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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Chp 166. Shakedown at Lengpui Airport

Landed in Aizawl yesterday, weary and dazed,
After 11 months in Delhi, filled with magic.
Flew past myriad lumbering gigantic clouds
A view guaranteed, to take your breath away;
And into the valley of mist and gorges
where Lengpui airport suddenly appears in sight

Took two steps outside the rickety ‘ol plane
And smelled the cool air so clear and crispy -
A mixture of summer and winter aroma
Both battling for domination, the latter succumbing.
And also a whiff of flimsy smoke and haze,
produced by the farms which were burnt for yield.

Was stopped by the cops, near the terminal exit.
“What’s in your bag?” they inquired menacingly.
“Books, clothes and computer,” I meekly replied.
One officer poked my bag with his stick,
while the other studied my face and height (!)
“Open it!” they commanded eventually.

As I fumbled for my keys and dignity,
I felt relieved in many ways.
Sure glad I’ve quit drinking my life away,
for there ain’t no booze in my bag.
Sure glad yesterday was a “dry day” in Delhi
for I couldn’t bring home booze for my friends.

After a futile search, they apologized,
and explained why they had to search me.
My bags were large, unusually very large,
as I took with me, all I had from Delhi.
They weren’t searching for alcohol or drugs,
they just thought that I was a “sumdawng”!

As I left the cops, all smiley and friendly,
I realized how ridiculous this seemed to me.
Mizoram, a state where alcohol is illegal,
Yet with a porous source of supply at the airport.
And when the cops do check your bags there,
They check for shoes and clothes, not booze!
----



Footnotes for my non-Mizo readers:

Sumdawng = An entrepreneur who usually buys the goods (clothes, shoes, accessories etc) himself/herself from other markets at a low rate and then carries the goods with him/her back to Mizoram so that he/she can sell it there with a large profit margin. They cut out the middlemen in the supply chain for profit maximization, à la “American Gangster” movie.

This however, is not allowed because they have to pay taxes for such goods entering Mizoram, which they shrewdly avoid by claiming the goods to be of personal belonging or asking other passengers with lesser luggage to carry the goods for them, until they get past the custom and tax officers.

Dry day - 2nd March, Sunday, 2008 – The day before I left Delhi was a “dry-day” (all wine-shops in Delhi NCR closed) due to some Punjabi festival.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

WilliAM: u r sooo damn lucky u hav a chance 2 go home...i miss home more dan ever...the best place in India.. seeing u goin home so gladly makes me feel more n more home sick... saalaa... nuam i han ti ltk ange... i no k nei si lova ngtin nge k rn biak poh ng ce.... k thil thon ce kha .... ilo chhuk hunah kuhva hring rn hon treuh ng che....heheehhe..... cuan..... kn dor ah khan han leng ngei2 ng che..dorpui 99 dor ah khan.. hongkong market alo inti kuau ng....... i ngaihom dn ngei mai... Mizo's greatest blogger ... njoi ur time there in paradise

Hmai said...

bleh bleh,min ngai lo ltk.... ka bang!!!

Mizohican said...

@ William: Miss Delhi too. Life here is so much... slower and peaceful. Will give your stuff to your mom as soon as I have the chance to go out. Very busy at home right now taking care of business.

@ Hmai: Mi ngaih leh tilmu tuboh a chhut bur hi a lo in ang deuh a nih hi. A na vawng vawng khawp mai :-(

Calliopia said...

Dear Kimberley, welcome back to Mizoram, land of peace and tranquility, otherwise described in a certain Fagey's parlance as "boring". What's with the poetry-spoutin' zin report btw? Are we trying to earn brownie points off a certain new lady acquaintance? :P Now before you blow your top, see what happens when you drop all the childish rhyming stuff? A passably readable, contemporary-looking poem :D

PS I tehkhin thu "mi ngaih leh tilmu tuboh a chhut bur" hi a chhe lo ee haha

Awzzman said...

hahah "sumdawng" rin hleh kai a i han awm nghal ri ngawt chu....:-( enjoi ur stay.

Almostunreal said...

thleng tluang maw? good..give my regards to everyone..miss home

Sekibuhchhuak said...

Hmm..Bro..engnge hawn chhan ber? :DD.
Hmaniah kan veng ah i leng a ni maww..?:PP..ehem..:DD

By the way,Hmanni ka hawn kha chuan ka chuanpui te khan sap zu an hawn teuh mai a,an check lo re re a mak ka ti ltk.Vairengteah an si-trick viau sia..

einch..lungleng ve ve...:))an leng awm mai mai vee..keichu a leng vak louh:)

Malsawmi Jacob said...

This is a good piece, man. It makes me homesick for Zoram, despite the crazy cops.

thinchhia said...

i vak vak vak ringawt mai, MPS ah i rawn zuang ve don em?
Keichu 3ft ka zuan khumthei leussss

Anonymous said...

Yeah! as calliopa pointed out, what's with all this poetry 'crap' that you've been up to?
Write it down, it's much easier to read. It sounds like a 10th grader 'learning' to write a poem! :P

vana said...

welcome home dude, amak vak love, aizawl ah hian mak tih vak tur poh om toh love.

Lal Jo-a said...

A va reh e, hepa chu. :D

Banno said...

Could smell the air, not only of Mizoram, but home. So, have you moved out of Delhi, or is it a holiday?

DayDreamBeliever said...

hmmm...good to have you back home. Kam pu te in awm hian kan phuisui thin. The analogy about loneliness and "tilmu tuboh a chhut" was a bit too much for me...am still wincing! Hope you enjoy your stay...and hope your "mission" is accomplished!

Tharax said...

Thu chauh ni lovin "hla chham mi" lampang pawh i lo tihtheih hmel viau hi maw pu-a chu...

Anonymous said...

What's the punishment, say you got caught carrying a bottle of whiskey?
p.s plis update the current EPL position :P

Mizohican said...

Hello hello :-)

Just reached Mumbai yesterday. I'm so sorry I couldn't reply to any of the lovely comments in Mizoram because I don't have a Net connection in my new room. Plus I was tied up with a lot of work back home.

@ callopia: Was great meeting up with all you guys. Had a lovely time in Mizoram. Thanx for the compliment.

@ awzzman: Hahaha! Nia thil hawn hnem loh tur a lo nih hi. Good lesson :-)

@ almost: Showed you "music video" to hriatpuia and the rest of the guys here. They absolutely loved you! *BIG GRIN*

@ seki: Ka va leng thu pawh kan nu ai in i hre hmasa zel tawh sia, a diklo dawn tlats. hehehehe. i lungleng tur zia hi ka mitthla ah a rawn lang zuai a, ka nui nasa thei khawp mai. i lu kawlh tawh tawk (style vanga kawlh chu ni si lo) kha in hiat hrut hrut a nga, thu sawp in, tlang ler ah... "ka di ka diiii" i ti ngawih ngawih lai ka hmu thei... lolzzzz

@ mesjay: Poetry bridges the gap. That is how we becomes closer and closer to something we really miss.

Mizohican said...

@ thinchhia: Haha! ka thiante an tla hnem lutuk 800M ah khan. Mahse keichu ka apply ve lova. Awww i lo tel ve tih hria i la chu ka rawn en tur che a nia. A va pawi e awwww.

@ nohiddendepth: My dear Jimmy, childish rhyming? You mean something like this?

There once was a Mizo called Jimmy,
All his friends called him dummy,
Last week he went and visited Champhai,
where the local booze made him high;
Now, one champhai nula will be a mummy.

:-) When you coming back from Champhai? I'll be back in Aizawl on the 12th. Hoping to see you then.

@ vana: Ni e, a mak vak lo ve. i haw hma pawh kha mak ka ti lo ve. Keini min kalsan daih pawh kha mak ka ti lo ve. Naute laka mark tih that lutuk i tum pawh kha mak ka ti lo ve *WIDE EVIL GRIN*

@ joseph: Ka rawn reh tawh lo chiah e :-)

@ banno: Well I am in Mumbai now. My plans are unsure as of now, so I cannot say whether it is vacation or a permanent move. Lets see what the winds of change bring... :-) Thanx for you visit.

@ daydream: Mission accomplished of course. But there are certain more hurdles to jump over. Mumbai is great down here. A bit humid but happening and alive :-)

@ tharax: Thil chham lam chu ka tih chi a ni lo. Ka "ril" ve tawk lova... :-(

@ Anon: Have no idea what's the punishment as I have never got caught... I mean, never taken booze home *GRIN*.

But some of my friends say the cops don't do anything if it is just one or two bottle for personal comsumption. But if there are lots (which they interpret as someone trying to sell the bottles) then I guess they will confiscate everything and your video will appear in the evening LPS news :-)

Sorry about the update at EPL score. I came online now only after a break of more than three weeks. Will update it by tonight.

skitxofrennick said...

when is the next update??

Vanchhawng said...

loving^^angel Lalhmangaih(hmai)Kima inpa chu senoryta_bonyta nen kan lo khawihchhe ta mai a...i bleh nasa pawh ka thiam ltk che...keimahni min hmangaih zawk anih hmel khawp mai. Kima tak2 in a..i chhuk leh don hunah min lo tlawh la Lalhmangaihi kuhva thawn a ngai a...chu lo chu a den thei em mai..

William Otaku said...

Bro.. when is chapter 167 coming up, it has been so long since the last update... :) ... btw, how is mumbai... any sikkim *** over there .. :D hehe....

Mizohican said...

@ skitzo: I don't have internet access at home here in Mumbai, but will definitely come up with updates once I get back to Mizoram.

@ William: Chapter 167 will be out soon. :-) And sorry but no sikkim rum here. Hehe. Mumbai doesn't even have Wills Flake cigarettes! I smoke Four Square here.

@ virgine_gal: lolz, nia kuhva i thawn loh chuan, a rawn world war III nghal ang che :-) Ka rawn haw leh hunah kan in kawm dawn nia auh. Chuan Hmai kan rel ho dawn nia... nuam dawn lutuk :-)

Carey Suante said...

Its amazing how long you can stay away from your blog when everyone else like me visit so often!!!

Please next post please! By public demand!!!

Mizohican said...

Yes sir, updating in progress :-)