An unfulfilled dream of Mizo youth

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of statehood, Mizo Generation X is craving for an active nightlife like other youngsters in big metros of the country.

Multiplexes, shopping malls, discos in star hotels and freaking out in the wee hours-are what the Generation X loves to do. But alas, they hardly get a chance to enjoy the long nights in Mizoram.

Brutal atrocities on civilians in the name of militancy during the eighties has dampened the night life of the Mizos. The aftermath is still on. Like other sleepy tribal areas, the Mizos too take refuge in the safety of their homes in the evening.

These days, even at eleven at night, the local coffee shops are open and crowded with hordes of motor cycles. But the younger generation crave for something more than brewing coffee. To them night life is a medley of disco, pubs and a lot more.

''I am here not here just for a cup of coffee. We crave for a magical night life, a pub, a disco or more'', 20-year old Zodin Sanga said.

Michael M Sailo, a Mizoram rap music star, however, believes that ''Mizo youngsters are suppressed by strict social norms. We have peace, but not freedom.''

''Unlike other states, our younger generation does not have any means of entertainment. It is high time the government should wake up and provide something for the youth and college goers,'' social worker Dave Chhakchhuak said.

''Mizo society is no way different from other tribal societies. Early to sleep and early to rise--is the key word of the Mizo Jhumias or 'shifting cultivators. So the society must experience the feel of night life,'' Dave added.

There are no cinema halls or multiplexes or shopping malls in the state which has more than nine lakh people.

''However, the nightlife in the past was funfilled. The era of bullet-and-bomb is slowly fading. Mizoram is now a peaceful state,'' vice-president of the Forum for the Implementation of Constitutional Rights in Mizoram (FICORM) David M Thangliana said.

He said the concept of restricted nightlife is bound to change. The Mizo capital has off late seen various late-night hubs, a distant dream during the decades-long insurgency in the state.

Bureau Report