Aibawk Through My Eyes

For a hobbit adventure from Aizawl, Aibawk RD Block is pretty ideal. Start your engines, pack a light bag, a nice camera and a few tucks and you’re good. The RD block itself starts at Hualngohmun, only about 10 kms from Aizawl. The last stops would be Sailam, Sialsuk, Lungsei, Chawilung to the South depending on what roads you take. The area is rife with places of interest that would tempt the merry traveler. You can get a feel of legend, history and geography, taking Instagram worthy pictures and be the envy of friends and family, all the while creating special moments that could last a lifetime.

The general area around Tachhip, Phulpui, Maubuang are the hills which had been the Elysium of the legendary lovers of Mizo folktales – Zawlpala and Tualvungi, their stories embedded in the very land. You have Va Ko Peng and Tualvungi Sangha Khawina, Zawlpala Thlantlang and Tualvungi Vawkthleng. I don’t know if Lalruanga the Sorcerer was a great traveler because I saw some of his shit in Champhai as well but even here, in Sumsuih, you have Lalruanga Lungdah. Come to think of it, Sumsuih also has Thangzawra Lunglen Tlang which I suppose you can visit when you want to cry in solidarity over unfortunate unfulfilled romances in your lives. You also have Chhura Fa Rep; I don’t know if that interests you.

As far as actual history goes, you can visit Sibuta Lung at Tachhip, which marks the memory of the ‘cruelest’ chiefs in Mizo history. Chief-wise, you can visit Maubuang as well, the kingdom of Khawvelthanga, the first of the Mizo chiefs to abolish slavery in 1910. And my grandmother’s father. Tachhip-wise, you can also visit Chhingpuii Lu Khaina which is morbid and gory, but when you have head-hunting in your cultural history, I suppose it is apt. Oh and Chief-wise, you can also visit Sailam which deserves its own para, I think.

So, Sailam. In 1871, Mary Winchester was captured and held hostage at Sailam, then under the Chieftainship of Bengkhuaia. Her retrieval in 1872 marked the beginning of British rule in Mizoram. This historic event has essentially kick-started the genesis of modern civilization in Mizoram. The perfume of history is strong there. Actually, you really should visit Sailam and give it an entire day. History aside, you can do bird-watching and even spend the night there camped out in the open or at Birders’ Cottage. Or check out their sunflower fields (April and October best seasons probably). Or their Orange Orchards. Or their Sarovar; gorgeous lake! But don’t go during monsoon because leeches. Or visit the many houses (most households of Sailam) where people weave Puanchei; beautiful artistry and amazing culture having been nurtured through apprenticeship. Or check out Rophum Tlang where you can view Phawngpui Tlang, the highest peak of Mizoram. Or simply carry a picnic basket and spend it on the meadows. Good way to spend the day.

In Sumsuih, there is a Commemoration Stone Kumpinu Lungphun erected for King George V of Great Britain, then Emperor of India. Even though the dates may not be entirely historically accurate, this is a fascinating bit of history and the influence of British India in Mizoram. In Falkawn (15kms approx. from Aizawl), you can turn back time and visit Zokhua and experience for yourself the set-up of an old Mizo village. Also good medical facilities at Mizoram's only medical college ZMC.

If you travel the ATL Rd., I’m sure you’d see the commemoration marker where the Tropic of Cancer passes through Maubuang Lungsai village. Good photo-op that will make for bragging rights at a party! 

Ooh, before I forget - there is a local cyclical wind called Chalkhan Thli that originates somewhere in R. Mat. From there, it makes its way to R. Lau and wanders over to Reiek Peak and back to Sailam in the evening, which has resulted in the locals saying it visits Reiek maidens during the day. Chal being a type of light-weight, thin bamboo, at Hmuifang’s Chal Kham, it was once the local amusement to throw chal down the cliff and watch the wind pick it up and deposit it back to the peak. Today you can throw an open umbrella down and the wind will pick it up. Maybe try it with your most disposable umbrella though?

If you travel this route, you’ll find a number of beautiful scenes that will take your breath away. People are already pretty familiar with joyrides and picnics at Hmuifang Tlang (1619m; highest point in the RD block) (track recommendation: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond) and Sialsuk. But I’ve curated more camera-ready places for the digital world for your ease of travel planning:

Trees-wise, you have Lianphunga Bung at Sateek, Zathawma Bung at Samlukhai, and Sangkungi Bung at Sailam (she’s the sister of Bengkhuaia, FYI).

Meadows-wise, we got Hmunhlui Tlang at Thiak, Phulpui Mual at Phulpui, Sialsuk Tlang at Sialsuk, and Sailam Phul at Sailam. In fact, the general slope along Chamring-Lamchhip-Chawilung is gentler and can be loads of fun. Also insanely picturesque.

Waterfall-wise, there is Rangtla Li at Tuirivang, Phulpui. It’s this beautiful natural waterfall that rests on a giant basin. NB: This waterfall rests on rocks that have craters of different sizes and different depths. While extraordinarily beautiful, I’d advise the traveler to not venture into the waters that can sometimes be treacherous and trap even the most agile and experienced swimmers.

Brook-wise, you have tons of options although don’t litter and destroy the general beauty. But there’s R. Changte, R.Tuisik, R.Paikhai… gentle streams and so pretty! Sialsuk also has Dilpui I & II; you might have heard of it from their fishing sports. You can do plastic boating there well-equipped with life-jackets; it’s tons of fun.

Otherwise, there’s Kelpuk and Lungpher Sei at Maubuang; I’ve yet to visit these myself. I bet they’re cool too.

I think the best time to visit would be starting from October well on through April. That’s when Mizoram is prettiest anyway.

For you when you come on your nice, easy Hobbit adventure in this hill range, I’ve listed these places for you so it’s easier for you to plan your time. Cheers!

Places to fuel up:

1. Melriat

2. Hmuifang

3. Sialsuk

Lodging:

Tourist Lodges at:

1. Aibawk

2. Hmuifang (Tourist resort)

3. Sialsuk 

PWD IB at:

1. Aibawk

2. Sialsuk

Others:

1. Lodging run by Sialsuk Tlang Committee 

Private-run Places to eat/lodge:

1. Tachhip:

i. Thelma restaurant

ii. 2 Sister restaurant

iii. Fel Fel restaurant

2. Aibawk:

i. Amawii hotel-cum-restaurant

ii. Mabiaki hotel-cum-restaurant

iii. Achawii hotel-cum-restaurant

iv. Pi Lalkhumi restaurant

v. Chanchinmawii restaurant

vi. Rebeki restaurant

vii. Matluangi restaurant 

3. Sialsuk

i. R.K. restaurant

ii. 3 Sister restaurant

iii. VL restaurant

iv. Omom restaurant

v. Ruati restaurant

vi. 2 Sister restaurant

vii. NR restaurant

viii. Dingpuii restaurant

ix. Achhingi restaurant

x. Taverna restaurant

xi. Chakkhai restaurant

xii. Rhino restaurant

xiii. Chalhmingi restaurant

xiv. Tuichangral restaurant

4. Thiak

i. Liankaia restaurant

ii. K Lalrinliana restaurant

5. Chawilung

i. Chhungpuii restaurant

6. Muallungthu

i. Felfel thingpui dawr

ii. Zothanpuii restaurant

iii. K&B restaurant

iv. Vensang restaurant

v. Lawmi restaurant

7. Hualngohmun:

i. Chawngthu hotel-cum-restaurant

ii. Chamtei chicken grills restaurant

iii. Vanngian restaurant

iv. Pachuau restaurant

v. Nung Nung restaurant

8. Melriat:

i. Adeline restaurant

ii. Brigit restaurant

*I'm sharing with you my drawing superimposed on the block map when I first joined as BDO here in May 26, 2023. For my own study. It's not accurate by any means but I'm very fond of it and it makes picturing the block easier.

The Kingfisher

A can of Kingfisher appeared on the table in this one church Elder’s house one morning. This was a topic of hot but hushed conversation for some time among the children. Mostly: Whose Kingfisher is that? Why is it on dad’s table? Is anyone getting scolded for it? What is the game? Why is it out in the open? Should someone just claim it? And one of the most important Qs: Is it mine? Did he take it from my stock (but nothing else is missing)?

I remember cackling like a Disney witch the first time I heard this story. I also loved the lowkey manic anxiety that flavoured the discussion. Drama you’re not a part of is always fun and exciting. And so it was too with “The Tale of the Kingfisher”. No stakes, just fun. For me, at least.

In a land where beer is generally considered one of the various roots of all evil, it is not surprising that its sudden and mysterious appearance caused quite this stir. The father didn’t drink (or at least not in public, ever). The children “don’t” drink either (wink wink). So whose could it be? It was a wild mystery of unknown origins. Of course, everyone lowkey knew things. The father, for example, knew where that can came from. Obviously. The children knew it could only either have been purchased by the dad (from where? no we'll leave that for another day), or taken from one of their rooms. But it was common courtesy to acknowledge the fact that no one in this family drank alcohol (wink wink). So the beer sat on the table, and everyone tiptoed around it.

I’ve asked how this story ended, and I will tell you about it too. But not before I put in my two paise worth. 

I believe this is a nice parable for Mizoram today. Everyone knows what’s going on. But we just don’t want to expend energy into thinking about things. Leave alone do anything about it. Because delulu is comfortable, and as long as we are not starving yet, we can make things work. We can play the ostrich game. Besides, the Nile is just a river in Egypt, no?

Which is how today, we have begun to accept that “if the work is good, then it doesn’t matter who does it or how it gets done”. But I vehemently disagree. The ends do not justify the means. This is just a pretty lie we tell ourselves to justify our corrupt deeds. We can only reap the harvest that we sowed. What ends can we expect when the means was corrupt?

Because here’s the thing: we don’t always get tempted only with sex and drugs and alcohol. We sin differently. There’s gluttony, for example – “I’ll die before I go on a diet; you only want to be skinny, I want to be happy”. Or vanity – “I’ll take you down any way I can before you destroy my reputation”. Or coveting – “I don’t make as much money as you do, but I’ll be bankrupt before I allow my event to not be just as flashy as yours is”.

We simply do not get tempted the same way.

And the funny part – well, not funny haha, more like funny sad – is that as long as the Image is intact, most of us do our best to play along. We avoid confrontation and exposure. We choose to be sheeple. It’s easier. And possibly, much wiser as a course of social survival. So we condemn the sins we don’t get tempted by lest people see the sins we do get tempted by. The truth is that not many of us will be tempted to commit murder, for example. Or even with homosexuality which most of us are so willing to condemn loudly – as inherently heterosexual beings, we won’t get tempted by people of our own sex so this isn’t a “sin” we are likely to commit, hence we can safely condemn it. And I fear the worst of it is when we allow other people to do the dirty work for us and/or let them pay the price.

For our sins, we are forcing people further and further away from the straight and narrow. We need to remember that as nice as swimming in the Nile is, the Nile also has the world’s largest crocodile in it; crocodile so big the Bible calls it a dragon, in fact. We all need to do long Bible sessions on Matthew 18:6¹ and Romans 14:13². And read them as pertaining to us, for feck’s sake. Seriously, though. We really need to stop reading Bible verses and think OMG this is for my neighbour! No, sweetheart, this was for me. I am the one the verse is talking about. I am the one that needs to be better. I am the change that must first happen.

Of course, no. We shall focus instead on the can of beer on the table. But we will tiptoe around it and whisper amongst ourselves our various theories on it, maybe even weave rhapsody around it. But we won’t address the issue head on because that would mean bringing to the open something we all know, that all of us do drink. The illusion is nicer to maintain. 

Anyhoo. Around four days after the can mysteriously appeared on the dad’s table, causing plenty of hushed up conversations and discussions, one morning it vanished again. The discarded, empty, crushed up can was found in the trash bin that morning. Who drank it? It’s still a mystery.

The non-mystery mystery kinds, of course.

¹Matthew 18:6 If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

²Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Kula

There is a Bible verse¹ that says a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. I think people are very well versed in this. Even if they didn't know it was in the Bible. Because it’s very basic social survival skills, I realise as I navigate adulthood. If you aren’t familiar with this and/or aren’t good at it, you don’t get very far at all. Raw skills and education can really only take you so far.

In Sociology, we learned about Kula Rings as practiced by the Trobriand Islanders in Polynesia, observed and studied by Bronislaw Manilowski. Very interesting. I forget the details. It’s not that important anymore outside of college. But the basic principles have remained impressed in my head. 

Gift-giving.

The Trobrianders exchange gifts symbolically and make a big deal out of it. The ritual gifts itself are mostly cowrie shells; not that big a deal at face value and in themselves, possibly not worth anything in the vicinity of the soap-sized rubies Nita Ambani wore as a necklace for the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. But what these jewelry and the gifting of them symbolize has ensured the goodwill and tradition, culture and rituals of these Polynesian tribes for I don’t even know how long.

It's such a subtle but powerful art. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. You give something, you get something. It is very hard to not return something else in kind, of commensurate value, when people have gifted you something. If you, the recipient, does not know enough to return the favour, you’re rather uncouth. No wonder Proverbs already talked about this. Bribes, sure, but in kinder words, it also said ‘a gift given in secret soothes anger’. Which is very true. 

But I guess we also find people who look at gift horses in the mouth. Or bite the hands that feed it. Very ungrateful. And ultimately, stupid. Borderline insane, I’d say. You can’t be very wise if you don’t weigh out consequences to actions. But I guess in life, too many adults are penny wise, but pound foolish. This way, many people have won battles but lost entire wars. And they don’t even know it.

I’m rather amused at the amount of clichés I’ve used in this blog. But they just came to me. And it would have been a waste to not use them. Recent events really have got me to think about all these actions and consequences. I have also ended up procrastinating on a number of things. Eh. I guess I’ll burn those bridges when I get to them; after all, at this point it’s all just spilled milk under the bridge. No?

¹Proverbs 21:14 - A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

Old School Wealth

Shania Twain knows how to be rich. I'm thinking these days that the older gen celebrities (the un-problematic ones) really were the ones who knew how to be rich, really. None of these “I am so relatable” shit. For them, it seemed to be: buy a mansion off the grid, dress in fabulously rich clothes, get a flying pony and just be inaccessible. Come catch me in my gold-plated mansion eating gold flakes for breakfast, you know. Honestly though: why be relatable when one is so rich? I wouldn’t be.

Shania Twain, though. The woman has property fit for royalty in Switzerland, overlooking Lake Geneva. A mansion like a castle and property big enough to ride horses all day basically. I think right now, Shania is doing a Vegas residency. She’s doing the whole pop star thing. But once the residency is over, she will return to Geneva, take off her shoes and just live off the Vegas money. That, I believe, is the way to live, man!

If I envy a rich person, I would envy her. She’s very old school glam. She’s considered one of the most humble, down-to-earth people among the Larger Than Life celebrities. I don’t think anyone would consider her “relatable” insofar as "one-of-us", though. And there is no call for it. Shania stands on a pedestal. That’s the way to be a superstar IMHO. Her “relatability” is more like royal family relatability, as in not even close to, but we both have kidneys and we also both hate Mondays and we both fell in love once, kind of a deal.

There are two things that Shania has said in her autobiography From This Moment On that has stood out for me. I’d read it way back in 2012 so the details are a little hazy for me now but I remember how she measured her poverty growing up with needing to wash her socks by hand. In India, we’d call that middle-class. She also mused about how poverty in her day forced her to eat vegetables and she grew up healthy, whereas today cheap food would be processed food and so poverty would lead to obesity. I’ve always been intrigued by this. That was good food for thought, pun intended.

They say there is no such thing as an ethical billionaire. I remember JK Rowling falling off the pedestal of billionaires because she donated so much money to charity and that’s nice. There’s Taylor Swift who’s become a billionaire recently from her songs alone and I hear a lot of donation and bonus-to-staff stories so that’s sweet too; she’s still a billionaire though. The reasoning behind the absolutist statement is that there is never a cause justifiable for any one person ever to own that big a share of the global wealth.

When you talk about absolute wealth in 2024, it is hard not to bring up the Ambani wedding. I have difficulty stringing up 2 lakh rupees and I hear their wedding invitation is worth Rs 3 lakh apiece. Nita Ambani wore an emerald necklace the size of soapbars for the pre-wedding jam that should be about 4% of Mizoram budget. I mean… damn. Apparently there’s also a 9-page dress code. Guess I wouldn’t be attending it in my jeans and sneakers. 

We look at wealth differently and spend our money differently. But I think all in all, ethics or no ethics, gaudy or classy, whatever it is, Shania Twain’s version of wealth is the way to go. Live it up! Then go back to Lake Geneva and ride a horse, watch the sunset from a sofa by a fire on your lawn, and sing a few country songs.

Oh and be pretty. I get inordinately angry at rich people who are ugly. With all the services available. Not to mention medical advances. Perhaps a topic for another day.

The Enemy

Psalms 37 says to not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong. It goes on for 40 verses on how to deal with enemies. Or more accurately how to deal with the issue of why the wicked prosper and the good suffer. A lesson in Karma, in a manner of speaking.

Very recently, I’ve found myself randomly thinking about enemies. I hope I have none. As such. In college, Tenzin would often randomly burst into the room and dramatically announce that we hate some person or the other. I’ve often “hated” random people I don’t know for her. Proxy Hate? I don’t know. It was just what our friendship demanded. I don’t mind. It never really took much out of my energy or my time.

I am older now and my thoughts on enemies have become slightly more complex. For example, I have always thought that the concept of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ was very smart. However, I have begun to reconsider. I have begun to wonder if the concept is a fundamentally flawed one that can only work in combat. That or it is a very short-term solution. You can't bandy together and ally with someone based solely on the premise of hatred and common enmity for too long. 

In war, I imagine it is a good solution. But in peace time, or for a prolonged war, the internal rot will out. And spread.

I've seen this in politics all the time. But I realise it is largely the same in other areas too. The ends really do not justify the means. That is just a pretty lie we tell ourselves to justify our corrupt deeds. Big or small. Some evils you could consider negligible, and some may even be necessary. But you can’t really call an apple an orange simply because the plot demands it. A rose by any other name and all that.

Psalms 37 would go on to say: I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. I think this is the comfort Scripture has to offer us. Which is quite nice, if you think about it. Much better than unduly worrying over why the wicked prosper and the good suffer, at any rate. Besides, the Universe sees what we don’t see. A lot of people who do us wrong are suffering in areas we wouldn’t even know to wish on them. It’s not our call to exact vengeance. All that Psalms 37 would have us do is to commit our ways to God and hope in the Lord. Basically do what is right and don’t agonize over what others are doing. As much as you can, I suppose.

I think I can try.

Funniest Heroine Story I Know

I remember one time Champhai police seized heroine. The driver of the vehicle ran away into the woods.

Now these woods are easy to get lost in. I remember one time a Minister convoy who shall remain nameless got lost in it too. I’d seen them off at 6 in the morning from the heart of Champhai. They had planned to breakfast in Khawzawl or even Saitual. At 7, the PS called me and said WTF we’re back in Champhai! I laughed in the phone because that was highly unexpected and the indignance in the voice was real. It turned out they’d taken a wrong turn, drove through a ‘non-existent’ unofficial road which had taken them straight back to Champhai from the other end of town.

So the heroine story. 

The following day after the police seized the drugs, this one couple was at their Garden and they heard some scuffle. They went to take a look and they saw two men fighting over a phone. 

One was the leader of the road construction labour team. He was holding said phone and the other unknown man was trying to wrest it off of him. And then the other labour guys saw their boss was in trouble so they all bandied together to come to his help, and piled up on top of the man. Once he was incapacitated, they got some rope and tied him up REAL NICE. And then they called the police. 

As you might have guessed, it turned out he was the heroine wallah driver. So the police took him away and booked him. It seems he'd gone off into the jungle but didn't know where to go. And he got hungry. And he saw the bossman on the phone and thought he was calling the police. Which he wasn’t, not then at least. 

So ya. I love this story. I just remembered it randomly today. Sometimes people make a nuisance of themselves and attack people for the guilt on their own heads and end up getting caught in their own web, is maybe the takeaway. And I think people who want to make money from other people’s misfortune will always get what’s coming to them. Karma is funny like that.

Cat-holic

Atu once laughed at me and accused me of having this parasocial relationship with Taylor Swift.

I was thinking about it this morning and realised that yes, she’s right, no arguments, but this is very me coded. Because when I thought about it, I already had one with almost everything else I like. My obsession with pop culture elements I am fond of should already have indicated this. Potterverse, Whoniverse, Guide-verse... I am always that obsessed fanatic. Even with food although that's perhaps a topic for another day.

Also cats. Which was why I’d started thinking about this. I was just watching my cat bathe herself and said: Nix is such a nice wonderful person. And my family is just as bad. Feli was like: she can even travel and shift homes. Then Lee chimed in with: yes, she's shifted homes thrice, yet she knows where to go home to, she's so wise and capable of change. And Nix was just sitting there, bathing herself.

Which reminded me of the other night, again Nix was just sleeping and most of my family was just looking at her and going: Nix is super bitchy, she doesn't tolerate others, she doesn't make friends. And it's just the funniest thing because literally all the cat was doing was sleeping.

Meanwhile, the humans around her are just creating this whole delulu life where she is sometimes wise beyond her cat-abilities, yet sometimes she is dumb as a rock, sometimes she is kind and gentle and sweet, sometimes she is mean and jugdmental... and all the cat does is live her life!!! She sleeps, eats her body weight in food, bathes, demands random un-understandable shit in cat language and sleeps. We've created this entire world we share with her and the cat is just... a cat! This realisation has got me laughing.

The fact that I have a parasocial cultic relationship with Taylor should therefore not be surprising because I do that shit even with my cat, fecking.

Atu has always said the both of us are easy prey for cults. She’d say: I don’t know why one of them hasn't recruited us yet since we are easy pickins. She’s right, too. We’d be easy to recruit. Even in Christian denominations, my sisters and I have always said that we'd have made such great Catholics – all those rites and rituals and burning candles, we'd have been so into that whole thing. It’s just a pity we weren’t born into one. In fact, us sisters and Atu included could have been open to some witchcraft religion too, had the opportunity presented itself to us. I don't think we'd be in those satanic deity cults because you know, born into Presbyterian/Baptist church and all that. To say the least, we’d be too self-conscious. But ya, witchcraft like mix the herbs, make moonwater, light the incense sticks, dance in the moonlight, read tarot cards, observe summer solstice... whoo, I'd be into that! 

As it is, even when I only attend Sunday Schools while close to everyone else in Mizoram seems to attend church at least 4x a week, I am truly concerned about attending certain services with extra rituals in it such as Maundy Thursday Communion, Christmas and Good Friday/Easter services, Year-End service with Commemoration for the dead… I hardly ever miss those.

Also with Nix, she is very close to us, her humans. But she’s also fiercely independent. And she hates water so I’ve bathed her exactly once in her life; she was so angry none of us have ever dared to again. Unlike our other cats who take water baths about once a fortnight. Nix has also been put in a box three times in her life to change homes. All three times, Eli was the one who put her there and carried her. So she associates boxes and being trapped with Eli; she never lets Eli touch her. And we think this is why she bullies Eli’s dog, the honorary cat Snowy. See how easy I venture into my world of delulu world-building where Nix is almost human, the way we talk about her.

Like I said, Cat-holic.