- Ruata Lungchuang
Geopolitics is an unpredictable thing. With tensions brewing just across the border in Myanmar, especially in and around Sangaing and Chin State, not for the better, but for the worse, the coming end of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and the proposal for a border fencing have once again brought the question of free access to important cultural sites into the limelight, particularly for ethnic groups living along the frontier regions of Northeast India.
Mizo people, like other ethnic groups along the Indo-Myanmar frontier, are not untouched by the legacy of British divide-and-rule policies and the partition of India. In mainstream Indian and international discourse, the Partition often refers only to the division between Pakistan and India in the north, focusing on the resulting violence and the loss of ancestral access. What is rarely talked about is the partition of Burma from British India. That division, executed in a tone-deaf and careless manner, cut across traditional ethnic borders and has had rippling effects to this day. In fact, it remains one of the major factors behind the region's militancy and separatist movements.
What we must remember is that several parts of the ancestral Mizo region were split across three countries. Two of the most important Mizo heritage sites, Rih Dil and Buannel, are currently located in Myanmar's Chin State. Under the FMR, these sites were still accessible to Mizos and other Indians. However, with the volatile situation in Chin State, deteriorating ethnic relations, and now the end of the FMR regime, questions loom over their future accessibility.
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| Rih Dil/ Lake Rih |
Rih Dil is the most sacred site in traditional Mizo religion, akin to what the River Ganges is to Hindus. It is believed to be the place where souls descend before passing on to the next world. In today's India, where indigenous faith and expression are gaining recognition, Rih Lake cannot be ignored by anyone who wishes to revive ancient Mizo spirituality. And even if revival isn't the focus, for Christian Mizos, it remains one of the few tangible heritage sites still respected and venerated.
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| Buannel is the home of Chawngtinlehi in Mizo folk belief |
Buannel is another sacred site, central to Mizo creation myths and the home of Mizo demigods such as Chawngtinleri. It is deeply intertwined with Mizo romanticism and literary imagination. Losing access to Buannel would be akin to turning it into mere myth, stripping it of its living cultural essence.
The Indian government has taken great strides to ensure access to key heritage sites of Indian communities now located in neighboring countries due to political shifts in the past. It is equally crucial, for both the Central Government and the Government of Mizoram, to ensure that Rih Lake and Buannel remain accessible to the Mizo people. Losing access would be like severing the very head of our cultural lineage, a rupture in the long chain of heritage and identity passed down through generations.
Mizos still have multiple important cultural sites located elsewhere, even in neighbouring Indian states. Has the Government of Mizoram taken the initiative to protect and highlight these locations? Has it made efforts to turn them into recognized sites of cultural importance not just for Mizos, but for others to acknowledge as well?
Whether it's Rih Dil, Buannel, or other significant Mizo heritage sites, they cannot be left to ruin or be forgotten. Especially in today's increasingly polarized region, where every major group is laying claim and staking territory wherever it can, Mizo heritage must not be left behind.