And then somebody yelled out, “Hey guysss, let’s plan our next reunion at Mizoram!”
Every drunk classmate in that noisy reunion hall, high on nostalgia and imported whisky, screamed back:
“Yaaasssss!”
“Woooohoooo!!!”
“Let’s do ittttt!”
That happened back in November 2024, when we went to Yercaud to attend our batch's 25th anniversary. Which reminds me, I still haven’t completed my reunion blog update series! Sheesh. I’ve really become lazy at blogging.
But at least I managed to write the opening parts of that reunion event:
Hopefully, I’ll get to complete the rest of that series this year, lolz.
Our batch has always remained close since we graduated. In fact, I’ve lost touch with most of my Engineering and MBA classmates, but our school batch still jokes around almost every day on our WhatsApp group.
I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in a residential boarding school. We didn’t just study together - we played together, ate together, and basically lived together. That kind of shared time builds something different.
The reunion was a blast. And what came out of that reunion was something unexpected, as a few of our classmates were genuinely serious about visiting Mizoram.
There were ten of us Mizos in our batch, so the connection was always strong.
A separate WhatsApp group was created for those interested in the Mizoram trip because we didn’t want to spam the main batch group with travel plans. Initially, around 15 people joined.
But as life usually goes, other commitments crept in… and slowly, one by one, people left that group, citing other plans and conveying their regrets, and eventually, only five classmates actually landed in Aizawl. :D
Tlawmlova, Hminga, Azuala and Stephen went to the airport to welcome them (My farm was too far from the airport).
They soon landed at Lengpui Airport and were welcomed the proper Mizo way, where they were each garlanded with our traditional Mizo shawl.
With Tlawmlova currently serving as the DC of Mamit, things at the airport moved along much more smoothly than usual.
They left the airport a little past 4PM. Meanwhile, back at my farm, I jumped into a cab and headed toward Aizawl as well.
By the time I reached the city, they still hadn’t arrived at their hotel. So I went ahead to the Regency Hotel, where we had booked rooms for them, and informed the reception that our guests would be arriving shortly.
I became the hotel welcoming committee, lolz.
When they finally arrived, there were loud greetings, big hugs, cheers, and that familiar feeling of suddenly being 17 again.
They quickly went up to their respective rooms to freshen up. Not long after, we split into two cars driven by Stephena and Azuala, and went up to Pi Hangi Lunglen Tlang (Aizawl Peak View). They were amazed by the bird's-eye view of Aizawl, and so was I, since it was also my first time there, lolz.
They absolutely loved it. We walked on the skywalk, and some of them were completely shit scared of the glass flooring and the height. Lots of dramatic reactions. Lots of photos.
The night view of Aizawl was glorious, with the hills layered with silver lights, cool breeze, and that quiet buzz you only get from a hill city at night.
Before we knew it, it was already 8PM. We reminded our guests that this is Mizoram and every place shuts by 9PM.
I had booked our dinner at 23°N Diner, a restaurant run by my friend Maremi, idyllically located next to Leitan with an amazing view. We rushed there, only to find that Maremi had reserved the entire floor just for us. Awesome! The food was ready, and so were the cooks. The vibe was just perfect.
In true reunion fashion, our classmates even presented us with a 30-year-old Scotch… which of course we threw off the cliff immediately because Mizoram is a dry state.
We ate like kings, enjoying the traditional Mizo thali prepared for us.
They loved everything, especially the "beef tauh" which they reordered again and again. But yeah, they didn't like any of our bitter dishes, lolz. Overall, great thaali.
We laughed like idiots, and slowly the exhaustion from travel began to show on their faces.
Once we had our fill, I hugged them all and took a cab back to my farm for the night while the other Mizos dropped them back to their hotel.
Everyone was tired. Day one was already a success. Do visit this blog again for Day 2.
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