Myths, Legends and Folklore of the ‘Seven Sisters’ of North East India: Mizoram

Mizoram lies in the southernmost outpost of North Eastern India, the land of the Blue Mountains. Evergreen ranges of Mizoram hills boasts of blooming exotic flora and dense bamboo jungles. Gushing rivers and sparkling waterfalls criss-cross these hills and its plunging gorges. The Phawngpui or ‘The Blue Mountain’ is one of the highest peaks.

Do you know why Mizo houses are built on stilts?

Once upon a time, a heavenly creature swallowed the moon and the whole earth was plunged into darkness. Chaos reigned. Goddess Khuazingnu was worried about the future of creation. To protect them, she put a couple from each human clan and representatives of each species of animals into a pit and sealed it with a huge rock called the Chhinlung.

Some generations later, the goddess opened the mouth of the pit. Droves of humans emerged and she closed the Chhinlung for she reasoned there were enough people on earth. Among the people who emerged was a powerful man named Thlanrawkpa. He was named king and to celebrate he planned to host a feast, later to be known as the Thlanrawkpa Khuangchawi.

He, however, forgot to invite his father-in-law, Sabereka, who was furious and caused thunderstorms that washed away all the earth of the village, leaving behind only rock. The legendary rain is said to be why a traditional Mizo house is built on stilts, to avoid such calamities.

Source: Paper titled Myth & The Mizo World View, presented by Lalnunziri Chhangte at the International Seminar on History of Religions.

Dead body warms up, burial delayed

AIZAWL, Dec 22 – A 24-year-old man was buried here yesterday even as he was declared dead on the early morning of Thursday due to the fact that his body remained warm and the relatives were afraid that he might be buried alive.

Lalrinchhana was declared dead at 4.15 am on Thursday due to brain haemorrhage and was scheduled to be buried at 2 pm the same day. Relatives of the deceased person said that the body began to become warm again after the rigor mortis was over and was not buried that day.

The time of burial was again fixed at 12 noon yesterday, but the warmth in the body compelled the bereaved family to abandon the plan again even as doctors confirmed again that he was clinically dead. However, his body was finally buried at Zarkawt cemetery today attended by many people.

119 die in Malaria attack this year in Mizoram

Aizawl, Dec 17 (PTI) An estimated 119 people died in Malaria outbreak in Mizoram between January and October this year as the disease turned out to be the biggest killer, state health department officials said today.

The increase in number of deaths is due to the fact that malaria patients approached the hospitals and health centres too late, they said.

Those who died were without any medical treatment for at least four days or more and the average hospitalisation period was just two and half days, the officials said.

State vector-borne diseases control sources said that out of 1,51,631 blood samples tested, 8,426 people were found to be infected with the mosquito-borne disease.

Violence against women shameful act: Mizo CM

AIZAWL, Dec 12 – “Violence against the fair sex is a shameful act no matter how advanced we may be,” said Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla here on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a ‘Fortnightly Campaign on Violence Against Women cum North East Regional Level Consultation on Gender Violence’ organised jointly by Association of Theologically Trained Women of India, Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan Core Committee and Centre for Peace and Development.

Lal Thanhawla rued that though the people in our country have gained vast knowledge in all fronts but we have miserably failed to preventviolence against women especially in the mainstream India where numerous cases have been registered.

“Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had rightly called that among violence in human beings, violence against women is extremely a shameful act. Even Amnesty International also protests and condems violence against women,” said Lal Thanhawla.

Urging journalists to be careful while reporting such cases, the Chief Minister asked them not to cross ethics of journalism. He claimed that incidents ofviolence on women is much less in Mizoram as compared to other States. This is because Mizos share one language, one religion and above that caste and dowry problems are absent.

A participant at the programme lamented that there are laws to prevent violence against women, there are police pertsonnel to keep a check on these events and there are seminars and symposiums to analyse the matter and make recommendations. However, on ground level nothing seems to be working.

Lal Thanhawla govt completes one year

Aizawl, Dec 11 : The Congress government in Mizoram led by Lal Thanhawla today completed one year as the chief minister announced that his government has the courage to make the dreams of the people come true.

At a dinner function held at the Chief Minister's official residence, Lal Thanhawla said larger state annual plan outlay would be utilised to implement the New Land Use Policy (NLUP), the flagship programme of his government to uplift the poor and revive the state economy.

NLUP would replace jhum cultivation in the state and lead the rural people towards permanent and more productive system, of farming, he said.

The chief minister, who also holds Power portfolio, said his government has revived the 60-MW Tuirial Hydro Power Project, abandoned by the Mizo National Front (MNF) government and had also begun the construction of 460-MW Kolodyne Hydel Project which is being implemented by NTPC

Centre cautions Mizo Govt on Bru issue

NEW DELHI, Dec 11 – Reports of attack on Brus (Reangs) in Mizoram has led the Ministry of Home Affairs to caution the State Government to take steps to contain violence and restore normalcy.

Mizoram Government has been advised separately to instil confidence among the Bru families living in Mizoram and to persuade those families who have fled to Tripura to return, said Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ramachandran.

The Centre, however, denied reports of Bru families fleeing to Tripura. Tension escalated after a Mizo youth was shot dead on November 13 by suspected Bru militants on Mizoram-Tripura. Some Bru huts were also burnt in Mizoram.

1 convicted of Dhaula Kuan rape

New Delhi: Justice, though partially, has finally been done to a 20-year-old Mizoram girl who was abducted and raped by four men in a moving vehicle in 2005.

A Delhi court on Tuesday found Ajit Singh Katiyar, a taxi driver, guilty of abducting and raping the DU student. The Delhi police could arrest only one of the four accused; the remaining three have been declared offenders. The quantum of punishment will be announced on December 10.

The incident at Dhaula Kuan early on May 8, 2005, had shaken the Capital. The girl and her friend were returning after buying eateries when she was abducted. The girl was raped for hours before being dumped near a gurudwara. This was one of the first incidents of young girls being abducted and raped in moving vehicles. Delhi registered over 600 such cases in 2005.

The Delhi police nabbed Katiyar almost five days after the incident. The victim identified him during an identification parade in Tihar Jail.Katiyar's lawyer Manoj Sharma said he will challenge the judgment in high court.

Mizoram to implement sixth pay panel recommendations

Aizawl, Dec 3 (PTI) The Mizoram government has decided to implement the recommendations of the sixth pay commission, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said today.

Lal Thanhawla, who also holds the finance portfolio, said that the recommendations will be implemented with retrospective effect from January one, 2006.

"In order to sort out possible anomalies in groupings of state government employees, a high level committee, headed by Minister H Liansailova, has been constituted," he told a press conference.

C Lasawta, state finance commissioner, who accompanied the chief minister in the press conference, said there will be an additional expenditure of Rs 151 crore for meeting the arrears and another additional expenditure of Rs 68.7 crore during the current fiscal.