Lessons Of A Lifetime

The very first vision of Mizoram that greets you through your aeroplane window is of endless greenery, thick forests and hills enveloped in mist. The lush green valley takes your breath away. After you land at Lengpui Airport, which is the domestic Airport of Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram...you are transported into an era gone by of the old airport structures that you get to see only once in a while as most new airports are all glass and steel and mammoth concrete structures.

The luggage arrives at its own pace...no one seems to be in a hurry...visitors in the overhead gallery wave cheerily at the new arrivals, there is a calmness in the air that makes you pause and take a deep, long breath as you let go of your fast-paced life back home and prepare yourself for happy days ahead. Wonderful surprises and treasured moments awaited us at every corner but we had no idea of that as yet.

It takes about an hour to reach Aizawl...the drive is hilly with sharp bends and turns...the roads narrow with patches of rocky terrain and a rather long section that had seen a recent landslide. Since it is located on a ridge, you get glimpses of Aizawl through the twists and turns of the road. We cross an old army bridge, over fast-flowing water deep in the gorges. Tin-roofed homes, some on stilts are spotted and every now and you see the local farmers selling their produce, which is on display on the road-side. It is mostly vegetables, fruits and smoked and dried pork and fish. Banana plantations, rice fields and bamboo growing wild are a common sight. Local wines are also available in tiny shops lining the roads. Even though liquor prohibition has been lifted, it is yet to come into effect so the local wine is the only form of liquor that is freely available.

As you get closer into town, it is quite evident that the Government has neglected this part of the country in terms of development and rehabilitation. After speaking to the locals, you realise that the civil administration is to blame as well.

But yet the town is beautiful with its own charm and bustling with activity. Steep lanes lead up to quaint homes and such beautifully mystifying churches that radiate peace and solemnity. But it is apparent that houses and buildings are jostling for space. Hospitals and schools are seen clamped up in residential areas and definitely need to be in more accessible and open areas.

There is not much greenery around the town area and there are no open spaces for children to play. But on the outskirts, football fields are seen nineteen to a dozen.

Everyone is very passionate about this game and graffiti on walls displays all the logos and colours of the local football clubs. Footballers are the local heroes here.

What really took my breath away was the cleanliness, with not a speck of dirt around. For the first time I saw hillsides full of vegetation - flora and fauna thriving abundantly and that is how it should be and not cluttered by garbage and litter which is so common when you drive through Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. No one litters the streets and garbage is collected and disposed off in an organized manner. Trash cans are spotted everywhere and these are used. Everyone takes pride in keeping their area clean. Street cleaners conduct their task with zeal and passion. I didn’t come across anyone spitting or relieving themselves on the roadsides. What a welcome change indeed!

Since the roads and lanes are narrow, traffic jams are a common sight. But no one honks or loses their temper. People patiently wait for the traffic to clear or move. There is no ‘road rage’ that is so common in North India. And the icing on the cake is that the traffic stops for pedestrians who wish to cross the road. You have to just put your palm up and traffic comes to a halt and makes way for you to cross, without any worries. This, my dear friends is what is called a ‘civil’ society. Try doing this in Delhi and you will get run over in seconds. It is so wonderful to hear music playing at every nook... it is delightfully heart-warming to see musicians singing and jamming together.

To be in a place that was nearly crime free...where people trust one another...homes that are not locked and double-locked, where it is safe for women to be out at night and even get into a taxi without a blink, at odd hours of the night was an overwhelming experience. Why is it that the rest of India cannot learn from them and co-exist in the same manner? It was a pleasure to be with people that were courteous, outgoing, friendly and happy. Such a drastic change from what we see in our daily lives here. And if you think about it, it really is not difficult to emulate the same.

I need to specially mention here that there is no class discrimination existing in this place. Everyone is treated as an equal and whether it is your help or a driver...everyone eats together. This says a lot about the people and highlights the fact that literacy plays a key role in positive thinking and development.

People here are kind to animals. There are orphanages at every bend...caring for the underprivileged, the old, and the hapless souls. There are no beggars on the streets as the church and the society take care of their needy. Like a breath of fresh air, we were swept into a ‘good, clean world’ and came back rejuvenated and I am pretty sure, better human beings.