Ka Mittui A Tla A

pic courtesy: www.shahnaz-kimi.livejournal.com


Vawikhat chu Champhaiah then leh rual te tlawh pahin tihtur pawimawh thenkhat avangin ka va zin a. Zanah chuan ka thlen in te inpui (common room) ah ka riak a. Zan laiah chuan kawngka chu a rawn in kik ri det det a. Sana ka’n en a, dar 1.00 a lo ri tawh a. Tun ang zan reia kawng rawn in kik chu ti a ngaih tha em em lo chuan kawng chu ka va hawng hram a. Nu rai lian tawh tak leh hmeichhe naupang hi kawngkhar bulah chuan an lo ding a. “Ka pu zanin chauh kan lo riak thei ang em?” tiin mi’n zawt chawt a. Kei chuan in neitu ka nih loh thu ka hrilh a. In neitupa chu ka va kaitho va. Pu Sawma chu a rawn tho chhuak a. “Eng nge ni ta zanlai laiah?” a rawn ti a. Chu nu chuan a thawthu tawi te chu a sawi ta a.

“Nimin tuk khan ka fanu chaw ka barh laiin kan veng thalai ho kan inah an rawn lut thut a. ‘E… nangni kha eng nge in la tih? Hmanhmawhin in thawmthaw in duh duh kha tel ula Burma-a haw turin rawn chhuak vat r’u, motor-in a nghak reng che u a nia’ an ti ta mai a. Kei chuan a chhan leh vang pawh hre chuang lo chuan, ‘Pute u, zahngai ula, kan pa Civil Hospital-ah malaria a nain a awm a. Chu chu kan enkawl dam veleh kan haw ve ang’ ka ti a. Mahse anni chuan engah mah ka thu sawi chu an ngai duh lo va, hmanhmawh em em hian kan bedsheet-in kan bungraw thenkhat min tel tir a min pawt chhuak nghal thawt thawt a. Chutih lai tak chuan kan in neitunu Pi Sangi chu a rawn tlan chhuk a, “Zahngai zahngai, nu nau lakah tal chuan zahngai ta che u. An pa pawh hospital-ah a awm a, tuin nge enkawl ta ang?” a rawn ti a. Anni chuan vin zet hian “Pi Sang, ngawi mai mai rawh. Burma ho in i luah tir thin a, veng mit i ti kham khawp a nia” an ti a. Ti chuan, truck hian tawt em emin Champhai lam panin kan rawn tlan ta vang vang a. Motor-a thu khawchang ka hriat ve dan chuan Burma pa pakhat hian hmeichhe naupang a pawngsual avangin Burma mi tawhphawt chu a nawlpuiin YMA leh VC tangkawpin min lo hnawtchhuak niin. An sawi zel dan phei chuan Champhaiah pawh nikhat aia rei cham min phal lo va. Chutia kan rawn tlan chu Champhai khaw tawntirhah sawn kan motor a chhe ta hlauh a, kein kan rawn phei hlawm a. Thenkhat chuan khaw tawntirhah sawn bawkte khawhin an riak mai a. Mahse kei chu naute nei ka nia, a ril a tam em em bawk si a. Engpawh nise khuaah va lut ila chaw barkhat eina tur leh zankhat riah lailawk na tur chu min khawngaihtu kan hmu mahna tiin kan rawn phei ta zel a. Nameplate hi ka rawn chhiar phei den den a, Upa Lalsawma Khiangte tih hi ka hmu fuh ta hlauh a. ‘E… hei chu ka chipui a ni tlat mai, min khawngaih duh mahna’ tiin kawngka ka rawn kik tawp mai a ni.”

In neitupa chuan an nu chu ei tur siam sak vat turin a ti a, hmeh thing chu a’n lum sawk sawk a. Pu Sawma chu a inngaihtuah vung vung a. “Anih leh i chipui te takngial pawn i thlavang an hauh ngam lo va maw?” a rawn ti chhuak hlawl a. Chu nu chuan, “Ka pu chipui leh chipui lo an sawi lo. Burma rim nam tawh phawt chu an vaihma vek mai” a ti a. Pu Sawma vek chuan,”Anih leh tihian in nufa in awm ve hrih ula, kha i rai lian tawh em em lehnghal a. Kan inah nau tha takin i nei ang a, chuan thil dang chu tlachawpin kan ngaihtuah zel dawn nia” a ti a. Chu nu chuan chaw bar pah chuan, “Ka pu ka duh lo. Mizoram hi chhuahsan vat ka duh. Naktukah a rualin Tiau lui kan kan dawn a. Lo chambang ta ila, Champhaiah pawh eng nge thleng ang a sawi theih hleih nem” a ti a. In neitupa chuan a’n thlem thin a mahse a duh ngang lo va. “A nih leh Burma-ah khawnge in pan ang?” a’n ti a. Chu nu chuan, “Zohmunah kan pa nu hi tar kum 70 mi vel a la dam a, kan va fin ve rawih mai ang” a ti a. An mutna tur chu in neitunu chuan chhuatlaiah chuan a’n phah sak a, kan mu ta hlawm a.

A tuk zingah chuan, Pu Lalsawma nen chuan border thlengin kan va thlah a. Cheng zanga hi a hum tir a. Kei pawh chuan ka wallet ka phawrh a cheng zahnih ka hum tir ve a. Chu nu chuan mittui far det det chung hian, “Ka pu, kan pa kha min lo va ngaihven hram r’u aw?” a ti a. Ti chuan, an nufa chuan bedsheet-a an thil fun nen chuan mi dang thenkhat nen an in zui phei hnak hnak a. Tah tak chuan kei pa awmkhauh ve angreng tak pawh chu ka mittui a far ve fak fak a. Ngaihtuahna chu a kal thui duh khawp mai. Pu Sawma chuan ka darah mi’n beng thauh a, “Thara, tirawh Aizawlah i phei vat teh ang. A sawi ang khan an pa chu kan va ngaihven loh te chuan” a ti a. In kan thleng a kan insiam ta sawk sawk a, Aizawl lam pan tur chuan kan chhuak ta a. Thil pakhat ka theihnghilh theih miah loh chu Pu Sawma’n border atanga in lam pana kan kal laia min zawh kha a ni, “Thara, Mizo te hi eng sakhaw bia nge kan nih tak?” a tih kha. Ka chhang ta lo reng a.



(This short story in Mizo was written a few years ago to show my solidarity with the Mizos of “Burmese origin” who crossed the border as economic and political refugees – Thara Tlau)