China-India 1962 War: Arunachal Pradesh Will Benefit By Developing Trade & Friendship Links

New Delhi needs to move closer to Beijing. And Arunachal Pradesh will benefit a lot if we develop trading links by land

By Mukut Mithi

Let me make the first statement: Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. But over the years it has remained isolated from mainland India, mainly because it is located in the eastern-most corner of India. It is incidentally the largest North-Eastern state in terms of area, and it shares a 1,680 km-long border with three foreign nations: China, Bhutan and Mynamar.

With China alone, Arunachal shares a 1,080 km-long border. To stretch the introduction a little further, it is India's land of the rising sun and home to 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes who speak different dialects. Apart from abundant forest resources and huge hydro-power potential, the state has mineral resources like oil and gas, dolomite, graphite, coal, quartzite, limestone, marble etc.

When students from the north east were targeted in Bangalore in August via hate SMSes, the population from Arunachal Pradesh was mostly unaffected. Yes, there were anxieties, but they did not leave the city in fear. Maybe they are too small a number to be noticed by those who were spreading rumour.

We need to devise institutionalised ways to make the integration of the north-east with the rest of India more meaningfully. Currently, central government employees are given a little more incentives in their LTA if they choose to visit the north-east.

The government also sponsors youths from various parts of India to visit the north-east to get first-hand experience. I suggest, both the Centre and state governments must devise more schemes whereby people from the rest of India are encouraged to visit the north-east and understand the region better.

On China, my views are straight and simple. China is an economic giant and we need to enhance trade ties further. But Arunachal Pradesh will benefit if we develop trading links by land. So far the only border trading point between India and China is located near Nathu La in Sikkim.

I suggest we must work towards converting the 1962 war routes as trade and friendship routes. In October 1962, Chinese soldiers occupied Tawang located in the western part of Arunachal, then called North East Frontier Agency, or Nefa. On east Arunachal, Indian and Chinese soldiers fought at Walong. We all grew up with stories around those battles.

I strongly believe that after 50 years, both New Delhi and Beijing must enter into a serious dialogue to make Tawang-Bum-La and Walong-Rima trading routes a reality. Let those be named as friendship routes. Once those land routes are opened for legal trade, entrepreneurs from Arunachal will be able to export products such as rice, oranges, orchids and handicraft items to China.

In recent years, the connectivity to those border towns has improved, making it easier for them to handle goods coming from Assam plains too. The Rupai-Walong and road to Tawang are being widened. Tawang has always been a popular tourist spot. Let it also be known for serious business with China.

(The writer is member of Parliament & ex-CM, Arunachal Pradesh)

Mainstream Accord For Naga Rebels

The NSCN’s commitment to the Constitution may end one of the oldest insurgencies in the Northeast...
The Naga insurgency, almost as old as the Union of India itself, might be nearing its end.

While it may be premature to hope before the deed is done, the written commitment from the Nscn (IM) that it is going to accept the India Constitution — in other words, offer its allegiance to the Indian Union — is a significant breakthrough. The NSCN(IM) is reportedly also amenable to the idea of not redrawing state boundaries in the Northeast for the sake of peace.

The ball is once again in the Centre’s court, as the NSCN will wait for the deliberations with the governments of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur by which New Delhi will try to work out a special set of rights for Nagas in these neighbouring states.

While this is a major development towards peace and stability in the Northeast, the NSCN(IM)’s decision is only the logical outcome of a long insurgency in a large and democratic nation-state.

India’s history of dealing with insurgencies proves the expediency of the right combination of armed action and political outreach, exploiting the cracks in even the most sanguinary militancies, which allow room for democratic reconciliation. That has been the story in Punjab and Kashmir, in Assam and, hopefully, one day with the Maoists.

Diplomatic channels that reach out to the more moderate amongst extremists — along with force — keeps a finger on the pulse of an insurgency and ultimately ends up mainstreaming the militants.

If a solution can be framed before next year’s assembly polls in Nagaland, and the NSCN — which was formed in opposition to the Shillong Accord of 1975 and subsequently split — participates in the same, that mainstreaming would be near complete.

The benchmark settlement remains the Mizo Accord of 1986, an object lesson for tackling insurgencies across India.

Whether imitable or not, the Mizo Accord ended 30 years of the Mizo insurgency, and by 2008, Mizoram was recording 70 per cent turnout in elections.

If the Naga issue resolves in peace in the near future, it would positively impact neighbouring states too, particularly strife-torn Manipur, and speed up infrastructure and connectivity projects in the Northeast vital to economic growth in the landlocked and underdeveloped region.

India Express Editorial

Cancer: A Rising Threat in Mizoram

Aizawl, Oct 15 : With the number of cancer patients rising in Mizoram, the Lal Thanhawla government is seriously putting its effort to establish a cancer hospital and research institute in Mizoram.

The rising cases of cancer patients in Mizoram has been caused by the excessive use of tobacco products by the people, according to Dr Kuddus Ahmed, secretary of Association of Oncologist of North East India who had commented this earlier in the year in Aizawl.

On Saturday, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla conveyed a meeting in connection with the setting up of a cancer hospital in Aizawl. Member of Parliament (MP) C.L. Ruala, S.Laldingliana, T.P. Khaund, Principal Adviser, L.R.Thanga, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Esther Lalruatkimi, Secretary, Health and Health department officials, discussed on the project of establishment of a cancer hospital in Mizoram.

The state government of Mizoram has been prompted to set up a cancer hospital and research institute to address the growing number of cancer patients in the state.

Mizos have the habit of using tobacco products excessively, according to Lal Thanhawla. Among various diseases that claim lives in Mizoram, cancer claims more lives than any other diseases if the reports made by Mizoram Economics & Statistical department are to be based. In the book, ‘Statistical Abstracts of Mizoram 2009’ prepared by the said department cancer had claimed more lives than other diseases like malaria, cholera, TB etc. The book highlighted numbers of death during the year 2004-2008.

During the year 2004, 593 died of cancer which is 12.72% of death while in 2005, 618 persons died due to cancer which is 13.18% of the total death on that year. The book further revealed that during 2006, 2007 and 2008, cancer had claimed 12.82%, 13.08% and 11.71% of the total death.

Meanwhile, according to Mizoram Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) report, stomach cancer is the most common cancer where 23.1% of cancer patients have suffered from this cancer. It is followed by lung cancer and then throat cancer followed.

On the other hand, malaria comes next to cancer in killing more number of people in Mizoram. During the same period from 2004-08 malaria had claimed, 500 lives (10.72%), 621 (13.25%), 653 lives (13.95%), 333 (6.80%) and 474lives (8.49%) out of the total death in year wise.

He had also said that the Mizos’ habit of smoking and consumption of other tobacco products was their main weakness, which even makes the Mizo sports persons lagging behind others; and also it has a negative impact to our economic condition.

India's First Glass Mosque in Shillong

Shillong: India will have its first glass mosque - in the country's northeast. Madina Masjid, an imposing and resplendent structure of glass dome and glass minarets, will formally open doors to the devotees on Thursday in Meghalaya's capital. "It is an architectural marvel," Congress legislator Sayeedullah Nongrum, who helped in the mosque's construction, told IANS.

"It took us one and a half years to complete the only glass mosque in India and the largest one in the northeastern region," said Nongrum, who is also general secretary of the Shillong Muslim Union (SMU).

The four-storey building - 120 feet high and 61 feet wide -- stands inside an Idgah Complex in the city's Lahan area and is close to the garrison grounds along the Umshyrpi river. At night, the mosque's glasswork glows and glitters.

The mosque houses a new orphanage named Meherba, a library and a 'markaz'-- an Islamic theological institute. Madina Masjid has a capacity of around 2,000 people and has separate space for women to offer prayers.


Nongrum said the new theological institute would impart Islamic teachings and the library there would have books on comparative religious studies. "This place will be open for everyone, but one should maintain the mosque's sanctity," Nongrum said, adding that the mosque was set to become a tourist attraction. Around Rs 2 crore was spent on the building, with fund from SMU and well-wishers, he said.

Nongrum said most of the people who built the mosque were Hindus. The mosque was completed in July and SMU will maintain it. Union Law and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is scheduled to inaugurate Madina Masjid, along with Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Vincent H. Pala, on Oct 18.

Nongrum said 51 boys and girls are already in an orphanage in the complex and go to a primary school in the Idgah complex established in 1942. The complex also has a minority co-educational institution, Umshyrpi College, set up in 1994. In 2008, the Idgah was the first in the region to open doors to women devotees.

"I have seen Muslim women offering prayers with great difficulty in the absence of space and privacy, especially while at work or out of home. When our women go to market, which is considered to be the worst place for a Muslim women under Sharia, we men do not object.

So, why can't women go to a 'masjid' and offer prayers? Why fanatics object to it?" he said, adding, "I don't believe in the interpretation of fanatics. 'Purdah' means inner shyness of women. If the shyness is retained, she can go anywhere. There's nothing forbidden in going to a place and offering prayer.

The Shillong Muslim Union was formed in 1905 in erstwhile East Bengal, which stretched from Siliguri to Cox's Bazar and Chittagong to Dibrugarh. After India's partition in 1947, SMU narrowed down its activities to Assam.

Since Meghalaya's formation in 1972, its activities have been limited to the state. India has about 165 milllion Muslims, the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.

10,000-30,000 Child Drug Addicts in Mizoram

Aizawl, Oct 15 : Child drug addiction and easy accessibility to drugs is an area of major concern in Mizoram, a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) advisor said.

NCPCR representative Dr L Mishra, who is its advisor, guessestimated that the figure of child drug addicts could be as high as 10,000 to 30,000 after his meetings with several State officials and NGOs. He said that he had asked the State to conduct a survey to get a clear picture. He urged the government to immediately notify the State Level Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Dr Mishra said that Mizoram’s children are in dire need of protection from the evil of drugs, which are easily available and made more accessible by the existence of internet pharmacies which cater to them here.

He was in the city for two days to follow-up on the State Action Plan for implementation of child rights in the Northeastern States during which he had a number of meetings with the officials of various concerned departments and NGOs including the chief secretary. Before Mizoram, he had taken up similar exercises in the states of Assam, Tripura and Manipur.

“When we find that a child of 10 years has started injecting drugs, it is not a good sign for the society as a whole,” he said. He was not really impressed by the fact that there are more than a dozen centres for drug rehabilitation as this only proved the point that addiction is rampant.

He called for more preventive measures to stop children from getting drawn into these habits. “Rehabilitative treatment might not really be the answer to the problem as treatment after addiction has set in is not really a cure,” he said. He urged the State Government to give more emphasis to social counseling, youth and children projects, build on the local strengths such as music and sports, and create more facilities for children.

“Being a hilly State I understand that there is not much space for playgrounds, but the government has to create these facilities for the spirit of the children to grow,” he said.

He said that the sero-positive ratio of children here is also a grey area. The State needs to bring down the incidence of HIV+ rate among child and adolescents. He was told that there are 120 HIV+ kids in different homes.

He was critical of the State Government for hiring 3,000 untrained teachers for the primary schools. Their training should be completed urgently or else the children would suffer. He also asked the State to ensure that the 7,400 drop-outs are back in school. The NCPCR’s role is to ensure that there is no child labour, strict implementation of right to education laws, protect the rights of HIV+ kids and drug users among other child rights issues.

National Highways in Northeast To Be Upgraded

Agartala, Oct 15 : To improve road connectivity in the country's mountainous northeastern states, over 10,100 km of national highways in the region will be gradually upgraded, a top official said Saturday.

"The central government has accorded importance to improving connectivity in the land-locked northeastern region," Road Transport and Highways Ministry Secretary A.K. Upadhyay told reporters here.

"Over 10,100 km of national highways in the northeastern region would be further developed in a phased manner," he said.

"Northeast in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular have been accorded the highest importance for development of road and bridge infrastructure.

"Around 2,770 km of roads, including those in the areas bordering China, are in various stages of construction by BRO (Border Roads Organisation)," Upadhyay said.

Arunachal Pradesh shares 1,030 km of unfenced border with China.

He said the extension, development and widening of National Highway-44 up to Sabroom in Tripura were crucial after Bangladesh allowed India to access the Chittagong port, about 75 km from the border town of Sabroom.

The central government has also started building a 150-metre-long bridge over the Feni river in Sabroom for better connectivity with the Chittagong sea port.

Upadhyay said that an additional director general from the ministry with higher technical and financial powers would be appointed soon to accelerate works on the national highways in the northeastern states.

Additional chief engineers from the BRO would also be posted in the region for the same purpose, he added.

The official also said that due to topographical and other limitations, the cost of Rs.3.5 crore per km applied to building roads in other parts of the country was not sufficient for the region.

"As the growth prospect is enormous in the region, infrastructure development, specially building of roads, is very essential," he said.

Stabilise Northeast Before Looking East

By Nitin Gokhale

The northeastern states can take advantage of the liberalisation that is taking place in Myanmar only if New Delhi  starts looking at the region as an important starting point of India's  'Look East' policy, notes Nitin Gokhale

Five months ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh  went to Myanmar and said India and Myanmar as "natural partners."

He suggested tapping the huge un-realised potential of the economic relationship between the two countries for mutual benefit. During that two-day trip, India and Myanmar signed a number of agreements and put in place a road map for the rapid development relations in the years ahead.

As diplomatic visits go, it was a great success. But it takes more than usual platitudes to translate a triumphant state visit into a long lasting relationship, coming as this one does after a relatively low profile engagement over the past decade.

In fact the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Myanmar came after leaders from Bangladesh, US, South Korea and Britain had already made their forays into Myanmar. New Delhi, ever so cautious -- or laggard, depending on the prism through which one sees its approach -- has only now tentatively taken the first steps to cash in on Myanmar's opening up. As the Prime Minister pointed out: "Myanmar, with its unique" geographic location, can be a bridge linking South and South East Asia to East Asia and there is much untapped potential in our economic relationship."

After all, India has a major partnership with her neighbouring ASEAN countries in trade and investment.

Myanmar, now a member of ASEAN, has become a major link between India and ASEAN countries. And North East, particularly Manipur ought to become the center of thriving and integrated economic space linking two dynamic regions with a network of highways, railways, pipeline, and transmission lines crisscrossing the region.

Development of the North East is thus integral to India's policy on Myanmar.

North East is a corridor and a transit route to South East Asia. Infrastructure building tops the priority. A big project already under way is designed to turn the Kaladan River into a shipping route, linking Mizoram to Myanmar's port of Sittwe, which India is helping develop. India has also agreed to upgrade an extensive network of roads and bridges in Myanmar that would effectively connect the North East (and the rest of India) to Thailand as soon as 2016. Both sides are also exploring the possibility of setting up train routes through the country. Facilitating border transit would make the Northeast a gateway to Myanmar -- a potential boon for trade as well as tourism.

A think-tank, Aspen Institute India has in fact said in its report on Myanmar recently: "With the Myanmar economy opening up and the world showing greater interest, India has to think big and look consciously for a high profile entry. One of the important new initiatives that India could take up is the setting up of a large, multi-purpose Special Economic Zone around Sittwe. Setting up of another SME-oriented SEZ should also be considered in or near Setpyitpyin (Kaletwa), to which point the Kaladan river is being made navigable, in the region adjoining the Indian border which happens to be amongst the most backward areas in Myanmar."

India is currently upgrading the Sittwe port and making 225 km of the Kaladan river from Sittwe to Setpyitpyin (Kaletwa) navigable. This point would be connected to Mizoram by a 62 km road which India is committed to construct. The Kolkata-Sittwe sea route is only 539 km. These projects are designed to provide connectivity between mainland India and its northeastern states through the Indian Ocean and Myanmar territory.

"Sittwe is the hub of these transport connectivity arrangements. The SEZ could have power plants, fertilizers, plastics, chemicals and other downstream industries, export-oriented greenfield projects, tourism complexes, a super-specialty hospital, housing complexes and educational institutions as an integral part of the master plan. Select Indian companies can be encouraged to invest and participate. Such a project would create a high impact economic region for planned and sustainable long term socio-economic development in the country. The need of the hour is to systematically create economic opportunities by bringing together industry and people in well planned localised areas, with adequate enabling infrastructure and public services. Availability of world-class infrastructure can be a differentiator for Myanmar and improve its competitiveness as a destination for industry and business investment."

India's north eastern states and Myanmar should be the main target markets of many products manufactured in the SEZs to once again make India's north eastern states and northern Myanmar a natural economic zone, which they historically were, providing a sustainable economic life line to the north eastern states. But this would require enormous fast-paced infrastructure development on the Indian side of the border with Myanmar which is primitive and is hardly geared to handle the traffic that would be generated due to the Kaladan project.

Indian private sector companies have a good track record of setting up greenfield airports and ports. These could be additional areas of our collaboration.

In terms of land connectivity, India's National Thermal Power [ Get Quote ] Corporation has envisioned a vision plan for the next 20 years. Additional rail link and the Sittwe-Aizwal-North Assam road link are also new plans. These should be viewed as long term strategic investments from India and be expedited.

Manipur, shares a 398-km border with Myanmar. But more importantly the border town of Moreh has been a traditional trading hub with Myanmar and therefore has vast potential to become a major export centre from India for the South-East Asian region. Here's why: According to available statistics, bilateral trade between India and Myanmar more than doubled between 2005 and 2010, expanding from $557 million to $1.2 billion, most of it through Moreh. Disappointingly though, it pales in comparison to the bilateral trade between China and Myanmar which in 2010 amounted to an estimated $3 billion.

Another prominent think-tank, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses says: "In this context, the efficacy of various projects related to the Trilateral Highway as a component of the Asian Highway cannot be overlooked. The Trilateral Highway aims at connecting India's North-East with Thailand via Myanmar. It could mitigate the disadvantages of landlocked North-East India. There has been an agreement between India and Myanmar on the construction and upgradation of the Kalewa-Yargyi stretch of the Trilateral Highway during recent meetings. In its larger and more ambitious frame, the Trilateral Highway project is an example of triangular road diplomacy between India, Myanmar and Thailand, with a vision of inter-linking the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea. It is a component of the Asian Highway, which is scheduled for completion by 2016. Proposed and implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Highway Project includes the Asian Highway 1 and 2 that would pass through the North-East, connecting India with its eastern neighbours.

While the Asian Highway is being built along planned routes to cover a wide spectrum of road network in the North-East region of India, much more needs to be done by the Indian government to make the road functional. The Asian Highway needs to be interlinked with other critical projects that are envisaged to be completed as part of the Look-East Policy such as the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project and Trans-Asian Railways."

Nevertheless, with better connectivity and implementation of various development projects, the Asian Highway would enable the North-East region to become a business hub of South Asia. Economic linkages already exist by virtue of the prevailing legal and illegal trade between India and Myanmar through Moreh, a business border town in Manipur, and Tamu in Myanmar. Concrete economic benefits are expected to come up in the region with establishment of border haats. In addition, internal trade routes have the potential to enhance accessibility to sub-regional markets that connect Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan.

Thus, with the coming of the Asian Highway, Myanmar will become the point of convergence as well as the linking route between India and the other South-East Asian countries. That, in turn, will lead to the creation of more secure and safe living spaces for the populace residing on either side of the border.

But there are apprehensions too. Local people in the North East fear that the opening of the Asian Highway and absence of inadequate enforceable regulation on immigration, illegal migration into the region may increase manifold. Also past promises have not been translated into real progress.

In July 2011, when India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, speaking at the Indonesian resort town of Bali, announcing a car rally from Singapore to Kolkata  said of India and South East Asia, "We need connectivity more than ever before between our younger generations, entrepreneurs, IT experts, scientists, diplomats, media and students," he was only highlighting a long-desired need.  "I propose that, unlike the car rally in 2004, this time the car rally begin from ASEAN countries into India and culminate at Kolkata," Krishna said, underlining the need for deepening geographical connectivity among countries of the region.

But in India's North East, Krishna's announcement was met with stony silence. Many remembered November 2004, when a similar car rally was organised between Guwahati and Singapore, passing through the Indian states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. Then too, the rally was seen as the beginning of a new era in connecting India's isolated North Eastern region to East and South East Asia. Manipur, in particular hoped the new initiative would help it overcome its inherent handicap of being a remote and landlocked state, as it would have brought huge improvement in infrastructure, particularly the roads leading in and out of the state.

Alas, that was not to be.

It is the failure of actualising intent that rankles in Manipur. That, combined with multiple frustrations emanating from prolonged bouts of economic blockades, a state administration in terminal atrophy and the continued and unchallenged writ of underground armed groups, has left the people despondent. It is this hopelessness that the Centre and state government must work hard to overcome. For that, a solution to long-standing ethnic insurgencies has to be found in double-quick time.

Now is the time to press for peace and security in Manipur since politics in Myanmar are undergoing a dramatic change. With the junta taking tentative steps towards genuine democracy and showing signs of warming towards India, New Delhi must seize this moment to establish lasting trade and cultural ties with its eastern neighbour. But before India can play a larger role in Maynmar, it needs to fix Manipur's broken socio-political landscape.

As Arvind Gupta, director general of IDSA said in an article; "This will require, first and foremost, the settlement of the continuing insurgencies in the region as it would take care of many of India's security concerns. It must be noted that considerable progress has been made in this regard in recent years. The recent improvement in India–Bangladesh relations has had a major security benefit for India in terms of winding down of the ULFA insurgency. Similarly, improving ties with Myanmar will help India in dealing with the Naga and Manipur insurgencies. Economic and social development in the region will also pay security dividends for India.

"The North East region has the potential to become a manufacturing hub for engaging with neighbouring Bangladesh, Myanmar, and ASEAN in general. For this, the North East needs to be connected more densely with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the ASEAN region beyond. This will require building infrastructure -- roads, railway lines, river transport, airports, tourism infrastructure, border check-posts, educational, and health infrastructure, etc. -- in the North East on an urgent basis. The GoI needs to invest big sums in the region in order to make LEP a success. Moreover, linking the North-East to Myanmar and Bangladesh will help in the development of the region and address the issue of poverty."

Manipur and to a lesser extent Nagaland must take advantage of the liberalisation that is taking place in Myanmar. But that potential can be fully realised only if New Delhi starts looking at Manipur as an important starting point in India's 'Look East' policy instead as a dead end of the country's road network.

Nitin Gokhale is the Security & Strategic Affairs Editor with NDTV. He has lived in and reported from India's North East between 1983 and 2006.

Vangpui Kut Brings Message Of Peace, Love And Unity

The Mizo festival celebration saw Bangaloreans enjoy an engrossing evening with diverse art forms, from Veeragase to rock music!

The Bangalore Mizo Association, an association formed by Mizo's living in Bangalore, celebrated Vangpui Kut. The festival was held to spread the message of peace, unity and friendship among all communities living in Bangalore.

Vangpui Kut has been a regular feature in Bangalore and it is only this year that the organisers have made an attempt to open its doors to friends, colleagues and well wishers from other communities in Bangalore, keeping in mind the recent crisis that had caused a massive exodus of North Easterns from Bangalore.

Mizo dancers performing Cheraw, a traditional bamboo dance. Pic courtesy: Trigam Mukherjee

The evening was set in the presence of political leaders from Karnataka and Mizoram who presided over a cultural exchange evening. Performances from Dollu Kunitha and Veeragase from Karnataka and Boomarang-a popular rock band and Mizoram Cultural Troupe kept the audience engrossed throughout the evening.

Shri Govind M Karjol, Minister of Minor Irrigation, Kannada and Culture, expressed his delight at the event and said " I am delighted that the Mizo community of North East India has organised the cultural exchange event in which both the states of Karnataka and Mizoram and participating" He welcomed the efforts of the Bangalore Mizo Association and the State Governments of Karnataka and Mizoram to bring back confidence in the people of North East.

Minister of Transport, Art and Culture, Government of Mizoram, Mr PC Zoram Sangliana who represented the Government of Mizoram in the Festival said " I firmly believe that having a cultural troupe from Mizoram jointly perform with those of Karnataka's and entertain the people of the Garden City will go a long way in bringing social harmony and better understanding among people"

He further congratulated the Bangalore Mizo Association and the Government of Karnataka in being successfully concluding this year's Vangpui Kut.

Other dignitaries present at the festival were DG & IGP Lalrokhuma Pachuau, president of the Bangalore Mizo Festival, Lalrinpuii and leaders of various churches.

The event held at the Baldwin Boys School auditorium had several stalls serving traditional cuisines from both the states which created a truly carnival atmosphere.

This content has been provided by Lalrinpuii of Bangalore Mizo Association and published as-is.