Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Collective memory of rural life in Mizoram

I am using "Collective memory" as a title of this post, it may not be sound corrected with the dictionary and academic definitions. The reason why i am using this title is the below pictures/images are having deep meanings and attached significance memories of our Village (Sialsuk) life and it's natural environment in Mizoram, India. Some of these pictures are taken beyond the graveyard of our village and some were clicked across the village streams and somewhere else. You may think these are merely an individual memories not by a group to call it as 'collective", but before you ask this I'd like to quote Joël Candau point of view 'collective memory can be seen as a regulative structure of individual memories.' Ah! leave aside this academic arguments and instead have a look below pics, i hope you will get a beautiful mind refreshing memories of rural life (In Mizo ~ Thingtlang nun) and different collection of natures in a hilly land.

Typical Mizo House constructed by Mizoram Upa Pawl at Sialsuk, Mizoram.
Maimawm ril (Spider web)
Tuikhur (water point), Sialsuk Village.
Ar tukhuan/Aratukkhuan par (Peru flower)
Aiawt bawm chhia (waste of crab trap)
Sunhlu rah (Amla fruit)
Saum bur (A gourd in which fat pork is kept ~Pu Buanga Dictionary)
Lumlerh kung (local fruit/species of plum)
Lunch Mizo style (Chhun chaw fak lai)
Perhpawng kua/Perhpawng lamtual (Burrow of field-cricket)
Athling rah (Thorny plant)
Sanghar vaibel / ram nuaithang par (wild plant)
Thingse mim kung (Chestnut tree), (Fallen chestnuts gather by village kids)
Kids enjoying village water point, Sialsuk
Time for bath,  stream at Sialsuk (bathing in stream is usually done on Saturday which means holiday!)
Natural stream flowing from mountain, Sialsuk
Buh hmun (rice / paddy site) Sialsuk, Mizoram
In the evening youth male play volley ball and winning team will get 1 packet of Zozial (local cigarette) :)
When winter come you need 'Sikri' to warm yourself:)
Bamboo can be fun for kids (A Mizo girl playing with Kalchhet)
Buh deng / Chhang deng lai (womenfolk and their male counterpart  pounding rice in traditional Mizo style on a fine winter morning)
Rural life are sometimes more pleasant, egalitarian and healthier than anywhere else. I still remember a friend of mine once told me (believe it or not!) that rural kids are not getting proper medicine and treatment but comparing to kids in urban areas who are having better treatments are unhealthier than rural kids. If you have any experience (s) or feedback about rural life kindly leave comments.

P.S: My translation of picture captions may be vague or too literal, better suggestions will be appreciated.