Aunts Aren't Gentlemen

Not exactly the most original title, borrowed from a PG Wodehouse book title, who by the way is one of my favourite authors. If you have ever read any of the Bertie Wooster stories you would be familiar with his two aunts, Aunt Dahlia and Aunt Agatha. Aunt Dahlia, the one with the loud voice, is the easygoing one who runs a magazine named Milady’s Boudoir, and Bertie once contributed an article “What The Well Dressed Man Is Wearing”. (The only instance we ever see Bertie actually doing anything that resembles work.)

And then there is his Aunt Agatha, the strong willed intimidating one who is always out to reform Bertie and trying to get him married. In the words of Bertie “My Aunt Agatha who eats broken bottles and is strongly suspected of turning into a werewolf at the time of the full moon" and “I know that London is a biggish city, but, believe me, it isn't half big enough for any fellow to live in with Aunt Agatha when she's after him with the old hatchet.”

Is it only me, or do you, like Bertie, too have formidable, terrifying super-power-possessing aunts? My father has five sisters, my mother has four, and then they have their cousins and second cousins, so you could see that I have an abundance of aunts.  Each one with her own peculiarity. You have the extremely easygoing ones, the uber strict ones, the talkative ones, the ones who never talk, the unmarried ones, and so on.  And like all aunts, they sometimes poke their noses in our family’s affairs, which is completely understandable because that’s how God made aunts. With long noses that can smell trouble and sniff out marital problems. With hawk-like eyes that can spot the cobwebs in your house and the cracks in your washbasin. With industrious hands that will move your house plants around (never mind that you move them back once they leave). With extensive vocabulary which is used to advise the badly behaved children of the whole clan. (If a committee of aunts summon you for a chat, you’d better run for the hills!)

Mateii

Kum 15 ka nih kum khan kan vengah mi in luahin an rawn awm a, kan in atanga hnai deuhah an awm nghe nghe a. U Puii kha khatih lai khan kum 25 vel anih ka ring a, U Te-a kha kum 22 vel aniang. Ka ngaihtuah let hian an lo naupang ngawt mai, an chhungte'n an inneih an lo remti vaklo pawh kha ka hrethiam ta. U Te-a te inah khan an han awm ve ren rawn a, mahse U Puii khan a pasala pa kha posi a lakkhum vel thin takah kha chuan an rawn indang ta a nia.

U Puii te nen zawk khan kan inchhung a, mahse kan inchhundan a hla angreng. An rawn insawn hma, in an rawn en vel pah khan min rawn tlawh a. Ka hmuh hmasak bera ka "first impression" kha ka la hre reng mai. Sang deuh, ngo deuh, sam buk deuh, mit lian ker kur hi a nia. A aw kha a thâm deuh tuak a, a hmai kha a duk deuh thluah bawk.

An rawn insawn ta a, mi hi an ti chhung em em a, an nitin office kal tur khan kan in hi kaltlang a ngai a, an rawn lut ngei ngei a. Kan thawmhnaw te kha U Puii khan a duh duh hi a rawn ha a, a thawmhnaw pawh a ui chuang lo a. Keini unau tleirawl rual kha chuan kawm nuam kha kan lo ti bawk si, an inah te khan len a nuam kan ti thei khawp mai. Kan mess hi an rawn join lo chauh a ni. Chhun thingpui in hunah te hian U Puii hi lu thur lei luai hian a lo chho anga, butter pack lian deuh nen. Thingpui leh chhangthawp kha chu kan tum turah khan a dah tawp a, butter kha chhah elkhen khan a'n tat ngei a, keini lahin chuti bawk.

An nupa tê khan an awm a, an hlim khawp mai. Mahse hlimna famkim hi a lo awm lo a ni. U Puii khan natna khirh tak mai SLE kha a vei a, a vun te hi duk thlek thluk thin a. Daktawr te kha an râwn reng thin khan ka ring ta, ka ngaihtuah let leh hian, mahse ka ngaihven loh lam tak kha a ni a. Fa nei lo tur erawh kha chuan daktawr te khan an hrilh in ka hria.

Thil thleng tur hi chu a awm a ni teh chêk aniang chu, an rawn insawn atanga kum khat vel ah chuan U Puii chu a rai ta a. Daktawr te thupek pawh ngaipawimawh zo lo vin neih a tum ta a. An nupa khan an lo inhmangaih ve hle a ni, nuih kha tiza thin hle mah se. Ka nu leh pa bulah khan an rawn inhek nasa thin em em a, U Te-a khan zu in kha a ching ve a, mahse sual zawng leh buaina siam zawng kha chuan a awm ngai lo thung. Mize zâwi tak, tawng tlem deuh, a ruih phei chuan nui vel mai mai kha a ni. U Puii nen khan an mizia chu a inlet thawk a ni, "opposites attract" an tih ang hi a ni ber.

Mateii pian kha ka hrechiang khawp mai. Damdawiin atanga an rawn chhuah veleh an inah kan tlan thla nghal a, puan hian an lo tuam hlên a, a hmui hi a sen ver a, hmeltha kan ti lutuk. A piantirh atang khan kan naute hi a ni nghal ringawt. Kan inah hian hun tam zawk an hman avang khan a thawmhnaw tam tak kha a awm reng a. An rawn chho tawp a, kekawr spare pakhat mah keng lo hian, a ngailo tih kha hre hek. A len deuh hnu khan awmpui tlangval Bawiha tih hi an nei a.

Bawiha mawlh kha! Min va han tihlim thin tak. Amah kha tlangval rau rau ah pawh nula fel tak mai a ni a, inchhung enkawl kha a ti vek a. Buhthlei te kha a thiam em em a, kan inah te a rawn thlei thin bawk a. Mahse a buhthlei dan style kha a mak ve a, inchunga in tê ah khan inkalhkhumin a han thlei kher thin a nih chu! Mi hmuh laia thlei kha a zak a ni chêk ang chu, mahse buh a thlei tih kha kan hre vek tho a, ka nu phei chuan nui char char chungin a buhthlei ri te a han ngaithla vel thin. Kan cousin tleirawl Zovi hi chutih lai chuan kan inah khan a awm bawk a, Bawiha chuan a huphurh em em a, Zovi an in lam pana rawn kal a hmuh tawh chuan eitur te hi a lo thukru sawk sawk thin. Kan indaihzai teh mai ania.

Mateii pian hnu khan kan inchhung zual sauh emaw tih tur a ni. U Puii te in bulah hian parawl pakhat hi a awm a, rawngbawl a peihloh thin avang khan U Puii te mess a zawm a. Thla tawp lamah, U Puii te sum dinhmun kha a lo that vakloh chang chuan an vaiin, an parawl tiam chuan kan mess hi an rawn zawm lehchhawng thin a. Chhangchhe thei rep rep tak kan ni, mahse a nuam phian. Tumah khan kan sawisel ngai lo, kan nin thu kan sawi ngai lo bawk. A nihdan tur ve reng emaw kha kan ti tawp. An nupa an inhauh chang hian kan inah hian inhêk tur hian an rawn chho thin a, ka nu leh pa kha judge leh jury an lo ni a, keini tleirawl ho a sirah kan lo nui tiah tiah a. U Te-a a ruih chang phei chuan a nuihzatthlak thei sia, ka nu leh pa pawh kha an nui ve tawp zel. Mahse an han inhau ve bawk a, an thinrim rei ngai lem hlei lo a, lawm deuh chuan an haw ve leh mai thin.

Chutia buai luai luai, hlim deuh si a kan awm lai chuan U Puii chu a zual ta thut mai a. A natna, zia tawha kan ngaih kha a rawn nasa leh thut a. Hmuh theih khawpin a rawn thawk chak a. Mateii kum khat a tlin hnu lawk, March 1997 khan min boralsan ta mai a. A thih zan te chuan Mateii khan engmah a la hrethiam si lo a, mi zaiah khan a lo lam vel a, a va han lainatawm tehreng em! Khami zan khan midang pawm kha a duh miah lo a, ka pa leh ka u khan an pawm zankhua ta a nih kha. A thih khan U Puii kha kum 28 a ni a, a va han uihawm tak em!

Nu ber a awm tak si loh ah chuan U Te-a te pafa chu a pa te in lamah an let leh ta a, aw Mateii kha kan va ngai thei tak em! Kan veng a inhlat si, mahni hna ah theuh kan lo buai si, duh ang pawhin kan hmu tam thei lo a. Mi an rawn tlawh ngai si lo a, a hnuah phei chuan kan ngaih em em Mateii tan chuan hmelhriat loh ah kan lo chang ta hial a.

U Te-a chuan min la rawn tlawh zauh zauh a, mahse U Puii awm tawh loh hnu kha chuan a khawvel kha a tawp vek a ni ber mai. Zu ah hlimna a zawng a, a hmu zo si lo. Kan lakah pawh khan a inthlahrun phah a. Nikum hmasa lawk khan min boralsan nghe nghe a.

U Puii thihna pawh kum 15 a ni ta, Mateii pawh a nula ve dawn tawh ang. Mate, min hre tawh lo mah la kan tan chuan kan naute duat kha i la ni reng asin! U Pui, U Te, in lei taksa chu thi tawh mahse, kan rilru leh thinlung ah erawh in nung reng tawh dawn si.

Lerh Hi

Ka naupan deuh lai chuan engtin nge mi hi an inngaihzawn dan hi ka hrethiam lo a, ka ngaihtuah dan chuan khawlaiah hian mipa leh hmeichhia hi an intawk ang a, "Inngaizawng ang" an ti tawp a nih ka ring thin. Ka mitthla a ka hmuh tak phei chu Aizawl Bazarpui, Israel Point bus stop bul vel kawngpui saw a nia. Mipa zawk kha Zion Street lam atang khan a rawn phei a, hmeichhia kha a opposite lam atangin. An intawk a, inngaihzawn an remti a, an inngaizawng ta der a! Inrim tih vel kha ka la hrethiam pha chiahlo aniang.

Fast forward 25 years. 2010 kuma Mizorama ka haw in ka thiannu naute thar ka en a, thar han tih lemah thla 5 vel chu a ni tawh a. Tette atanga inkawm kan ni a, ka awmloh hlanin pasal min lo neihsan daih mai a, ka ngei khawp mai a. Kan thianho ah amah kha pasal nei hmasa ber a ni. "Pasal hi nei ve thuai rawh u, lerh ve deuh te hi a ngai ania" a ti a. Kan ngei khawp mai, pasal nei dek dek a thiante min han vei nghal ringawt kha.

Han dam ve tak rengah chuan kum te pawh a lo tam ve zel a, thiante'n pasal an han neih tak pheuh pheuh ah chuan rilru ah a lo lan ve chang a awmlo theilo. Mahse pasal neih hi famkimna chiah emni le? Neilo pawh hian a hlim ve theih tho lo'mni? A nei tawh te kha chuan "I neih hma chu i hrethiam lo ang" in ti ang a, la nei lo te kha chuan "Nei kher lo pawh hian a awm theih e" in ti ngei ang tiru?

Nia, lerh ve deuh chu a ngai a ni. Mahse tumah han ngaihzawn lem loh a, tuman min rawn ngaihzawn lem si loh chuan tihngaihna a awm chuang der lo! Tuna kan kal dan hi a tha rih e, ti leh phawt mai ang.