Does being rebellious mean that one must rebel about anything?
Well believe me, I have no intention of speaking out against our Bangalore Mizo community, but I really could not let this one pass.
Last nite we had our first Mizo culturals after a gap of 4 years. It was conducted by the MSA (Mizo Students Association) and not the BMA (Bangalore Mizo Association) as most Mizos perceive it to be.
Check out http://www.bangaloremizo.org the people there claimed the function was a big success. From my point of view, all I can say is huh???
Let us just backtrack a bit and look at the entire building up process of this event. According to a certain unnamed source (who may or may not be reliable), the MSA was formed a couple of months ago after some of the students protested that the BMA is not doing enough for the Mizo students (There is a huge Mizo population in the employment sector) and that with the number of Mizos in Bangalore reaching close to a thousand or more, they felt that the BMA alone cannot look after everyone. Hence a new association specially dedicated to the students was created. Ofcourse it will never be as powerful as the DMZP (Delhi Mizo Zirlai Pawl) but atleast it is a good initiative.
Many BMA and BMCF (Bangalore Mizo Christian Fellowship) officials objected to this but anyway the notion was passed and a new Organization was formed. And to gain publicity and recognition, MSA decided to conduct a Mizo Nite here in Bangalore. But it wasn’t politically correct to call it a “Mizo Nite” so it was changed to “Chapchar Kut”. Chapchar Kut is a harvest festival of my State, similar to Onam and Pongal, which is celebrated with much pomp and gaiety back home.
So, various students all over Bangalore started practicing and preparing for this grand event. Bangalore is lucky to have a couple of celebrities like pop singer Mami Varte and gospel singers Nunu-i and Zorina Pautu studying here, who are extremely famous all over Mizoram (and maybe the North-east). And apart from that, there are also many amazing guitarists playing for various bands in Bangalore. And to top all these, Michael M.Sailo, the hottest rap artist in North-east was invited as a celebrity guest.
A couple of my frens were really busy with the publicity, going from one part of town to the other with posters and tickets. I was also assigned 10 tickets to sell to my IIM frens. But unfortunately, only Amol, Tommy, Anand, Nitya and Anita could make it. Monu, Shubha, Ankita, Amra etc all had one more exam on the 1st of March.
Anyway, the first sign that the function was doomed to flop was the fact that it was held on 28th of Feb 2006. A freaking weekday! Many Mizos had to take leave from their work and a couple of Mizos from Chennai, Mysore, Mandya etc who were planning to come for this occasion had to cancel it. And why was it held on a Tuesday? Because it was the only day our chief guest, Dr. R.Lalthangliana, the Hon. Minister of Education of Mizoram, could be free.
And so time came n went. 27th Feb. The eve of our function.
Phillia was participating in the fashion event and needed to go shopping. I had the car with me because the previous day I went to Church with Teii, Zorini, Saii etc followed by MSTa’s farewell party and since Amol and the rest were busy with their final exams at IIM, nobody was utilizing the car. So I went shopping with Phillia and her mom, bought earrings that will match the gown she’s going to wear (which we searched for nearly two hours! Women!), and finally dropped them back. After that I picked up Arimteii and Somteii from Lifestyle, and went to Vasant Nagar to pick up, guess who? Michael M.Sailo!
I was like his special entourage! (Actually, more like a chauffeur). I had to take him to the special dinner function at Koromangala conducted by the MSA. The other guests and all the office bearers of MSA will be there.
So I reached Vasant Nagar and Arimteii went inside to call Michael. I waited by the car like a good puppy pet. Man, when Michael came out, his first reaction was, hey where have we met before? I was like, what the fuck, he remembers me! Actually we met once on Christmas day 2005. I was in the hospital visiting my niece who was down with meningitis. Michael n his bro came and paid a visit to the Children’s ward with sweets etc and it was a brief intro. And here he was, recognizing me. How cool is that!
So I took Michael to our destination. He was a really nice guy. We talked about hiphop and Bangalore life. One thing that I have noticed: Most mizos, if they know a little bit about a certain celebrity or person, like if they have met him once or twice or talk to him, they always act as if they know that person so well, as if they grew up with that person and have been through many things together… well, I ain’t one of those people. Here sitting in my car, was Michael, a celebrity I really admire, and yet a complete stranger to me.
Anyway, when we reached our destination, the entire Ramthar Veng Cultural Troupe was already there. We had a brief introduction, get-to-know-each-other thingie, followed by a grand buffet dinner. After dinner, I dropped Michael at Forum coz he said he had to meet “somebody”. We were all curious as Hell to find out who this somebody is
And then I took Arimteii, Thaari, Shirley, Esther and Puia to the airport to welcome our honourable Chief Guest who was supposed to arrive at 10pm that night. The other guys came in a couple of bikes.
We were all waiting for him with a welcome banner, bouquet etc, when we learnt his flight was delayed! Aaargh. Just as any other normal mizo would do, we just huddled together and cracked jokes to pass time. Somebody came up with a “hur mu keh” joke which everybody used over n over again. We really had good fun. Hriatpuia and somebody got engaged in a cock-fight and people around us stared at us, after all it was 1am in the middle of the airport. LoLz.
Finally Dr. R.Lalthangliana arrived around 1:40am. We shook hands with him, had a brief moment of speech making and gratitude for waiting for him this late. And then he left in his official State car. I dropped everybody back and reached home around 2:30am. Was completely exhausted.
The next day, D-Day, woke up at 9, picked up Phillia and took her to Mami’s place. Mami Kawlhring is one of the designers who were supposed to perform that day. Since she was the senior most mizo designer in Bangalore, she had the luxury of using the hottest mizos as models. From her place, I transported Mami and her models to the event location. St.John’s Auditorium, Koromangala. And then I went to IIM to pick up my frens.
We reached the venue around 7pm. The event has just started. When we entered the hall, Mami Varte was performing. Tommy loved her voice. Who wudn’t? We found a place to sit, and I was glad everything was going on so well. Until our Chief Guest came on stage and blew up everything.
He started his speech with “Since there are only 10% non-mizos here, I will make 10% of my speech in English and the rest in Mizo”. I mean, what the *beep* was that????? He’s not only insulting my non-mizo frens and all the other non-mizos present that nite, does he also mean to imply that 90% of those present who are mizos, don’t understand English???? Yeah maybe he was trying to win the hearts of the mizos by being patriotic to the mizo language. But duh! This is Bangalore, not Mizoram. Plus many of us invited our non-mizo frens so that they can learn about our culture and traditional dances etc (and also because the MSA need to get back some amount of cash for all their expenditure). What’s the point if the medium is in mizo? And our honourable Minister spoke n spoke n spoke for nearly an hour in mizo. Amol and Tommy slept and I am sure many of the people that night, non-mizos and mizos, found it extremely boring. No offence dear Minister, but sometimes, one must adjust to the surroundings accordingly. That marathon speech of yours really put off the mood of most of the guests. Later when Mr.Sangliana came on stage, he asked the audience how many didn’t understand mizo, and nearly 50% raised their hands. So he spoke in English. See, that is exactly the reason why he is elected as an MP in Bangalore while the only place you’ll ever find recognition is in Mizoram. No offence intended.
Nunu-i and Zorina Pautu sang in Mizo. Wasn’t a great hit among the non-mizos but never-the-less it was much better than a 1 hour long speech in mizo. The Cheraw and Chawnglaizawng dances performed by the Cultural troupe kinda really made the audience sit up and watch in amazement. Sammy’s martial arts performance was a big hit among the non-mizos. Everybody was awestruck by his raw talent. The same goes to Michael M.Sailo who always managed to pump up the crowd. The greatest hit that night was the Fashion show. Three great designers, back to back, showing off their creations one after the other, using the hottest mizo girls in Bangalore as their models. Everybody just loved that. But one rotten apple is enough to spoil the whole basket. If only the speech had been shorter or in English…
During the break, my frens and I went to Tamarind and Enigma which is located just a stone’s throw away from the venue. After that, I guess I was completely pissed off for some strange reasons, and decided to go back to IIM campus with my frens. But later changed my mind coz going back from campus to home the next day seems an arduous task. I really needed some time alone that night. Personal reasons.
Thus ended our much talked about “Chapchar Kut” nite. To some people, I guess all the sacrifices they made for this event paid off, while others were disgruntled a bit. Even though there were many rooms for improvement when it comes to organizing, I guess over all it wasn’t such a bad event, considering the fact that the entire event was handled by the student community. Kudos to them, especially Nu Rini (Senior Advisor), Thamawia (President), Samuel (General Secretary), Puia (Asst GS), Arimteii (Treasurer), Shirley (Asst Treasurer), Thaari (Secy, Information n Publicity), Atea (Secy, Cultural, Games n Sports), Esther (Secy, Fund raising) and other executive members like Papari, Robert, Terence, BZi, Jennifer, JKa, David, Dana, Isaac, Mimi, Zawmpuii etc…
Hoping to see another “Chapchar Kut” next year.
Well believe me, I have no intention of speaking out against our Bangalore Mizo community, but I really could not let this one pass.
Last nite we had our first Mizo culturals after a gap of 4 years. It was conducted by the MSA (Mizo Students Association) and not the BMA (Bangalore Mizo Association) as most Mizos perceive it to be.
Check out http://www.bangaloremizo.org the people there claimed the function was a big success. From my point of view, all I can say is huh???
Let us just backtrack a bit and look at the entire building up process of this event. According to a certain unnamed source (who may or may not be reliable), the MSA was formed a couple of months ago after some of the students protested that the BMA is not doing enough for the Mizo students (There is a huge Mizo population in the employment sector) and that with the number of Mizos in Bangalore reaching close to a thousand or more, they felt that the BMA alone cannot look after everyone. Hence a new association specially dedicated to the students was created. Ofcourse it will never be as powerful as the DMZP (Delhi Mizo Zirlai Pawl) but atleast it is a good initiative.
Many BMA and BMCF (Bangalore Mizo Christian Fellowship) officials objected to this but anyway the notion was passed and a new Organization was formed. And to gain publicity and recognition, MSA decided to conduct a Mizo Nite here in Bangalore. But it wasn’t politically correct to call it a “Mizo Nite” so it was changed to “Chapchar Kut”. Chapchar Kut is a harvest festival of my State, similar to Onam and Pongal, which is celebrated with much pomp and gaiety back home.
So, various students all over Bangalore started practicing and preparing for this grand event. Bangalore is lucky to have a couple of celebrities like pop singer Mami Varte and gospel singers Nunu-i and Zorina Pautu studying here, who are extremely famous all over Mizoram (and maybe the North-east). And apart from that, there are also many amazing guitarists playing for various bands in Bangalore. And to top all these, Michael M.Sailo, the hottest rap artist in North-east was invited as a celebrity guest.
A couple of my frens were really busy with the publicity, going from one part of town to the other with posters and tickets. I was also assigned 10 tickets to sell to my IIM frens. But unfortunately, only Amol, Tommy, Anand, Nitya and Anita could make it. Monu, Shubha, Ankita, Amra etc all had one more exam on the 1st of March.
Anyway, the first sign that the function was doomed to flop was the fact that it was held on 28th of Feb 2006. A freaking weekday! Many Mizos had to take leave from their work and a couple of Mizos from Chennai, Mysore, Mandya etc who were planning to come for this occasion had to cancel it. And why was it held on a Tuesday? Because it was the only day our chief guest, Dr. R.Lalthangliana, the Hon. Minister of Education of Mizoram, could be free.
And so time came n went. 27th Feb. The eve of our function.
Phillia was participating in the fashion event and needed to go shopping. I had the car with me because the previous day I went to Church with Teii, Zorini, Saii etc followed by MSTa’s farewell party and since Amol and the rest were busy with their final exams at IIM, nobody was utilizing the car. So I went shopping with Phillia and her mom, bought earrings that will match the gown she’s going to wear (which we searched for nearly two hours! Women!), and finally dropped them back. After that I picked up Arimteii and Somteii from Lifestyle, and went to Vasant Nagar to pick up, guess who? Michael M.Sailo!
I was like his special entourage! (Actually, more like a chauffeur). I had to take him to the special dinner function at Koromangala conducted by the MSA. The other guests and all the office bearers of MSA will be there.
So I reached Vasant Nagar and Arimteii went inside to call Michael. I waited by the car like a good puppy pet. Man, when Michael came out, his first reaction was, hey where have we met before? I was like, what the fuck, he remembers me! Actually we met once on Christmas day 2005. I was in the hospital visiting my niece who was down with meningitis. Michael n his bro came and paid a visit to the Children’s ward with sweets etc and it was a brief intro. And here he was, recognizing me. How cool is that!
So I took Michael to our destination. He was a really nice guy. We talked about hiphop and Bangalore life. One thing that I have noticed: Most mizos, if they know a little bit about a certain celebrity or person, like if they have met him once or twice or talk to him, they always act as if they know that person so well, as if they grew up with that person and have been through many things together… well, I ain’t one of those people. Here sitting in my car, was Michael, a celebrity I really admire, and yet a complete stranger to me.
Anyway, when we reached our destination, the entire Ramthar Veng Cultural Troupe was already there. We had a brief introduction, get-to-know-each-other thingie, followed by a grand buffet dinner. After dinner, I dropped Michael at Forum coz he said he had to meet “somebody”. We were all curious as Hell to find out who this somebody is
And then I took Arimteii, Thaari, Shirley, Esther and Puia to the airport to welcome our honourable Chief Guest who was supposed to arrive at 10pm that night. The other guys came in a couple of bikes.We were all waiting for him with a welcome banner, bouquet etc, when we learnt his flight was delayed! Aaargh. Just as any other normal mizo would do, we just huddled together and cracked jokes to pass time. Somebody came up with a “hur mu keh” joke which everybody used over n over again. We really had good fun. Hriatpuia and somebody got engaged in a cock-fight and people around us stared at us, after all it was 1am in the middle of the airport. LoLz.
Finally Dr. R.Lalthangliana arrived around 1:40am. We shook hands with him, had a brief moment of speech making and gratitude for waiting for him this late. And then he left in his official State car. I dropped everybody back and reached home around 2:30am. Was completely exhausted.
The next day, D-Day, woke up at 9, picked up Phillia and took her to Mami’s place. Mami Kawlhring is one of the designers who were supposed to perform that day. Since she was the senior most mizo designer in Bangalore, she had the luxury of using the hottest mizos as models. From her place, I transported Mami and her models to the event location. St.John’s Auditorium, Koromangala. And then I went to IIM to pick up my frens.
We reached the venue around 7pm. The event has just started. When we entered the hall, Mami Varte was performing. Tommy loved her voice. Who wudn’t? We found a place to sit, and I was glad everything was going on so well. Until our Chief Guest came on stage and blew up everything.
He started his speech with “Since there are only 10% non-mizos here, I will make 10% of my speech in English and the rest in Mizo”. I mean, what the *beep* was that????? He’s not only insulting my non-mizo frens and all the other non-mizos present that nite, does he also mean to imply that 90% of those present who are mizos, don’t understand English???? Yeah maybe he was trying to win the hearts of the mizos by being patriotic to the mizo language. But duh! This is Bangalore, not Mizoram. Plus many of us invited our non-mizo frens so that they can learn about our culture and traditional dances etc (and also because the MSA need to get back some amount of cash for all their expenditure). What’s the point if the medium is in mizo? And our honourable Minister spoke n spoke n spoke for nearly an hour in mizo. Amol and Tommy slept and I am sure many of the people that night, non-mizos and mizos, found it extremely boring. No offence dear Minister, but sometimes, one must adjust to the surroundings accordingly. That marathon speech of yours really put off the mood of most of the guests. Later when Mr.Sangliana came on stage, he asked the audience how many didn’t understand mizo, and nearly 50% raised their hands. So he spoke in English. See, that is exactly the reason why he is elected as an MP in Bangalore while the only place you’ll ever find recognition is in Mizoram. No offence intended.
Nunu-i and Zorina Pautu sang in Mizo. Wasn’t a great hit among the non-mizos but never-the-less it was much better than a 1 hour long speech in mizo. The Cheraw and Chawnglaizawng dances performed by the Cultural troupe kinda really made the audience sit up and watch in amazement. Sammy’s martial arts performance was a big hit among the non-mizos. Everybody was awestruck by his raw talent. The same goes to Michael M.Sailo who always managed to pump up the crowd. The greatest hit that night was the Fashion show. Three great designers, back to back, showing off their creations one after the other, using the hottest mizo girls in Bangalore as their models. Everybody just loved that. But one rotten apple is enough to spoil the whole basket. If only the speech had been shorter or in English…
During the break, my frens and I went to Tamarind and Enigma which is located just a stone’s throw away from the venue. After that, I guess I was completely pissed off for some strange reasons, and decided to go back to IIM campus with my frens. But later changed my mind coz going back from campus to home the next day seems an arduous task. I really needed some time alone that night. Personal reasons.
Thus ended our much talked about “Chapchar Kut” nite. To some people, I guess all the sacrifices they made for this event paid off, while others were disgruntled a bit. Even though there were many rooms for improvement when it comes to organizing, I guess over all it wasn’t such a bad event, considering the fact that the entire event was handled by the student community. Kudos to them, especially Nu Rini (Senior Advisor), Thamawia (President), Samuel (General Secretary), Puia (Asst GS), Arimteii (Treasurer), Shirley (Asst Treasurer), Thaari (Secy, Information n Publicity), Atea (Secy, Cultural, Games n Sports), Esther (Secy, Fund raising) and other executive members like Papari, Robert, Terence, BZi, Jennifer, JKa, David, Dana, Isaac, Mimi, Zawmpuii etc…
Hoping to see another “Chapchar Kut” next year.
..and keep your fingers crossed that next year's will have a more..um.."enlightened" guest of honor ! :)
ReplyDeleteI think Michael's a cool guy. I used to 'know' him virtually before he got 'famous', we were faithful fellow quizzers on Mizoquiz, never really knew him in person though. The last time I was home for Christmas, ka ruai theh tur in a car chuan na ka tawk a, the guy actually got out of the car and said hi, I mean, how cool is that? ;)
Your Chapchar Kut sound's great and I feel that I simply must thank you for telling me that some ppl still give an hour or so long long speech, lol, dumb of me but I admire your patience
ReplyDeleteThanx , "Am I The One". Visited ur blog too. Ur FAQ is really hilarious. Damn, cant believe u read my entire blog in one sitting!
ReplyDeleteYeah I completely agree with u on ur point. There will always be a tussle between different cultures and communities because India is so diversed. Its up to us to be tolerant whenever the need arises.
@ Sundancer: *Chhaassss* :-)
ReplyDeleteThanx for commenting, Jerusha. Yup Michael is a really nice guy. He aint one of those guys with bloated ego just bcoz he's a celebrity. Ka ngai sang tawps :-)
@ almost unreal: *Chhasss* again! :-)
ReplyDeleteSup Biteii. Yeah, you should have been there that day. Man it was sheer torture. He kept on speaking n speaking n speaking n speaking... as if its a freaking political campaign. Damn....
laljerusha.. min la hria em.. i van in sawi thei ve a..
ReplyDeletehihihihi
Hets lal Amos, ka blog hi nula ck pui nan hmang ka phal lo!!!!
ReplyDeleteKima, it's an absolute pleasure reading your blog, you didn't have to thank me!!
ReplyDeleteHey Amos..la hre chiang ee, I thi tawh emaw ka tia :)
...e, chuan enge ka insawitheihna chhephak?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jerusha, Amos n I are in a "live-in relationship" back in B'lore. :-) But rite now am in Chennai with my gurl who knows u and says hi. Amos really misses me. Hehehehe....
ReplyDelete:) Kim, tell your girl I say hi too. Amos-a chu min lo cho don nia.
ReplyDeletejus so u know jeruza.. Kimaz my biatch.. hehehe..
ReplyDeletemahse Madras ah tlangval dang inah a riak a.. ka lung hi a leng thei ltks..
and to think I found you guys hot and was hoping I might have a chance...in lo in ngaizawng reng ani maw?? :)) Luck loh theih mang e!
ReplyDeleteHey i know its way back in 2006 that you posted this, but seem to read it only now (that me sigh, always kinda late)*sigh*
ReplyDeleteAnyway you really did i great job with the driving, picking & dropping people around, we couldnt have done anything without you that day. I agree with u on the ministers speech as well.
I am happy that MSA is established, never regret it
I hope to see more of chapchar Kut and MSA functions in the future.
If What we do defines us, than maybe im a rebel. But God i wished im a rebel for a good reason :)