I'm Indian* but...

*condition apply

So the Honourable Chief Minister of Mizoram, Mr. Lal Thanhawla wanted all Mizos to accept their Indian nationality, or lose their ration card...humph thank God I got no ration card!!! (http://www.sinlung.com/2011/08/mizos-should-accept-they-are-indians.html)

But, you know, dear Chief Minister, that sucks because even after living almost a decade in the National capital of India, I'm still not accepted as an Indian.  And as a matter of fact, I really don't care it either.  I'm tired of being an unaccepted and unacknowledged Indian national. By the way I've long given up complaining, whining and explaining the geography of India that almost 90% of Indian are guaranteed not to know, and in trying to cope with the plain and unabashed racism and discrimination I have faced because of that ignorance. My blog is a tastemant to that fact.

Anyway, what option do we really have? We want it or not, we are Indian, and we are the new untouchable Indian who have faced all sorts of discrimination in our so called country, which made us, people like me, a disgruntled lot.  May be you didn't know how it feels to be a part of a group that doesn't want you. Perhaps you may blame us for us not willing to be called Indian. Perhaps it's time that we arrange some sort of agreement as to what we should be called. May be, a different kind of Indian, perhaps yellow Indian? But no matter what,  no one, none who should, will acknowledge our claim. 

Anyway, tell me, dear Chief Minister, how can a peacock be a crow when its feather are glittering like gems or is it the other way round - that the crow is as black as a coal.  What difference does it make, a crow will never be a peacock, nor a peacock become a crow.  It simply doesn't add up.

Perhaps you can teach the Indian govt. what and how, you and your family did to make your young wife feel comfortable and at-home just after you got married, and she entered your family home for the first time.  It's too many decades late now to be treated as a new bride, but may be, just may be, it still can make some difference, if India, for once, treated us as it's own. 

After so many years, if some sections of the Mizos, and other tribal communities in the north-east doesn't feel at home in India, and are not comfortable with the 'Indian' tag, it's hardly their fault.  After all, their claim of being a free and sovereign people before being seceded into India is not a hoax or myth, and you know as well as me, that....is for a fact!!! 

So, dear Chief Minister, what say you????

An Overview of Churachandpur District Census Data 2011

Churachandpur belongs to us, isn't it? Anyway that's where we live, and that's the one place that concerns us mostly. Here is a quick overview of census 2011 for Churachandpur district and a bit of an analysis.

Population Density and Decadal Growth

Here is no big change, smaller district are gaining population which is a rather good sign in the sense that urban migration is not as rampant as supposed to be.

Literacy Rates and Literacy Gap between Male and Female

Here is a reason to celebrate (even though it’s not good enough). The literacy gap between Male and Female continued to be the lowest in our district. Even though we lag behind Imphal West in term of overall literacy rate, it seems our women have better access to education. (But this is also dependant on many factors, like the numbers of illiterate ageing population, statistical outliers, etc). By the way, the national/country gap is 16.68% which means two districts in our state is worst than the country percentage.

Sex Ratio

The country sex ratio is 940, Churachandpur’s is 944. We are a little better off than the country in our discrimination towards the girl child. Overall, in the state we ranked no. 5 which is an improvement from the last census where we ranked no. 7. (I always though we as a Christian will be more welcoming to a girl child than the Hindus in the plain area). But no doubt, our preference and the importance we attached to a male child is undeniable.

But there seems to be a little improvement among the present 0 – 6 years even thought they will not make much of a statistical difference in the next census.

The above table is based only among children belonging to age 6 and below (who are not included in literacy counts). If this is the trend for the future, than the sex ratio of Manipur is done for, however, the comfort is that, the above children will only contribute to the existing rate, and they will not be counted as separate, apart from that, we have a good nine years to correct the wrongs.

Huihui let’s make room for the girls. We are Christian, we are Zomi, we are proud of our women and their achievement, and we love bragging about how independent our women are.  But we are not as good as we thought we are and apparently, we don’t love our women enough!

Why I Don't Support Anna Hazare

My friend often asked me if I have been to the Ramlila Ground to support Anna.  Sometime I told them I can't manage the time, and some time I just told them I choose not to be there.

The truth is, I love Anna Hazare, and admire his courage. I hate corruption as much as he does, and as much as you.  I want the Lokpal Bill, and I want the Prime Minister's Office to come under it, and I want it to be implemented immediately....so basically I agreed with Mr. Hazare in every sphere....

But Anna lost the supporter in me when he said 'my Lokpal, or no lokpal'!  That's it...that is the major reason why I am not out on the street supporting the man I so admired - Anna Hazare!

Besides, his authoritarian views on justice including his support for capital punishment and his alleged support for forced vasectomies as a method of family planning horrified me.

I'm a child of democracy, and I'm a child of freedom! As much as I believe in my freedom, I also believe in the freedom of other.  I have seen war, I have seen anarchy taking over democracy, and I don't like either of it. 

I believe the constitution is supreme, that my fundamental rights are fundamental, and that democracy is too precious to be used as a play thing.  

I 'hate' people who undermine democracy and freedom, I 'despise' them as much as corruption.  Anna Hazare just made to my list...

I don't support someone who 'ransomed' a democratically elected government, a government who have the country's mandate!  I personally went to vote for this Government, and it hurts me to see that my Vote and fundamental right is being ransomed by a group of people....

No matter what their cause and reasons are, no matter my disappointment with the present government....I don't like being ransomed and hijacked!  No matter what the end is, the mean is most important to me! 

And, I still consider democracy and freedom as my fundamental right.  I wouldn't let anyone tell me otherwise.

Thank You!

The Last Song

I still must have run about butt-naked for all that I care, but that was a long time ago. It was the time when my grandmother was still alive and told me tales of the wondrous days of her youth. I can swear she did sing me a few songs when she'd find it hard to describe but for the life of me, I didn't remember a single word of the songs or what it was all about. But that was not the last time I heard those songs.

Now almost 20 years later, I’m scouring the internet for one of those songs (don't you wanna frown at the irony here -learning/looking for our traditional song in the internet!) for reason which I should have foreseen and which people have every right to expect of me.

See my sister who studies in Norway called me about her peculiar problem. "I have the perfect dresses (traditional) but what am I suppose to do about the traditional song or dance" she moaned. For all that I care she can sing one of those Lengtong Pauno's, but it did bug me that I myself didn't know a single line of those song, which people identified with me as my traditional song.

I remember, as a kid, our yearly sojourn to either one or the other of our aunts' village during the harvest festival. my parents would hardly approve of us going for the simple reason that there were free flow of alcohol but not wanting to offend any of the aunts, they would sent us packing without them hardly ever accompanying us. As the youngest in my family, I do feel lonesome, but anticipating for the festival in itself was a treat!

I remember, seeing men and women, young and mostly old, sitting around the hearth, or dancing along in circle in the big porch or court-yard, and throwing those songs at each other in anticipation of a reply. The reply did come every time and the song and dance would continue - the beat of the drums and the shrill but melodious voices mesmerizing the quaintly dead night in to a full bright morning.

Then I remember listening to, as a kid, the Smokies and the Eagles, the McKameys, etc, and while growing up came the Back-street Boys, MLTR, the Gaither Homecoming Friends, Avril Lavigne, Leeland, Sugarland, et al. They have entertained me and mesmerized me like any songs is suppose to do... And if I needed to express myself, I got a diary and a blog to express myself! I don’t need to twist and reverse words and sing it in monotone to express anything!

See I never needed the song! Am I still who I am since I didn't know and can't sing any of those so called 'traditional' song? A man without a leg is still a man, right? But then why do I write all this stuff about a stupid song if I don’t so much as care about it? Or is it really that stupid? And don’t I care?

But the truth is, I do care and it bugs me that I don't know any of those songs and can't sing even a single line. It is like a little stain in your favourite white shirt that people hardly notice but spoiled the cloth for you!  Every time you looked at the cloth, you see the big (actually tiny-little) stain!

So for the sake of me, I downloaded those songs and practiced a few of them. I have never got the chance to sing or show-off. And when I do sing it, will it be the last song? I have this idea of force feeding my children (when I have them) with these songs. But how long will the song survives -especially when it is faced against the like of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber?

The honest truth is, those traditional songs are dying... we can accept that fact or make plans to revive them by singing them in our daily life, in our churches, and re-packaging them in a different avatar! But then, that's not case now.

Another truth is, we had more advance and stylist way to express our feelings and emotions, we no longer need to sing each other a song... we just make a simple phone call. Those songs were supposed to be expressed and came from the heart only and are very special - just like my diary.

The final truth is - the last song had been sung and we don't know when! Another song will not be sung again simply because we don't know how to!