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Monday, June 01, 2009

Chp 244. Expensive Aizawl!!!


Now that I am back here in Mumbai, I feel quite relieved. Of course my heart lies in Mizoram, but I like it better here because Aizawl is
too damn expensive! I used to think that the cost of living here in Mumbai is high… oh I was sooo wrong. I’ve been all over India at every Metro and most of the major cities, and there is no place more expensive than Aizawl.

Sure Mumbai contributes the highest tax in India, and has been in the top 10 most expensive city in the World (in terms of office space and property) consistently for the past many years, but there are many other locations that are not that expensive and quite rentable. And sure, there may be discotheques and restaurants so bloody expensive that I can wipe out my entire monthly salary by simply raising my forefinger to the waiter to signal that I want “one more”. But again, there are many other places that are cheap and affordable without compromising on quality and service.

In Aizawl, to take the taxi means you’re filthy rich! Traveling from my locality Chaltlang to the next locality Chanmari by taxi costs 40 freaking bucks! And that distance is less than the minimum auto fare of 9 bucks here in Mumbai. Yes the people are annoyed too. They grumbled, “Prices of fuel went up and the very next freaking day, taxis jacked up their fares while the petrol pumps were still selling fuel by the old (cheaper) cost. And then fuel costs were cut a long time ago and the drivers still refused to bring down their freaking fares till now.”

And of course, if there’s any talk of making the taxis run on alternate days (odd and even license plate numbers) so as to trim down the congested Aizawl traffic, there will be hundreds of articles and protests bombarding newspapers like Vanglaini, Mizo Aw, Aizawl Post etc about how these poor taxi drivers were made victims of circumstances, and how capitalism is evil and that all rich people are dirty and corrupt while all poor people are honest and exploited etc etc. I am not getting into this debate right now, but it did hurt a bit to be “taken for a ride” when I noticed that many of those so called poor hungry taxi drivers were sporting mobile phones way more expensive and sophisticated than mine.

When my friend OPie met with his accident, I visited him daily. And I always bought junk-food for him, like chips, pepsi, biscuits etc. Not even once did I buy those items by the exact MRP printed on the box/bottle! No sir, all the shop-keepers near his house were selling every item for around 5 bucks more than the MRP. At first I didn’t protest, but later when I did, I was “politely” asked to buy from the other shops if I had an issue with the cost. What nerves! Eventually, I had to buy them from my locality if I wanted to save a few tenners.

The same with cigarettes. Recently, small Goldflake (chhota goldflake) increased their cost from 28 to 29 bucks. In Mizoram, supposedly it had been 30 bucks all along, even before the increment.

Vegetables and meat are expensive too. And my oh my, don’t get me started with the restaurants. Sure there are a lot of good roadside restaurants that serve great food at really economical rate. But the (upper-middle class?) hotels like Hotel Chief, Ritz, David’s Kitchen… damn, taking into consideration the ambience, the service and the quality of food, it is definitely not worth it. There is no value for money at those places. I can sit in a much better restaurant here with finer service and dining for the same cost that they charged me there.

Magazines? Wowwiieee is all I can say. I will not name any magazines here, but from my point of view, most of the popular Mizo magazines are over-priced. And here’s the sad part – most of the articles in those magazines were ripped off directly from the net and translated into Mizo. I wanted to read thought-provoking opinionated Mizo articles written by Mizos on various issues ranging from socio-ethnic topics to politics to sports etc etc. Sadly, the mags weren’t the place I should have looked in.

I also wanted to buy Pu Zamawia's best-seller “Zofate zinkawngah” badly. Unfortunately, its monstrous price of 850 bucks turned me off completely. If any Mizo here in Mumbai have that book, can I please borrow it?

Long time ago, I used to look forward to going home for one reason – the second-hand flea market. You get amazing apparel at dirt cheap price. Now it seems people hardly go to those places and instead indulge themselves at shopping malls and showrooms. And the price of a good pair of jeans at a show room there? 3.5 K !!! Mon Dieu! Aren’t show-rooms of the same brand supposed to sell the same item with the same price uniformly all over India? Or that’s not how it really works? Do enlighten me please.

At the end of the day, I have just a couple of questions. How are we able to afford all this? Where’s all the money coming from when we are so underdeveloped as compared to other cities? Is it because almost everything is subsidized hence the reason some (if not many) people living Below Poverty Line can afford to own refrigerators, mobile phones, TVs etc.? Mizoram is a Notified Backward Area… yet, one look at Aizawl and any humanitarian is bound to be shocked. Children sporting the latest mobile phones, designer wear, expensive shoes, extremely high car ownership per capita, westernized style of living, and in spite of all this, the capital Aizawl is also (ironically) known as the cultural capital of Mizoram! What culture?

Seriously, I am not anti-development or anti-progress. But we cannot let ourselves be bullied by merchants and industries that monopolize the system. Look at our Telecom industry. A few years ago, BSNL used to happily rape our arses because they were the only cellular company in Mizoram. Now look at the scenario - Aircel, Airtel, Vodafone, Cell One, Reliance, Tata Indicom, etc etc have all entered the market. Nobody can now afford to exploit us anymore due to competition. Likewise, we the consumers need to stand up to those shopkeepers, hoteliers, publishers, associations and others who think they control the market.

Of course, one need not necessarily indulge in all that is mentioned above. But for those who want to get a little nibble from the luxury pie, the financial requirement is extravagantly high. I guess I can conclude like this – If you are planning to buy or do only the bare-essentials and necessities, then Aizawl is probably the cheapest place in India. Otherwise if you want to cross that line even by an inch, then it is the most expensive place in India. Period.

Meanwhile, for a person like me, Aizawl is definitely one place I cannot afford to live in anymore.




60 comments:

Lal Jo-a said...

Hey bro, i too always thought that aizawl is the most 'cost-effective' city. But from your long lines here and the recent visits clearly proof that its not anymore.... when i'm in aizawl, i hardly went out to any occasion because you have to wear branded stuff all over you to be modern, else you'll be called 'Zo'. Here i can get to all around the city with my shorts and sandals, needless to mention aizawl. and i've never been to david's kitchen, ritz etc etc... all i could afford is a typical roadside vai thingpui dawr.

Mizohican said...

Yes I completely agree. Roadside vai thingpui dawr and the various didi dawr are the best place. Cheap and yet such great food. Not to forget that famous egg-roll guy at dawrpui. 10 bucks a roll. Yummmm!

And yes, it is extremely sad that we have this bad habit of labeling something out-fashioned or outdated as "ZO". Utterly embarrassing that we associate the proud "Zo" name with something that is despicable or revolting. Shame on us.

:-(

Carey Suante said...

Welcome back Bro! You confirmed all the rumours I have been hearing about how expensive Aizawl is. Seriously, the other day my brother (he is currently in Aizawl, recuperting from TB!)went window-shopping and says a decent pair of second-hand jeans cost more than Rs 1000! Damn! Its second hand for Pete's sake!

Its the same with Lamka (Manipur). A Zo inhabited town. Lamka won't exactly be as expensive as Aizawl but there are some parallels about the "consumerism culture". The other day my wife sent some bags to an aunt for her sell. It seems ours were outdated. The bags are a crazed here in New Delhi! And then the mobile phones, a cousin of mine runs a shop selling top-up cards in Lamka. He tells me most people spend Rs1,000-2,000 per month per mobile. I hardly spend Rs 300 per month. Maybe I'm just being frugal!

My point really is our Zo society has very "unethical" financial and consumerism attitudes!

Eveline said...

I have yet to travel to Aizawl and while i have known that things have been getting more expensive, I would have never imagined that it could possibly be more expensive than Mumbai.
I know the prices range quite drastically in Dimapur and Kohima. Things are way more expensive in Kohima. But i do love visiting that flea market... i got the cutest christmas hats from there. I guess it mainly depends where you shop at and where you eat at. Like B'lore.. it never takes too long to spend a whole month's salary on food and at clubs but if you're careful enough it'll last you an entire month or maybe more.

Sekibuhchhuak said...

I completely agree with you boss! Khing chawhmeh ( tlai ) abikin i sawi ang chite,tomato te carrot te ato em em reng mai khi chu a lungchhiatthlak ka ti. Kan rama kan thar chhuah ve theih tho niin alang si a!

Zorami said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mizohican said...

@ Carey: We live in difficult times :-) I know, we have a very high standard of living when it comes to clothing and accessories... but I don't think its fair on the merchant's side to exploit that. And selling things way beyond the MRP... thats horrible and utterly condemnable.

@ Eve: Flea market is the best! Me and my ex used to go to this place in North Delhi, which was supposedly the main source of second-hand goods. Its from that place that other retailers from the NE buy so that they can sell them again. Mannn, I could spend the whole day there... hihihi... ok keep that a secret :P

@ Seki: Boss, chawhmeh to lutuk te kha a ni, rilru a ti hah. Engtin nge mipui hian an lei theih reng te hi mak ka ti thin. Basic necessities tal hi chu ti to lo hram i la oooo :-(

@ Zorami: lolzzzz why did you delete your comment? hehehehe....

Mimihrahsel said...

umm..bro.. "my ex" everywhere.. how many? hihihihi..
yup! i agree.. it IS expensive here!

Ligia Lalhlimpuii Sen said...

Hey Kima my thoughts exactly ,I love this article and Kudos to you for pulling this of so brilliantly.

I love Aizawl too no doubt but the way things are going its starting feeling a little bit claustrophobic.

Zorami said...

@mimihrahsel
'ex" a lo soi leh toh elo? "ex" lo hi soitur hre lovin kan om ve ang tih a hlohom ee tiro? hehe!

@Kim
I made a typo n all I cud do was delete :) ok, wat I said was I bought a bottle of Coke(600 ml) for Rs30 when the MRP was Rs23...monopoly u know, there was no other shop nearby lol! and a pretty formal top (ladies') costing Rs700 and below is sth u'll hafto hunt for...how "cool" is that?
But the good part is that frens, family and the food here make going home just worthwhile...and yes, u shud've stayed a li'l longer too:)

Aduhi Chawngthu said...

So glad you brought this up, this is one subject that I could go on and on and on about. I remember one time I bought something and there was a free gift that came with it, and when I asked the shopkeeper for it she bluntly told me they dont give the gifts. And don't get me started on the clothes! Every time I go home my friends and family always commented on my outdated looks and a mad shopping spree would follow, and the saddest part is I'd hardly wear the stuff I bought, I don't feel comfortable wearing clothes I know I don't afford.

And the magazines! It makes me want to gag seeing all those translated articles, if that is all it takes to start a magazine then I guess any fool could do it.. which they are already doing.

Take a few minutes of your time to look at some of the Aizawl pics available on the net, not the beautiful ones but the ones with people in it, the street/market pics, and look at the clothes people wear and the condition of the city. It will make you cry seeing such a pronounced contrast between the people and the city. People dressed up as if they are in NYC or Paris, smiling and showing pan-stained mouths, walking around in the dirty crowded third-world-y streets. It's time we stopped being so shallow and pretentious and start looking at ourselves from the outside to see what we're really like.

feddabonn said...

is this aizawl specific? how are things in lunglei, for instance?

all my trips have been short ones, and spent visiting people-i don't know prices. i've also cut off all external labels from my clothes and shoes, so am free, lol.

would definitely like get that delhi flea market location from you!

Vikram said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vikram said...

Why on earth would anyone want to buy second hand jeans

Second hand cars check
Second hand computers check
Second hand bicycle check



Second hand jeans confused emoticon

feddabonn said...

@vikram: lol. little hard to get used to, i guess. i'm currently wearing my second hand socks, and eating off a second hand plate with a second had fork!

Carey Suante said...

@Vikram, let me clarify. We buy and wear second-hand jeans because:
1)they're cheap
2)they're usually from southeast Asian countries so fits nicely. Indian designed jeans are too long for us, northeast people, who are typically short.:)
3)they are of better quality
My Levis jeans costing around Rs 1300 looks like a second-hand. So, there Vikram these are a few reason why some prefer secondhand to first hand jeans.

Unknown said...

A dik e, Aizawl khi thil reng reng to khawp mai. Bawngsa rep hi hetah kan siama kan thawnchho thin..he he he. Neinung tan chuan a nuam maithei mahse rethei te te an tam ve bawk a - An tân chuan Vânram tlafual a nilo. Taxi Rate i sawi hi a va han dik lehzual em - Heta cheng 25 kan pek angah 150 vel min dil mawle (India ah chuan Kulkhut hi Taxi Rate hniamber na anih ka ring).

Mizohican said...

@ Mimi: hets. What everywhere. This is the first time I'm mentioning in my blog, sala :-P

@ Ligia: It is. We have this farm at Selesih, and my goddd staying there for a few days is soooo peaceful. Aizawl is no longer the Aizawl I used to know. The only thing I love about the place now are the people. Other than that, all my affection for the aesthetics is completely lost now.

@ Zorami: i phur ve thei si a :-P Yeah, thats what I'm talking about, most of the shopkeepers simply refused to sell things by the MRP, unless you know them personally. It really hurts, doesn't it?

@ Aduhi: I'll drink to that. And you want to know what is really strange about all this? Kids I can understand. But to see adults behaving like that is too embarrassing.

Mizohican said...

@ feddabonn: I don't know about Lunglei. I don't think it will be this bad. Can anybody who knows Lunglei, Saiha, Champhai, Kolasib etc well comment on this please? Your input will be extremely appreciated. Thanx in advance.

@ Vikram: Like my friends have replied, yes, when we say second hand jeans, I guess you are picturing a dirty ragged old jeans that some dirty dude has worn a million times before. lolz. Actually, they aren't like that. The second hand jeans are just like new and you will not be able to differentiate it that much too. Trust me, if its like the one you pictured in your head, nobody would buy it :-)

@ Carey: Yup!!! Bulls eye! :-)

Being racially different from our Indian bretherns, most of us from the North East do not feel comfortable in the jeans we get in Mainland India - longer thighs and higher ass as compared to somebody from the NE (ok I do not know how to make that sound decently... errr... the location of the posterior is on a higher altitude?)

So we gel better with the apparel we get from South East Asia.

@ Chhangte_II: Kulkhut chu nia a tlawm a lawm, mahse phakar hi an tam ve a, kawng hriatloh phei hi chuan :-) Mumbai lam ve thung chu India rama fel bera an ngaih an nia.. :-)

Ni e, sa te pawh a van to tak em. Mahse kan sawive duh mai mai chu, sa te hi chu luxury angah ka la ngai a, a tello pawn a awm theih thova, mahse thlai ho a to hi chuuuu na ka ti vawng vawng khawp mai. Mirethei ho tan chuan eng dang nge an ei tak ang? Huihaaa :-(

odzer said...

You know I am always surprised how expensive India is. I find somethings here are even more expensive than Japan. A good example would be jeans for example. Shoes is another example. Some food things are way more expensive here than anywhere else. The best places for me to shop in India remain Delhi and Dehradun. Otherwise I prefer Nepal in South Asia. Oh and I love second hand flea markets for clothes. You can often some great stuff. Sometimes I imagine if they snatch clothes off dead people, but it makes me want those clothes even more then :p

However I suspect most clothes in such markets are donated by extremely nice western people who want to give away to 'charity'. Of course industrious Asians find a way to turn that in to commerce. The only experience I have of paying for things in the North-East is the state of Sikkim and I agree that that it was expensive and the quality was not good when it comes to restaurants. However I find taxi's etc cheaper in both Bombay and North-East/Eastern India when compared to here. Such transport in Chandigarh is horribly expensive.

Varte said...

* "Meanwhile, for a person like me, Aizawl is definitely one place I cannot afford to live in anymore."

Kei pawwwwhhhhh... :(

Sawi dik hlawm bawk si, he article hi mizo tawngin dah la, Vanglaini velah chhuah nghe nghe teh.

Carey Suante said...

@Kima, nicely put! I have another Levis pair costing me Rs2000 and as usual too looooong!!! But I refused to shorten it afraid its originality might go away!!

Ligia Lalhlimpuii Sen said...

The other thing I wanted to mention is the policy of follwing TREND(cool or ridiculous).Are we really that ignorant ?This is the 21st century guys -Things like the the "chhiahpuam scam" ( you might think its a little bit late reaction but can't help it everytime I think about it pisses me off)people do it because of trend or ignorance which ever one it is,Somebody gotta get up and do somebody has to get up and do something about it.Our beautiful land is digging its own grave.

Jason said...

Cool! Since I've never been to Aizawl, it sounds good to me.. ;)

Jerusha said...

Some days back, one of my colleagues who'd visited Aizawl recently was raving about it - how beautiful the hills and mountains were, how good looking everybody was, how lovely the climate was etc etc - and I was beaming with my pride. And then she started talking about how 'extremely' well-dressed the people are there, and that everyone wears branded clothing and accessories, all the air went out of my head and I had to stammer around in embarrassment. And she hadn't even started on the other things like restaurants and mags yet.

This is one of the reason I always hate going home. Out here I'm considered 'very' well dressed, but back home even when I flaunt my Sunday best, I'm still considered quite 'thing' and 'nalh hre lo'! Exasperating! And the last time I went home, I took my cousin out for lunch at David's Kitchen. Service was nothing great, food esp the so-called 'steak' was laughable, and the so-called 'mocktails'! But the price sure wasn't funny! We really need to address this issue on a larger scale. I see it as a serious problem and very destructive to 'constructive' progress.

Mizohican said...

@ odzer: hehehe Kathmandu is shopper's Heaven, for those who cannot shop at Bangkok. :-) One thing the North East lacks when compared to Mainland India, is the service industry. I have written about this earlier too.

@ Varte: Hotunu, min lo let sak la i peih chuan? :-)

@ Carey: Hihi... here in Mumbai , I buy my jeans from show-rooms located at Malls, and they do the length adjustment for free. But the show-room price here in Mumbai and the show-room price in Mizoram? Wayyyyy different!!!

@ Ligia: Following a trend? Well, I guess that will always be a part of our culture. We've done it too during our times. I'm sure you've done it too :-) But then of course, we must be careful not to overdo it.

@ Jason: lolz. Just giving you the heads-up, in case you ever decide to go :-)

@ Jerusha: What we need, is somebody with guts to spread awareness about this, by actually practicing it back home. Someone who is not afraid or doesn't give a damn about what others say. Now that you've mentioned the seriousness of this situation, I can see how it is blocking our progress in some certain ways too.

vaphualization said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
vaphualization said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
vaphualization said...

the location of the posterior is on a higher altitudeewsss!!!

second hand jeans back home are far better than those sold in GK, Central Market, Ansal...

[had to delete my comment twice cuz of some problems with the HTML tags]

Hriatpuia Pa said...

MMMM, i sawi dik vek e. A hmuna awmte pawh hi kan phun kan phun a, han tih vak ngaihna kan hre lem lo. Lian deuh taka hma la awm sela chuan kan zui leh dual maithei. I sawi ang hian, sorkarin hma a han lak deuh pawhin, lehkhathiam tu tute emaw hian, rethei chuti khati an ti leh zel a, an ziak thiam thei si a, a hahthlak khawp mai...

Hotunu Varte-i sawi ang hian Mizoram chanchinbua chhuah atan a tha khawp mai, i thu hi. Lehlin a nih loh pawhin, English daily te pawh a awm ve tawh kha, Aizawl-ah chuan...

Unknown said...

Thil to chu kan vei tlang maw! Heti chung hian 'Kan zotlang ram nuam hi chhawrpial run i iang e' kan la ti tho chu a ni si ale!!

Aizawl aiin Lungleiah thil a to va, Lunglei aiin Lawngtlaiah, Lawngtlai aiin Saihaah a to lehzual.

Anonymous said...

Kima, I too support that you send this to some newspaper, like Vanglaini, what do u say? . . .

Manuni said...

Kima, this time I thought I will come anonymous again-read your article and go away. But I can't help it any longer because of your yet thought-provoking article which refreshes some of my concerns regarding my Aizawl *I am quite a Christian patriot (eh!).*

I too have been wanting to read excellent opinionated articles written by Mizos, not necessarily a Mizo article. But I rarely find one (perhaps except in you). Really appreciate. There are many other issues, we could discuss on and on, like Aduhi said. Nevertheless I do not plan to mention here as it will take so much space here. (I already took lots I know, please excuse me pple, my first time here).

My point is, talking about Mizoram (including some other NE states), it is a long way. We have miles to go. It seems to me now that the way to change our system probably be by being prolific writers and politicians with true statemanship though. I think we need world class politicians and beaurocrats to redeem our land. By world class I mean someone who is educated, well exposed to life, visionary, articulate, hard working, honest, smart, etc etc..(not in order). What do you say?

Let's hope that those Mizos out there who read your blog will be those someone's. Thanks.

Malsawmi Jacob said...

Looks like it's all out of balance, scary. So next time i go to Aizawl i'll try and make sure to have a cheapest possible time by not taking taxi,shopping only secondhand stuff and all.

nancy said...

yeah.. u're right, everything is so expensive here.

christmas dawn phei chuan engmah ka lei duh ngai lo, to over ltk a, ka thian pakhatin thil man to a ti ltk tihngaihna hrelovin 'dor nghaktute hian a manzat sawi pawh hi an zak lo zawk ka ti' a ti hial :)

Lucy In The Sky said...

Hey, glad to see you back here. How is your father?

You know, whatever price you pay for a pair of jeans in Aizawl is double in my town and people still buy them. I don't know how they do it.

dr_feelgood said...

Won,t comment on the cost of living,but would like to comment on the newspapers. Yes, it is rather poor, but what I'd like all readers to do is to contribute your articles to the English daily. I subscribe the Newslink, but ever since the old editor, David Thangliana, a good friend of mine, left, the paper has hardly anything original. You can contribute through e mails. I find them quite willing to publish the occasional article I have contributed,so, I'm sure they are open to articles from Mizos living elsewhere with your varied experiences and interesting ideas etc.

mnowluck said...

You score 1000/100.. Everything is so expensive in the northeast, I've been to all of the northeast states and I've stayed in Aizawl for more than half a year and I don't deny that Aizawl is expensive. The same is our hometown. the only place in the northeast that's not so expensive is Shillong and Assam. Some would try to deny that Shillong is not expensive!! (I stayed there for 4 years.. I don't have a house there, yet its cheaper to rent a house and study as compared to your living standard back home..cos you can manage in Shilllong for 3000/- You would spend more or less the same if you are in Aizawl or Lamka )

faka said...

You are right hotupa! There is no systematic price control at all in Mizoram. I am wondering who is responsible for this... The government or the public?

Mizohican said...

@ vaphualization: hehe... try North Delhi - near Rohini. Thats where you get all teh good stuff. And Im sure glad you got your coding right on your third try :-)

@ Zaia: Ka hrelo le hotupa... Mizoram lama chhuah chuan an lo tih theih vaklo te ka ring deuhva... phai a awm vang mai blah blah blah kha sawilehtur a tam leh palh ang :-(

@ Fela: Thanks Pu Fel. Nichina ka zawhna chiah i rawn chhang a, a lawmawm lutuk e. Ka thianpa pakhat khi kan chhang nghal teh ang.

@ feddabon: According to Pu Fela above me, Lunglei is more expensive than Aizawl, Lawngtlai is more expensive than Lunglei, and Saiha is more expensive than Lawngtlai. Hope that answers your query.

@ anonymous: Thanks, but I am not really sure... I'll speak to the people I know in Vanglaini...

@ Manuni: hey, ka pi, finally you commented :) Thanx, I had a feeling you would come and comment on this, based on your tweet :D Thanks for the support and words of passion about Mizoram. Lets hope a change comes along soon.

Mizohican said...

@ mesjay: The problem with bus is, there is not service from Chaltlang to Chanmari (only vice-versa). Hence its either taking my car and driving on a really congested traffic, or the expensive taxi. Summer was too hot to walk at noon time :(

@ nancy: Khi Vanglaini lam sawi an an nual tawh khi.. enge i comment ve? :-)

@ Lucy: Amazing, isn't it? Where's all the money coming from?

@ dr_feelgood: Yeah, my articles appeared a couple of times on Newslink. Whether I was informed if my article could be taken or not is a different question. I don't wanna go down that road right now. But yeah, Pu DMT is quite a good friend of mine too, online. Thanks for the comment, I'll see what can be done.

@ mnowluck: See, Mumbai is so much better :) When we meeting?

@ faka: Dik chiah hotupa. I am really interested in knowing who is in charge of this, and what exactly are they doing about it. Consumer court tih ang vel te hi kan nei ve lo emni le?

Anonymous said...

Kima, What a great post (as usual:-) One of the things I enjoy most is food shopping, and I do that for my family in Aizawl whenever I am home. I often thought how could people afford to live when a kilo of chicken or tomatoes cost the same as in Vienna??! Really, there is an urgent need for price regulation...Shahnaz

mnowluck said...

heheh.. kei chu AAmchi Mumbai, aamchi maharashtra ka tih na a rei tawh .. been 6 years i'm in maharashtra.. Let's meet at inorbit ..let me know when you are free. I'm no more into bars these days .. we can watch movies or hang out at the ARcade zone.. hahaha

Rita Zoye said...

Nice one... I totally share your views..
we should form a forum or som'thin..
not not an organization coz that wud be again politics...
I really wish we (all people of Mizoram) are not hypocrites...!!!!

VaiVa said...

Globalization Boss! Don't scare away outsiders even before they taste the free thing! Tourism is the next biggest probable source of income for us living in a Notified backward area, next to untapped whole lot of educated unemployed youth!

Tak tak a... Motor chuan man mawlh mai hi!

luliana said...

Ka comment chak lutuk, mahse ka hman lok silova...

Taxi : Ghy atanga bus chuan man hi Rs.560 a ni mek. Rangvamual a truck terminal-ah passenger ho min bun diak zel. Chuta tang chuan Bawngkawn thlen nan taxi lak a ngai a, contri loh chuan mi pakhatin Rs.250-300 vel lawih chawi a ngai mawle. Ghy-aiz bus chuan man chanve :P 'Bus leh taxi te chu a in ang hleinem' kan ti maithei...'mahse' ka la ti fan fan tho kei chuan...

Newspaper and magazine : Daily-ah chuan 'vanglaini' bak ka chhiar peih lo. Mahse chu pawh chu ka khamkhawp lova, duh aiin ka chhiar zo hma ziah. Magazine ah chuan 'Lengzem' bak chhiar tlak ka hmu lo..a bak zawng chu nula thlalak a hmuhnawm thei hle :D

Eitur : David's kitchen-ah vawikhat ka chawl tawh, a sim thlak. A man to ang hu in eng vak a ni lo. Chu ai chuan Hong Kong restaurant a chow leh sawhchiar ei ka duh zawk feee...:D

Pu Zamawia lehkhabu : An release ni in ka pa in discount in a lei. A hnuah amah Pu Zamawia'n pakhat a present leh a, chu chu ka neih sak daih. I duh chuan i hawh thei ang...hahah...

Thawmhnaw : Aizawl-ah ka lei khat lutuk a ka lo hre vak lo. Hmanniah Reebok showroom a discount a awm laiin ka lei ve. Mahse REEBOK showroom atangin ADIDAS ka khai chhuak..lolzzzz...

Lastly, like i said before...there is a gross mismatch between the pace of our materialistic development and our economic growth...But nobody gives a damn, and our priorities are all screwed up!!

Mizohican said...

@ Shanaz: My sister and other people I know buy fruits like mangoes, grapes and even a few vegetables here in Mumbai to take home to Mizoram on the eve of their flight. Things are that bad in Mizoram now :(

@ mnowluck: You're no more into bars these days? Well, I was NEVER into bars, so I think you and I can finally hang out without me worried about you trying to drink etc etc. bwahahaha! :-)

@ Rita: Well, I know the first thing people at home do is form associations for anything they are now happy with, and the funny thing is, such associations usually end up digressing from the actual reason why they formed such an association in the first place, and end up getting involved in a lot of things they are not supposed to do. If the forum is not going to be like that, I wholeheartedly pledge my loyalty to it.

@ Vaiva: First of all, good comment. Yup, we don't want to scare away our future source of income, do we? Secondly, why the heck aren't you picking my calls. Thirdly, why the heck are you calling me back just when I'm busy?

@ Luliana: lolzzzzz. 560 bucks from Gauhati to RV and then 300 bucks from RV to Bawngkawn? LMAO! That is sooo ridiculous! How did the driver managed to put on a serious face in the first place? Me, I definitely wouldn't be able to do that with a straight face.

Yup I neeeeeed that book. Please lend it to me! I am sooo dying to read it. :(

Showroom price hi a lawm mak ka tih chu. Same brand, same item, hi chu a man a in ang vek tur a ni lawmni India ramah hi chuan? Helai tak hi min hrilhfiah thei in awm em? Natinge Aizawl showroom price ho khi a to bik em em le? Phai ah showroom rental man a to fee zawk bawk sia...

Blind Dayze said...

another nice read.... Showroom price thing...maybe, Aizawl ah chuan very costly=very good... and maybe the business ppl out there have managed to embed this message in the heads of the consumers...

Varte said...

Hei, hotupa mizotawng chuan ka dah tak tak ania, aizawla chhuah chhawn chu tih chi i ti em, ka rawn mail dawn che mi?

mnowluck said...

hahaha.. LALKIMA.. YOu nearly make me laugh my ass out.. I'm no more going to bar means .. you can hang out with me.. ??????? HIC! Oh I'm sorry.. that was a SODA hICcup! :P.. yay! I've commented thrice on this post now.. and well this is gonna be the half century comment for this post. YOu owe me 500 card at the ARcade zone @inorbit.. LOL

You know this might sound a bit childish.. yet these days its so fucking hot and when I'm not at work or sleeping.. I'm always at the ARcade zone in inorbit driving cars.. LOL..

Nahai said...

Some people say a kilo of beef is priced at Rs 180! True or false...?

Rka said...

Mizo tawngin ziak la, aizawl ccbu-ah kan chhuah dawn nia, a effective zawk ang.

Anonymous said...

hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

@ Nahai - u r 100% right. A kilo of mixed bone & flesh beef cost 180 whereas pure flesh cost 200.

Recently i bought a pair of windscreen wiper @ 70 by saving 360 from Aizawl rate.

Unknown said...

A pair of wiper was bought at Gwahati, apology

Mizohican said...

@ Blind Dayze: I think more than "very costly = very good", some people think that "very costly = very changkang" and that "very changkang = the only way of life".

@ Varte: Hotunu, va ti ropui ve. Nia i article chu Aizawl mail ngei ngei rawh. Mail tur i hraitloh chuan, mi rawn thawn rawh, ka hre nual Aizawl journalists ho chu.

@ mnowluck: hehehe Bro, lo ei vak na nge? :P ok fine, we shall hang out at the arcade when we get the free time. Will call ya tonight after office.

@ Nahai: Yes!!!!! :(

@ Rka: Thanx, nia han ziah chu a tha angreng... mahse ka ziah thiam vak chu ka ringlo kei chuan :(

@ Hapi: Thank you for the visit. I feel Hapi indeed :-)

@ Fela: Yes, thanks for answering Nahai's question. Nowadays I am getting more and more request to buy stuff from phai, for my friends in Aizawl when I go home. Its quite a worrisome problem now :(

Blind Dayze said...

"very costly = very changkang" and that "very changkang = the only way of life".

he heee so true so true...u hit the nail right on the head... [a nail bought in a hardware store in Aizawl..lol]...

Anonymous said...

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can any one help me for house on rent in aizawl near aizawl university.
my no is 09410031782

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