education system needs correction, yes. But it is not Education System alone that requires it. There are so many moving factors at work that it demands a certain level of detached Non-participant Observation to point out the problems inherent and figure out ways to fix the holes. And not throw the baby out when we throw out the bathwater.

All of these to say that I, for one, do not think rote learning is inherently bad. Or even a ranking system. As long as we find a Mid-Point that works, and stop this maniacal fundamentalist mindset, we should be good. That applies elsewhere too, come to think of it.

People Don't Listen

The Beckhams, Victoria in particular, being in the news recently got me thinking of how people don’t listen. Then they misunderstand with the confidence and entitlement of a middle-aged white man in the USA. As vocally too.

Not about her, actually. At all. I do not have such an intense parasocial existence with celebrities that they take up my time. Not even Taylor Swift, or Shania Twain when I was younger. I do enjoy keeping up with their news but it’s with detachment. Perhaps a certain level of joie de vivre, but not this maniacal fanatic engagement with celebrities and their lives like I see on the internet, as though they personally affect my day to day, like they were kin or neighbour. I do enjoy a gossipy girl sesh or a Sociological musing or two but then I just shrug it off and say: hey, celebrities are not real; they only live in my phone screen. 

The reason the Beckhams got me thinking about people’s listening skills is because their PR team is on overdrive and pushing a lot of nostalgic 90s Spice Girls and Girl Power era on my FYP and a lot of those reels are set to the song Wannabe. Slightly going off tangent is my specialty.

Now Wannabe is always touted as a nonsensical song. Because why? People. Don’t. Listen. 

Wannabe is actually not a nonsensical song at all. It is very upbeat, no doubt. And an earworm especially with the zig-a-zig-ah, which is also the reason why people think it is nonsensical. Additionally, as about 97% pop songs of that era, Wannabe has a lot of repetition of words. Which is because the tune demanded it. 

The chorus is definitely an earworm. If someone were to straighten out the chorus as a standalone conversation, it would read simply as “I will tell you what I want.” The rest of the song – the verse and the bridge and the rap – is telling you exactly what she wants. It is very clear. If you want to be my lover, this is what you need to do; if you want my future, this is what must happen; if you want to get with me, you must do this.

This is what happens with the Meatloaf number I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) as well. Drunk intellectuals love to joke about how he just keeps saying he won’t do “that” but he never tells you what “that” is. But if you listen right, every time he says he won’t do “that”, the preceding line tells you what he will, in fact, do like run to hell and back, that he’ll never forget the way she felt, or take a vow and seal a pact. This is when he says he will do anything for love, but he won’t do those things; that, in other words.

In fact both songs actually randomly go deep. Meatloaf bursts into sheer poetry, in fact.

And some days it don't come easy

And some days it don't come hard

Some days it don't come at all

And these are the days that never end

And some nights you're breathin' fire

And some nights you're carved in ice

Some nights you're like nothin' I've ever

Seen before or will again

And maybe I'm crazy

Oh, it's crazy and it's true

I know you can save me

No one else can save me now but you

As long as the planets are turnin'

As long as the stars are burnin'

As long as your dreams are comin' true

You better believe it

Meanwhile, Wannabe delves into philosophy. A proverbial stance, you could say.

If you wanna be my lover

You gotta get with my friends 

Make it last forever

Friendship never ends

If you wanna be my lover

You have got to give 

Taking is too easy

But that's the way it is

If you take things out of context, things seem off. But listen properly and consider the whole, and you might be surprised that what you’ve never understood suddenly makes sense.

Honestly, you can’t tell someone anything if they’re not willing to listen. 

Little bit like ranting and raving about celebrities and how they live their lives. If you shave off their frills and put them in context like they were your neighbours, a lot of the things they do actually makes sense. It’s just difficult to see this when they’re so much prettier, richer and more famous than you are. 

Besides, recently I’ve started thinking perhaps one of the reasons so many of us are having such godawful days is our Karma for the gleeful way we consume the misery of celebrities. True they are serving out their karma for whatever hustle they pulled to be where they are. But perhaps some of our bad days are us serving Karma for how we treat the stories of the actual human beings behind the people that live in our phone screens.

Anyhoo.