OH ! CHURACHANDPUR

He Asked Her:
Some Binded by a “Thin Red Thread” and the Other by a “Straw of Hair”. What means all This ?

She Replied:
“Those that are Binded by a Red Thread signifies that ; I am ready to stand by you even if it cost to Sacrifice my Blood.
And those that are Binded by a Straw of Hair signifies that; Just as the Hair could not rot away, My Love for you shall remains Forever”.
– Dialogues

Photo Courtesy: Kum Sawm Kilungset – 1994

Churachandpur from the lens of a kid when the movie ” Kum Sawm Kilungset ” ~ meaning 10 yrs of Love ~ hits the the screen.

Photo Courtesy: http://mylamka.blogspot.com/

One chill evening – with a football shorts, jacket & Horse star sandles, sitting behind Uncle in a scooter with my siblings on the way to Thangzam Road for the screening of the movie. We were given free tickets we were told – as our scooter was used for the shooting of the movie. And people during the time knows what a nuisance it was to give out yr vehicle for use – it will come back a year older.

Cleaning dishes by the drain & barely a few years into this world we would shout out loud – ” Kum sawm kilungset ihi tai ” ( We have been in love for 10 yrs now ).And yea…back & back….We called it Lamka & knew it as Churachandpur only while sending letters through post. There was a time in this beautiful place where no one cares if you are a thadou-kuki/paite/simte/gangte/vaiphei/zou etc. All would celebrate Kut/ Zomi-Namni together as one in large number. Cultural troops were a big hit & the much famed Miss. Kut competitions. Or if there be any tribal enmity – There ain’t any that this small kid back then know of.
The community bell would ring in every locality at 6 PM everyday to tell everyone that all kids- wherever they are, its time to get back home.- Ghost stories & ” Naupang Gaal “( a myth that kills children n bury their eyes for construction of bridges) were enough to get us home before dark.

All India radio thadou program would air “Hinkho ipi ham” by Lamkholhing every evening.
” Inn sung nuam chu – vangam nai pen ahi” “Thotho tho thoukang” were also the favourite of the time on the radio.
A song “Mit jeel vaak jeel – oh o o Electric! A tui la kiam lou ” to highlight the Load sheddings.”
Aw Anntui mawl” for the tribal cusine of boiled vegetables.

And then the night would allow;- The drunkards to take over the night dancing to the tune of MJ/Everybody knows Kungfu fighting/Mukabula & Michael Learns To Rock on the Karoke, while some of them crawled n learned to walk.- Wana be Kungfus would test out their skills in the street & Cinema halls.- Kungfu schools & kungfu shoes were in trend & ofcourse the much dreaded Curfew by the red capped – CWA.

Pic: Childhood - Siblings with our Aunt

On the other side, the church would also be in full attendance. There would be dancing n praising in Church, Crusades & Revival camps( One such is a crusade by Rev. Kamhau in St.Pauls School campus as the people sing & pour out their heart in great revival to the tune of ” Ngak lah veng – Vankhopi ka tun hun ding").

Diwali & Durga puja would be held under the shade of a big Gulmohar tree at the FireBrigade in Churachandpur Police Station ( Now a Bus waiting shed)- Lottery, gambling, Drugs & HIV is one challenge the community faced & fought hard. A song No.666 by Ngurthangvela for the rampant gambling & lottrery in New Bazaar area.

Those were the days when Dalthangvel & Hornbill Cable network were the only operators in our locality until HCN took over the entire market share with the famous Local Channel & the digital package so as to say with the advent of Star movies/star plus etc.
Those were days where there is only 1 Tv at a locality & we would hire VCR Casettes and give it to the local operators to air over the network & we would shout the name of the movie until we reach home to let everyone know that its gonna be aired today. One such movie is EVIL DEAD.
Dramendra/ Amitabh /Vinod Khanna/ Mithun/ Amrish Puri etc etc ruled the screens – Lighthouse at Sielmat & Churachandpur Cinema Hall at New Bazaar. There would be street lights till late at night and the movies would be running till the 9:30 pm ( last show ).Fast food in front of Light House till late at night is a good place to be. Then there were Video halls everywhere – Kim’s Video / Albert / Greenwood etc..Rambo part -III/ Enter the Dragon/ Terminator/ Body guard from Beijing / Twice Deadly / Lethal Panther/ Police Story / Project A/ 36 chambers of shaolin. Etc..
We would collect metal scraps & sell them at Rs.2/Kg and earn ourselves the entry tickets to the video hall & the cinema hall. Tickets would cost Rs.2/ticket & 3 persons for Rs.5/-.

Pic: Uncle would drop us to school with the Bajaj

Those were the times of the famed Bethany Christian School where we sang in every morning assembly our School Anthem ;

Those were days when speaking English is compulsory in school campus & people will write names of people speaking in mother tongue and submit it to the class teachers and punishment awarded to them in the evening assembly.
And at Donbosco High School - the school anthem in the morning is longer with the National Anthem in the evening Assembly.
Kungfu shoes were banned in schools & Naughty boy shoe rules. Playing Marbles and rubber band (girls) at school intervals were the top favourite. We would bunk school ( even at may be when we were 8-9 yrs old ) to swim in the river nearby & of course wait for 12:30 pm in front of Light house and slip in along, when people enter the hall again after the interval. We would slip inside with our school bags n sleep in the Center walk way with our school bags as pillows & watch the 2nd half of the cinema. On weekends & holidays, all the kids in the locality will be out hunting birds, frogs & lizards, stealing mangoes & fruits along the way as we march to the river for a swim. Swimming is prohibited at home as it s dangerous and the punishment received for swimming tops the chart.

“ Lord we are the Bethanians,
To love and serve you.
Let the light of our school shine forever – Amen”

The old & young alike of that pre ’97 period will have their own stories & memories unique to every individual. Though there be a few many local movies – but nothing in the history of this small & beautiful place is one like the movie ” Kum Sawm Kilungset” by NISO Films. Every song in the movie is in the heart and there were days all the script/conversations of the movie would jus flow out the mouth. THIS MOVIE – forever lies in the heart, silently reminding everyone of that generation – those beautiful days, devil-may-care attitude of the tribal way of life, cowboy hats, leather jackets & brotherhood.
The days that were – Days when all communities lived in harmony.

PS : My respect to the deceased Mrs.(L) Themneihat Simte ( lead actress of the movie ) who have heard her Master’s call on the 2nd of June 2020 & My condolence to the grieving family.

This article was first posted in my Facebook page & the link https://www.facebook.com/hbenjamin.simte/posts/10157609288032986.

We could walk half the day for Football tournaments far away & fights in almost every match. On sundays – We would shout our lungs out to the song – Naupangte Jesu a ding ( meaning children lets give ourselves for Jesus ) in Sunday school and then make toys of clay in the Cemetry nearby after.

All these in remembering; reminiscence of the past – those splendid days. Where the mind is innocent & even the thought of leaving the place for any reason would never cross the mind, until the gory days of war and strife / neighbour against the neighbour / families scattered & shattered/ many life & livelihood destroyed. # GUNS AND BLOOD TOOK OVER THE LAND. Peace is hard to find until this day since – mid 1997.