The Hmars are one of the tribal groups in North
East India having their own language and distinct culture. They traced back
their historic home to be somewhere in China, whence they moved southwards to
their present day settlements in different states of India.
The Hmars constitute the majority of the
population of Mizoram. Yet they are alienated and treated as minority. Why?
The basic reason for this according to me is
because they are not free to use their mother tongue, keeping aside all the
other superficial reasons as often cited by the Duhlian-dialect speaking people.
Here one must know that Duhlian dialect is cleverly made synonymous with Mizo,
which is an inclusive term covering entire Chin-Kuki-Lushai tribal population.
How can one be free when they are looked down
upon by their fellow human beings as and when they express themselves in their
own language even within their family circle? Is not this discrimination of utmost
inhumane kind, not to speak of Constitutional provision and the likes?
Among other things, what one can be confident
with even after being stripped off all his/her possessions, is his/her mother
tongue which he or she is born with. In fact and indeed, it is our mother
tongue through which we best express our feelings.
One can be multilingual speaker and anyone who
has this ability is of course idealistic so far as linguistic communication is
concerned. But then, the world is not a one culture space, and people in the
world don’t speak one language. Rather, as well known, different cultures and
thousands of languages exist in the world, and most importantly, people in the
world are divided into groups and the division more on linguistic than
political base.
The point is that the Hmars have their own
language and culture, and this entails that they have their own literature,
music, art, and distinct cultural values. Moreover, the Hmars are possessive
and obsessive in their own culture and may even be regarded as the one who most
hate cultural assimilation. To say shortly and simply, the Hmars are proud of their
language and culture. Truly they love to develop their own language and
culture, as others in the world do. After all, who in the world want to serve
others forever? On the contrary, even slaves got their turn to rule.
The demand for separate administration by the
Hmars in Mizoram is thus more intended to promote the Hmar language and culture
than to get monetary benefit.
Like others, the Hmars also love to freely speak
their language. Not that they hate to speak language of others. Of course, they
know the very common fact that people in this world learn others’ language in
order to communicate with others for different purposes and they have done the
same and will go on.
My conclusion is that whether the Hmars have a
separate administrative unit or not (in Mizoram), they would forever fight to
attain freedom to use their language without any suppression of any kind. The Hmars really hate to be looked down upon
just like the Blacks hated discrimination from the Whites. As and when the
Hmars get freedom to use their own language and thereby promote their own
culture and literature, only then the Hmars will live in peace. In other words, as long as the Duhlian speaking
people, who take the inclusive term Mizo in the narrowest sense, discriminate
and laugh at the Hmars (and other etchnic tribes) comprising many poor
families, yet human beings, they will go on struggling for their cause.
Kolasib, 20th September 2013
