Amazing Aizawl. The tranquil beauty of India veiled in clouds and rain.

April 19, 2020

Year 2008. The Jet Airways ATR aircraft landed at the Lengpui Airport and for the first time in my life, I took a walk from the flight till the exit gate of the Airport. It was drizzling and all passengers were using colourful umbrellas except me. I have never seen such a small but beautiful airport in my life located in a plateau amidst blue and green mountains covered with white floating clouds.

My first visit to Mizoram was made memorable with the beautiful journey by Airport cab from Lengpui Airport to Aizawl city covering a distance of almost 50 kilometres in 3 hours through picturesque swerving mountaineous roads and amazing scenic beauty of hidden waterfalls, valleys and rivers on the way. I took a look through the rain dripped windshield of the car and lost myself in the surrounding spectacle of lush green and the floating white clouds with mist touching my nose. The sharp hairpin bends on the way with the spectrum of flowers were really breathtaking and I could feel that I am on the way towards one of the most less spoken, but beautiful hill city of India located behind the curtain of clouds and rain.

At 5 pm in the evening, I reached Aizawl. Before approaching the city, from a distance I felt as if the entire Aizawl was hanging at the edge of the mountain cliffs. It was a rainy dark evening, and the city life in this small city had already come to a halt for the day with the lonely streets fallen asleep with the reflection of the street lights on the dark glossy rain drenched roads and few car headlights hitting across the eyes on and often. I checked into the guest house at Chaltlang and by 7 pm the dinner was served. That's the tradition in Aizawl. The city life starts at 5 am in the morning and by 8 pm in the evening the entire city dives into deep slumber. You will not even find a single street dog on the roads after 8 pm. There are mini churches in every corners of the lane. After dinner, the Mizo families finish off their prayers and then all family members gather at one place and start playing guitars and music before going to sleep. At 8 pm in the night, I experienced sonething which I will never ever forget in my life. There was a heavy downpour going on with stormy breezes hitting the city amidst thunder and lightening. I was standing at the balcony of the guest house and staring far away towards the ghost like mountains and was enjoying the cold touches of rain. The noise of guitar and echoing western songs erupting from every windows of the city mixed with the noise of raindrops sprinkling on the roof top and battering the glass windows created an amazing jazzy atmosphere with crackling sound of bolt and whistling thunder storm. For me, it was a surprising fiesta of music happening in a rainy night, something which I have never ever experienced in my life.

Next day morning I woke up early and went for a morning walk. All the shops were open by 6 am in the morning. The roller coaster roads with curving street corners and fancied cars as public taxis and beautiful and gorgeous Mizo women and men wrapping themselves in fancy dresses gave me a feel of as if I have stepped into any cities of China or South Korea. It was great to see people travelling in colourful dresses with so much consciousness about fashion. I could feel as if I am into a different part of India with girls and women in elegant mini skirts or skinny jeans and T shirts with the cigarette butts hanging from a corner of their lips, taking the puffs and releasing the smoke rings in style and so casually. I went to some of the market places and was astonished to see the fancy garments in new cuts and looks with unique jewellery and lifestyle accessories. For me it was something like discovering a new India within India. The city is so clean and green with strict traffic rules and hygenic footpaths and street corners. Even the food habits were similar to Westernised patterns although you will find typical desi khanas and the restaurants everywhere. You will find lot of migrants of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Asaam and Punjab in the city.

In the evening, I went to the local football stadium and realized the love of the city towards soccer. We all know that Mizoram is one of the major supply line of Indian football. There were almost 300 small kids practicing in the local academy inside the picturesque football stadium located at tbe backdrop of mountains and hills. The parents and guardians of these local kids wearing jackets and pull overs with the logos of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea and other European clubs were cheering and encouraging their children while they were practicing inside the ground. It was a mindblowing and pleasing experience for a soccer lover like me. I have never seen such enthusiasm for football even among the parents and guardians of Kolkata known as the Mecca of Indian football.

After spending a couple of nights in Aizawl, finally it was my turn to proceed towards Silchar, Assam. I was returning back with the amazing memoirs of hide and seek between the rain and clouds, the love and hospitality of my local Mizo friends, the colourful dresses and market places, mouth watering pork delicacy and overall, a lush green and clean sleeping paradise of India veiled in clouds and rain with the Bangladesh and Myanmar borders at a stones throw away distance. And last but not the least, the Mizo women. They are amazingly smart and astonishingly beautiful like the twinkling stars and the shining moon of a night sky.

In my next travelogue, I will portray another beautiful journey by car from Aizawl to Silchar.

For the timebeing, leaving you with the noise of whistling thunderstorms mixed with the melodius soundwaves of the strings of Mizo guitars. Hope you enjoyed my writing just like the way I enjoyed my stay in Aizawl.