Calm-Sojourner: 2015

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Aizawl Christmas Decoration 2015

Mizoram is Christian dominated state in India. The state capital Aizawl city is full of Christmas decoration in this year too (2015). When Christmas season come Mizo people doing decoration of their houses and streets. The street decoration is locally known as 'Kawn chei'. Almost every locality in Aizawl city formed street decoration committee (also known as Kawn chei Committee), they tried their best to make their respective local streets in full bloom for Christmas and New Year season. People used to pay visit to these decorated streets which are now regarded as one way of their Christmas celebrations apart from Church services and carol services. Paying a visit to street decoration is mostly done in night time and more often after Christmas grant feast day. If you are interested to visit Aizawl, the best time is Christmas season.

2015 Aizawl city Christmas street decoration can be seen below:

Tuikhuahtlang, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Treasury Square, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Zarkawt, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bawngkawn, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bawngkawn Presbyterian Church, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bawngkawn, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bawngkawn Presbyterian Church, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bawngkawn, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Bungkawn, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Chanmari, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Dawrpui, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Electric veng, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Khatla, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Nursery veng, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Ramhlun North, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Sikulpuikawn, Mission veng, Aizawl Christmas decoration

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Having Mizo dinner with friends

Our Mizo dinner menu

Before an era of Facebook we had a Mizo public website called Zawlbuk (zawlbuk.net). In that website as there were very few websites dealt about issues and concerns of Mizo society we had many resourceful regular visitors and users across the globe. But due to the popularity of social networking sites and some domain hosting problem our website could no longer be seen these days. One of our members in that website based online community Maruata Fanai (Exim Bank) came home for important official duty, to welcome him our senior member Pu R.L Rinawma (IRS Retd.) hosted a dinner for Zawlbuk online members at his home in Aizawl. I was also lucky enough to be invited on that grand dinner. Our other members Pu Sangmama (IES, Secretary to GoM), Dr.Sawmtea (PUC) and Maruata's colleague Pu David (General Manager, Exim Bank) also attended. We have discussed variety of topics like our website zawlbuk.net heyday and its contribution to issues and development related in Mizoram and Mizo society in a larger context. Apart from this we have heard the hindrances and development issues related in the present Mizoram government functionaries from our members who are now engaging in that service. Maruata and Pu David also shared with us their experiences from their Exim bank, based on their sharing we came to know that there are much potential in the financial sector for the upliftment of Mizoram economy. Overall our discussion was quite interesting and exciting.

While having interesting chit chat with diverse topics, our host Pu Rinawma get ready the grand dinner for us. We are very much thankful for his hospitality and generosity. We will be remembering this meeting with much appreciation. Please have a look below, you will be noticing that how much we were lucky in receiving such treatment with delicious Mizo dinner. The dinner menus were also quite number - Mizo vawksarep (Smoked pork) and antam chhum (mustard leaves), behlawi bai, kelsa kan (Mutton curry), bean chhum, samtawk (mock tomato) chhum, dal, arsa kan (chicken fries), salad made with Mizo style etc.

Mizo vawksarep chhum (Boiled smoke pork)

Vawksarep tui a antam chhum (Boiled mustard leaves with smoked pork)

Behlawi bai (Mizo favourite behlawi bai)

Kelsa kan (Mutton curry)

Arsa kan (Chicken fry)

Bean leh samtawk chhum (Boiled beans and mock tomato)

Dal/Dailuah kan (Dal fry)

Chaw chhum (Steamed rice)

Mizo dinner table

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Mizo cuisine - Vegetable dishes (Mizo chawhmeh)

Food item or cuisine is called Chawhmeh in Mizo language. Mizo people usually cooked their vegetarian foods without oil, that means most of their foods are eaten in boiling. The ingredients can be vary according to the items. They have the vegetarian dish that are merely boiled with vegetables and water. This is might be regarded as healthy for consumption as it did not have any spices or oils. Some vegetables are also cooked with fermented pig fat called saum, this is not considered as vegetarian dish as it contains animal fats. But some vegetables dishes are also cooked without saum. A mixture of different vegetables cooked together in same pot is simply called bai. To cook a bai, the most important ingredients are saum, chingal (lye made from ashes) or soda (Sodium bicarbonate), bekangro (dried fermented soyabeans), chi (salt), lengser, bahkhawr, hmarcha (chilies), sawhthing (ginger) and so on. The Mizo vegetables dishes are having its own special taste, once you taste it you will surely like to have more. Some vegetables are also cooked with oil, its preparation can be vary and is depended upon individual choice.

These images are some vegetables dishes (Chawhmeh) of Mizo:


Antam chhum/Antam tlak (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - Boiled mustard leaves. Mustard leaves are boiled with water, no other ingredients needed to add.

Thingthupui chhum ((Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - These are the leaves collected from Thingthuphui trees, and boiled with water. It have special taste.

Mizo bai ((Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - This is a mixture of vegetables cooked together. This is one the Mizo favourite dishes.

Behlawi bai (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It is cooked with beans leaves (behlawi hnah), rice, chingal and saum

Behlawi bai (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It is cooked with beans leaves (behlawi hnah) , rice, chingal and saum

Antam kan (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It is mustard leaves cooked with oil.

Maian bai (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It is pumpkin leaves boiled with water and other vegetables

Samtawk chhum (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It's boiled mock tomatoes

Berul chhum (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It's boiled snake gourd

Alu kan (Mizo cuisine/Mizo chawhmeh) - It's fried potatoes

Mizo dishes are healthy and tasty. Its preparations are not so complicated and easy to learn within a short period. If you have a Mizo friend please try to get experience their foods. I hope that you will surely enjoy our Mizo cuisine.