Bus Ngak leh (Zomi) Politics
By Lian Samte

Delhi a ka omlai, k’on chitei rawk sek di, I gen phak sun ahihchia’h.

Ni khat ofis kuan zekai. Bus ngak lah hong pai zok lou. Bus etet-na mitmul bang sau zezen ta. Atawp a tuh, bus tengteng Parliament House area lut vek himailou hia, ofis tan chiah atun kei lele, chihbawl in, hong pai nawn masapen a zuanglut top. Teuhlou mai, teuhlou mai! Ahilou lam a hon pialpih pah, tai dawdaw tamai. Traffic point nih lam bang khengtou man. Hiai thu kum sagih nung a Kolkata a ka zintunna-pa kiang a ka gen leh, “Noida tan va taitung" chi’a hon gen thanghuaisak tel eivoi. Kam uang kha-ngal! A’ihziak in, Paite comedian chhuanvawr Pu Sumpi chihdan leh, gen ta lawlaw chu huchih hrawihhrawih di mah ahi.

Ka gennop tak tuh, a vangkim a lungsim a hong suak, awlmoh luat a pha lah hilou, awlmohlouh luat theih lah hilou, dot lah hilou, kut lah hilou, lah kuate hiam dan a minam leh hihna pallun leh chih deihlaw leklek khat kihibuang sam zel, chi a va genkhak vettak a om, thu khat ahi. Huai tuh bus ngak leh I political paizia uh mekmat sawmna ahi.

Khaile, bukkiim zepzep lou in alailung khohpah chot mai awle.

Khopi a om a, vaai himhim kuan dia ikisak chiang in, hohna ding, paina ding, tunna ding kichian nei ihihkeileh ‘bus’ va mawk ngaktheih hilou hi, chih tawngtawn thudik omsa ahi. Huaiziak in, bus ngak di tuh paina, hohna, tunna di khat neisa chihna hiziang hi. Huaibang deuh in, I (Zomi) politics ah leng, tunna ding (destination) omsa hi-ngei ding in ka koih mai a. Huai tupna omsa tung ding in I kithawi ua, I kisingsa ua, pan leng a kum a sim tham bang I la ta ua, khenchiang in lamsiik ah, khenchiang in lamsak ah, khenchiang in lah lamkhang a tolhkhe huthut bang thehtup zel in, chiautui luangbang machiang I suan uhi. I tunna ding mun a buailou ihihman in I paina ding bang gari hi a, alampi koilam hi a, kawi hia, mam hia, phok hia, Guite Road bang hia, chihte I theih mahmah sa hi di’n ka koih hi. Huchi hilou a, koisan hiam tunsawm napi pai ding dan, lamzuih ding, tunna ding kichian neilou, theiloupi khat ihih khonung mawk leh buaihuai law nilouh di.

Huaizoh, bus ngak chih bang le, mawk ngak nge-ngaw chih om theilou. I tuan theihna di bus number leh station dik theih ngai. I tunna ding zuanlou pi bus khat a tawmlut mawk theih ana hi hetlou—kei dan a. I hohna di lam hon manoh pih kei tlats! Bus theihsa nung in leng ‘choices/options’ om theilai maithei. Bus bangzah lut, koi pen kin, koi pen kai, koi pen kinoh, koi pen a ‘route’ kawi, koi pen tang? Theih ding a kilawm theisalou a bus ngak tuh buai ngeingei-na khat ahi. Huchimah bang in, I political goal ah leng, I tunna dia bang bus la ding ihia, chih I chian mahmah masak ngai. Bus kidoh peuh a mawk zuanlut theih hilou hi—kei dan a. I hoh sawmlouhna lam a hon taipih duidui bangzaw, nak buaihuai lawtel ahi aw oh. Sau khop tuan nung in I zuangpawt nawn a, I dinnasa stand ah I taikik chenchen zaw, khe a kham nuam tel eive. I political journey ah zaw, huchidan a tawmlut-tawmpawt a kimapat thak chihbang nak haksat lawtel di ahi. Thil hitheilou bang tuk, chile’ng kikhial khollou di. Huaiziak mah ahi di, ‘visionary’ poimoh ahi, achihchih uh!

Bus diklou mat tuh anuam thiamthuam kei. Bus khek zihzeh chih bang le thil ninhuaipi khat ahi. Anuam tuh, I hohna di bus number diktak mah I man geih a, dailek in I tung vurvur mai a, a nuam mang eive aw! Ahihziak in, huaitan a chet ziahziah theihna di’n homework hihfel viau a poimoh. Chiantak a theih masak ding thu leh vaai a om. Huai te theilou pi huchih zaihzaih theih ahi mawk kei. Ei bang le, hun bangtan hiam bus a tuangsa chi a kimuang vevaw kihina inchin I risk vial leh ana dik teuhlou. Political paizia ah leng ‘risk’ thoh lampang atam chiang a remchang liailuai hetlou. Guaranteed embarrassment tam. Sapte’n huchi te ‘trial and error’ achi uh, achi ve ua, laisiam te’n. A hnawksak ka sa!

Huchiin, I hong paitou zel a, achang in 6th Schedule bang hong ging a, achang in autonomy bang. Tunai in TC! (Kei bang in ‘transfer certificate’ chihna ana sa ing a, tulai ‘citizenship bill’ husa hong ngaih toh, ana lau giauguau kei voi, ka theihma a). Ahimhim a, huchi’a alang-alang I dapkual vel pen uh ahi di mah adiam, chih lungsim ah kidot nilouh in a om. I hohna di chiang hetlou khat houh ihi phiing hia? Huaiziak a, bus hong paipai ana boh a, hon tutna munmun a va ki-adjust mai sawm ihi hia? Ahihke’h, bus hong pai masasa man a, awl a pai kawmkawm a khek touh ding chi ihi hia? 1960’s lai in ‘Mizo Bus’ ina ‘miss’ ua, ichi sek uh. Tua ‘Naga Bus’ pen miss-louh teitei sawm ihi uhia? I bus number uh bang? I ofis tun sawmna uh koisan—Kei bang a!

Gen sau lai le: MNF kichi kha achiil in revolutionary organization ahikei chih I theivek. Kialsum zek pawl maimai ahi. Ahihziak in, lamet bang a kial panpihna hong pai louh chiang in, lungkimlou kisa in ‘self determination’ chih paipih in hong kilemthak ua, huchiin, ‘Front’ hong suak uhi. Ka gennop tak tuh, atuung in sumzek pawl maimai ahi ua, political ambitions bangmah nei ahikei uh. Huaiziak in, politics a kigolhlou achih uleh siang vilvel ka sa. Himahleh, ‘Front’ hong suah ua, political demand ahon neih chiang un, politics ka khoihkei uh, chithei vual ahita kei uh. Huaibang deuh in, ei leng, I kipatchiil a kipan in political ambition & aspiration neisa ihi ua (imm sese louh di’n). Political goal neisa a kipan gegu, electoral politics a kigolhlou ding, chi a constitution khawng ibawl ziazua pen mahni kizebawlna maimai hiin ka mu. Huchi’a socio-political objective nei napi politics a kigolhlou I chih teitei leh tuh mafia, syndicate leh underground business organisation chi’a mite hon etna (perception) dik sim suaksak maimah ding ihi. Huai I utkei leh, politics a kigolh ding, a niin te hahsiang ding, streamline-tu leh facilitate-tu hih ding, manipulate-tu hihlouh ding.

Atuung in zaw a theiphalou ki-om maithei. Himahleh hun hong sawt a, I movement in kal bangtan hiam hon suan chiang in, I hihdia kilawm ihih khaklouh, ihihlouh dia kilawm ihih khak, chihte velthak a kizut mammam poimoh hi. Huai tuh misiam te’n ‘retrospection’ achi ua, khovel pawlpi leh company lianpen te’n leng achiin mahmah uh khat ahi. Aziakbel, huai in kivaipuakna leh tup tangtunna hon gangsak a, pawlzia hon mam sak hi. Ei leng huchibang a ‘retrospection’ I bawl utkei hiam, I bawl theihkei hiam, bilbel mawk leh bel ‘square one’ a omden ding ihi maimah hi. Huchia I ki-etthak theihchiang in, bus alanglang bohlou in I number mah ngak tinten in I hong om theita ding a, bus number dik ah I zuanglut geih mai ding hi. Bus hong paibaih leh paihak bel thutuam. Bengali-English ngat in awle: “But vee vill not miss it!”

PS: Huai I latest political byword uh, ‘Territorial Council’ kha ‘formal territorial politics’ (based on the proper sense of socio-political history) dan a pai di hia? Ahihke’h, ei lamet pong dan a ‘local adaptation’ hon bawlsak di uhia, chih khawng atheih uthuai maimai ka sa e!

—samte\16032019\1110\kol