The Oldest Hmar Youth In Mumbai
Posted on | September 11, 2009 | 3 Comments
-Irene Amo
It’s nearly a decade since I came to Mumbai, I entitle myself the above
heading for, logically, I am older than any youth who’ve stayed here. Time past like the dust of the Sahara Desert, blowing away every second. I can still reminisce the first glance I had of Mumbai, it doesn’t differ much of the scene you and I saw- perhaps a little change!! It was garbage every where on the railway station with booming beggars and tracts filled with nature’s call, and the only difference I was writing about was that- I saw my mom and Anupui waiting for me. Though I’m a decade old, I see not much change in it. Now, Kalina, where most of our population settle now, had not much building like now. Air-India was filthy with slums piled up in every corner turned. There was a Sunder Nagar but not ‘sunder’, like how it is now. There were not much of us Hmars; it was just me and my family. I had no-one except my family with whom I could converse in our dialect; I nearly adopted English as my mother tongue. Every where I went, it was the only language I used for communication. Though my Hindi wasn’t bad, the accent was heavy, so I simply acted as though it was a foreign language for me. People were fooled by me instead of me ending up making a fool of myself. The other mean of communication was Marathi, which most of you have no idea about. I was compelled to learn it at school; I don’t know how I got through in my Board’s. It was completely God’s grace and a few credits to my tuition teacher of course, who too felt like exterminating the Government for making Marathi a compulsory, after teaching me. The joke here is, she was a Maharastrian. Trust me; I myself won’t let my grandchildren suffer like their grandmother. Moving on about my experience, Mumbai is still known as the city of dreams. Of course, we have our Bollywood (not exactly, but we see many known faces as supporting actors eh?) and other industries where we fulfill our dreams, some are accomplished while some aren’t. Being an old citizen, I haven’t yet decided whether mine are fulfilled or not. Mumbai is more than I ever dreamed of, dirtier, more population and pollution, cramped place. Truly more than my expectations right, but Mumbai is surprising. The unexpected takes place in this city. More than anything else, the most unexpected was, to actually encounter the Living God, here, in Mumbai, where God is least expected. It was my second year in the city; it was an awesome presence I felt. A feeling of peace in spite of the fears of beginning a new journey here. It was God who helped me through all these years of my life, Him who stood for me when I was a nobody in this city (I’m still nothing huge but I have some values now at least you know). And He is still there with me, in every step I take. When the city slept, my Heavenly Father didn’t slumber. I’ve grown old with this city and with God who was there for me from the beginning. He knew my loneliness and hence, brought all you people reading this article right now in Mumbai, so that I can adopt my mother tongue back as mine. With whom I can learn more about my cultures and display it in my life and college where it would have been such a hit! (I had no idea about that). I find myself pretty old to write a history about us Hmars in Mumbai. We were so few then, but now we all are scattered to shine like stars in the dark. We ‘Hmar children’ are called by God, to shine wherever we are for Him and in everything we do. And other least expected experience in Mumbai was the personality it built in me, another least expected was to see so many Hmars here. And to add my last point, one thing the city didn’t change about itself is the traffic and mode of transportation. I struggle a lot while traveling, you have to agree to that and everyone in my family did too. But God is there fighting seats with me every day. He’s just so wonderful, isn’t it? At the end of each day, I thank God for bringing me down to Mumbai where I draw closer to Him and learn about the meaning of life in this city. My training is still on….there are more expeditions waiting for me ahead in this exciting city. As I become older and older, it’s a pleasure to know that, ‘I’m the oldest youth in Mumbai hmar”.
(irene_amo@rediffmail.com)
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September 17th, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
Irene hi chu i va ziek thiem de aw…
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September 20th, 2009 @ 4:11 pm
ka lom e..:))
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November 23rd, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
A mawi khawp mai.Ei changkang pei
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