DELHI
Lealyan Thawmte

D elhi, the capital of India with a population of approximately 15 million plus squeezed in 1483 square kilometers of land is the prime destination for people from the NE regions, including many from other parts of the country. Never mind if that amounts to more that a 100 thousand per square kilometer. For the people from the NE India, it is partly because of lack of job opportunities in their respective states, turmoil and the debilitating insurgency mailaise, rampant corruption and security concerns that continued to grip the region.

Globalisation, inter-dependency on enconomies of the the world and the outsourcing of job my many western countries to third world countries for cheaper labour, and where knowledge is plenty is a boon for many. India leads the market in the outsourcing business primarily for knowledge of the English language by its young and enthusiasctic workforce. Many brilliant minds from the NE states, with impressive qualifications in computers, software and IT, have joined the bandwagon. Still, more work at call centers and even though the working hours are different, the paycheck compensates.Looking back 10 years ago, its hard to imagine a college graduate making Rs.15 thousand a month at a private company. Even in Delhi, the only stable employer then was the Central Government. The SSC and the UPSC were some of the organs that allowed many people from the NE India, and particularly from Lamka to come and stay in the capital in the late '80s early '90s and still today, I hope.. Delhi is nothing like the place and land they came from. But as adaptable and fast learners that we are. We integrated fast.

Too fast, to some extend and too much in many cases especially when compared to our mundane, hospitality, generousity and altruism nature of the so-called tribal people's customs and traditions of the NE. Nothing personal, but being thrown in there too, I'd soon realised that the people I knew, while I was in Delhi for 5 years plus, were more Delhiites than the locals themselves. In ways more than one.

For example, I'd observed that:-
* They buy their vegetables only after 8:00 p.m.

* Waits for the Bus for 35 mins., to go from Munirka to JNU.

* Goes all the way from Munirka to Gandhinagar, to buy a table cloth.

* The Sunday Market, behind the Red Fort is a pre-Christmas must.

* Favourite haunts: shops with 50% discounts.

* Chews a Rs.4 'paan' to get a rupee coin for church offering.

* Sometimes splits that into two fifty-paise coins.

* Always forgets to carry his/her 'khaini' with him/her.

* Be the last one to reach for the wallet at a group 'paan'.

* Eats rationed rice though he/she can afford basmati.

* Meetings/get togethers with meals is like high school maths- compulsory.

* Never misses the after-church tea, if served.

* Says non-veg doesn't appeal much. Dec.25 proved otherwise.

* Never carries a wallet/purse during Fresher's Meets.

* Membership to societies, committees - standing or sittting, is a must.

* Is a wizard at organising 'Marups'.

* Dreams of walking in front of Priya with a Coke & Nokia on hand, helmet shoulder slung.

* Doesn't really matter if he has a Motorbike or not.

* Offers steaming tea to visitors under 40 degrees plus heat.

* Is often the conductor at prayer meetings.

* Has a garden stretching from Sector 3 to 13, R.K.Puram.

* Can survive on 'daals' for 27 days a month, nevertheless.

* Knows the name of the scrap-dealer paying highest price for old newspaper.

* Is an active internet user during workdays.

* And uses net groups/forums to chat with friends in the city.

* Loves discussings issues/topics over and over and over again.

* Miscalled friends instead of actually calling them.

* And like many, really contemplates buying the TATA Nano.

Itna’ thu
Pauzagin Tonsing
“Tu in, Haupu, Awlmohhau hun i pe dia, ama’n itna bang hihiam chih hon gen ding ahihman in theihsiam chiat sawm in i bil uh palh sak in, nakvang leh mit dim a tankhak sawm in i ngai khe ding uh, tu in i sam ahi,” chi in hunkemtu in Haupu tuh thugenna nei ding in a sam hi.
Haupu’n ahun hon la a, “Hiai bang gen thei ding a hun piak a ka om man in ka kipak petmah hi. I gen ding thu uh itna kichi theihsiam theih ngei tuanlouh ding thu ahih ziak in tomkim in i gen ding uh.”“Amasa in itna na mu thei hia chi in kidong le’ng kuamah itna mu ngei a om kei ding. Itna kimuthei lou himahleh a nasep apan in atheihtheih hi. Muh teitei sawm in koisan apan itna hong kipan hiam chi in I taksa pum teng zong mahle i mu kei ding. Itna kigen chiang in lungtang a kipan chih ngaihdan a om, tuaziak mah ahi ding itna chiamtehna ding a lungtang lem a kizat. Ahihleh itna lungtang a kipan ahihleh sem zak in zongle huai ah a om tuan diam? Om tuan hetlou ding ahi. Lungtang lam siam Daktor-te phelneen sak in zong leng zong, ‘hiai ah itna a om bilbel vele!’ chih ding amu tuan het kei ding uh. Ahihleh itna koi a om hipeuhmah ding hiam, mihing sapum a omna ding ka ngaihtuah khe zou kei! Bangziak ahi diing? Muhtheih ka sawm ziak lel ahizaw hi. Tua ziak in itna zaw muh theihlouh mah hi ding hi.”Itna’ lim-le-puam mu thei keimahle le thil lamdang tak ahi. A nasepdan ah itna tuh a kilang thei hi. Sepdan tuamtuam a akilat ziak in kuama’n a theisiam thei kei uh. Gendan kibanglou chiat in a gen ua, suidan tuam chiat in a sui uhi. Khovel om tung apan tuni tan in itna thu gen in om mahleh gentawp theih in a om kei a, theihsiamdan tuam chiat in a kilang thei lailai hi.Itna khat himahleh gentehna tampi zat in a omta a, atuam leh kidang bang ngen in gen in a om hi. Mi a tuam dungzui in gendan tuam in a gen ua, tehkakna tuam a zang zel uhi. Midang khat a ding a chiang mahmah leng khat a ding a bangmahlou mai a hi a, khat a ding a houlua i chihsak leng midang a ding in thupi lua leng a hizel hi. Kuata’n hiai bang theisiam thei tha-hah ding i hi ua awi?Mi tampite’n itna ziak in hiai khovel a paisanta uh. Itna ziak a khovel nuam tak a zang utte’ himahleh uh a zatma un, a kilawmna taktak a theihma un a khovel hinkhua uh ning in sihna hanmual ah a liamsan maimah uhi. It luat vang a nuamtal sawmte’ a ding in hiai khovel paisan mahle uh a sihnung ua mite’ hunzatdan ding a ngaihtuah chiang un kisik tuntun ding un gintak huai zozen hi. Duhse lua akta kilohkhuh suak mai uhi. A itte uh toh midang in khovel a zatkhawm ding uh lause lua in hun lemtang a bawlsak ua, a soisak utte uh kipakna tel in chia maw? Tua bang a itna ziak a na hinna pe dia na kisak khak zenzen leh kingaihtuahinla, nang omlouh nung a mi’n hiai leitung hinkhua nuam tak a zang thouthou ding ahi uh aw, na ngaihtuahna kikhel sak mai in.Thugen siam leh la phuaksiamte’n itna tuh gen in a sak khum zel ua, gen behdan ding a vang mahmah a ahi ding ‘Aw itna’ chih tuh a thupi pen ahi mai hi. Gen chiang a haksa mahmah hi.
© Author

MEETINGCHIANGA NATHEI DING POINT 20 MAIMAI


1 .A hun lap in tung in.
2. Touna nuom sui vateh sin
3. Agenda teng a geen sese ding china um tuonlou ahi.
4. Agenda khat poupou a a geen masa pen hi sawm sin
5 Midang te geensa gengeennon da in.
6. Manghil khah a um leh a thei khe tu hi sawm in.
7. Meeting bei masang in paisan lou sawm hamham in.
8 Thu na geen ding chiang in dingteitei in.
9. Na pai/nuosia teitei ngai ding ahi leh ki ngen masain.
10. Mimal huatna toh thugeen sin
11. Thu lang geen a ki dawm in.
12. Agenda kibang te ah din da konin.
13. Thubul/Silum dan theimasa lou in mawh san geen sin.
14. Thunuo thuma thei chian masa in.
15.Nangma mimal thu geen sin.
16. Ta tawm man na tutna ding enmasa in.
17. Na sang a lianzaw,tal tahzaw te hun awn in.
18. Kholai a na nuo geen geen sang in tun sung khia in.
19. Mundang midang kung ah geen kawi lele sin
20 .Nangmaleh nang ma ki laan siangthou masa in.


ZU NA DAWN LEH

Aman ahing dawn kia veve ding hi.
Na sum na pai a dawn dinghy.
NA hun awng tenga dawn ding hi.
Na lung nopna adawn ding hi.
Na Ittna nei teng a dawn siang hi.
Nalung neemna tenga dawn dinghy.
Na vang tengadawn bei ding hi.
NA melhoinaa dawn dinghy.
Na thahatna adawn dinghy.
Nazumtheina adawn dinghy.
Na thuguh teng a dawn ding hi
Nadam sawtna a dawn ding hi.
Na van tung gam a tengadawn mangsiang kei ding a Aman ahing thunun ta ding hi,.




……AHHHH AAAAAAAAAHHH…………………

1 I ki geensiat siat sang in kiphat dan khat pan thei jo lei
2 I ki nuoi netnet sang in ki tawisang jo lei
3 I ki lang bawlbawl sang n ki thuo dan khatsui jo lei
4 I ki thang siatsiat sang in ki deisah jo lei
5 I ki zumpi pi sang in ki panpi jo lei
6 I ki paam paipai sang in kihuai jo lei
7 I ki maw sah tuotuo sang in ki nghaidam thei jo lei
8 I ki selphouphou sang in awl nou in ki hil jo lei
9 I ki muuda daa sang in ki Itt jo lei
10 I ki gaal bawlbawl sang in ki innkuon bawl jo lei
11 I ngim ngim sang in baw suh gawp jo lei
12 I ki dap et et sang in ki gen khe lihliah jo mai leh

Bang a chi jaw de aw mawwwwwww??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



A NGAISANG HUAILOU NUMEI….


1 Mi hawnpi um na lah a aaw ki ja vasuai te
2 Mi tampi ann nehna a akuongkai/kham nukhia te
3 Lamgei pou a zun tha thei johjoh te
4 A geigei naa chil se te
5 Khuom chin teng a nap taat te
6 Ahe/lungthah chiang a ki sen paipaite
7 A lungkimlouna ki lang sah papate
8 Mi geen siat hat mama te
9 Zawl thu leh mi Innsung thu geen geen pai te
10 Sum leh pai a chitah loute
11 Veng leh Paam, Inn sah Innhang toh ki tuoh loute
12 Inn a phiat chiang a leng sah va juo te
13 Semtam lou a geen tam jaw te
14 Ding kawm a juntha a hamte
15 Sem veng vung a tawp pai te
16 Sun Ihmut hat/chiing te
17 Kuong a sawp chiang a ging sah valum te
18 Zunthah pum a mi houpi teitei te
19 Pasal ham tuu te
20 Khut jaang a Zul/Zawn tat te
21 Zing thou haa a maisuo gum toh thou nalai te
22 Ann neh masang a mechiam jatjat thei te
23 Za tep kawm a kholai vah te
24 Pasal puon sil nuom diah te
25 Siangthou lou, kichei uang a achin peh kauhkauh te
26 Inn nasem pai lou te
27 Kamtam a athei tengteng geen khe papa te
28 Kholai vahhat te/Poimaw loupi a Kholai ziingvah te
29 A hun leh a mun dung jui aki adjust theilou te
30 Biah Inn kai pailou,Thuumna nei theilou leh Thuum pailoute ahi.