Aizawl, Mizoram, India
I came expecting a sleepy, laid back town. What I got instead was a rocking, gung ho, hip town - easily the "hippest" town I've been to so far in this region. On the drive from Silchar, I got lost, took wrong roads and landed up quite a bit later than I had hoped. It was the last day of Chapchar Kut - the festival - and I came into the city just as the celebrations were ending. But still, the roads were packed, traffic crawled, there was music booming everywhere, everybody seemed to be out and there was a massive air of festivities. The whole town resembled a rock concert venue. I didn't click any photos of this, alas, as I was desperately trying to find my hotel, in a maze of traffic and negotiating a 30 deg gradient. I should have shot a video actually.
Aizawl is am amazing town
. Its perched on a steep hill and must be easily the steepest capital city and one of the steepest towns in the country. Gradients are all 30% plus and I am positive some of the roads were above 45% !! The hotel I am in has access from the ground floor as well as access from the fifth floor to a road ! Narrow winding streets, chockful of traffic with impossibly steep inclines. And yet, everybody drives politely - nobody honks. For somebody in India, that is an unbelievable novelty.
Aizawl was full of surprises. Laid back ????? Far from it. Lonely Planet - how did you get it dead wrong. The day after a major festival, I had expected a quiet morning. No way. They were up and about and the streets were choked again. There are eating joints galore - haven't seen this in the other states. Shops and shops and shops selling everything. You could possibly get anything here - I walked into a small sports shop and found a Voltric Yonex badminton racket - not easily available even in Bangalore
. There's a mall, built 10 years ago. The young are zipping around in two wheelers. Everybody is jazzily dressed - trousers are the norm; no traditional clothing.
Another surprise. There are taxis galore, which you flag down on the street and seem to be the primary mode of transport in addition to town buses. No autos. Outside of Mumbai, I know of no Indian city where you can flag a taxi on the road casually. All taxis are the good old Maruti 800s (a traditional small car in India).
Yet another surprise. Most shopkeepers are Mizos. In every other state in the North East, most shopkeepers are from the other states in India. Not so here. The Mizos seem to be very enterprising. In fact this is the state where you see the least number of Indians from other states. They are there, of course, but in smaller numbers.
But all the gung hoism is only till sundown. The minute it becomes dark, and it gets dark early in this part of the country, the town shutters down. Even restaurants aren't open for dinner. I am not able to understand this. The young everywhere in the world aspire for night life. How come they are so different here ?
I am taking it easy. Not doing too much going around. I typically like to walk around towns, but the steep gradients are killing me. I am just drinking in the atmosphere.
Aizawl is a town difficult to show in photos. It has to be "felt". Its got a vibe, a zest, that's not common in this part of the country. Its special.
Hi Aizawl
Monday, March 09, 2015
Aizawl, Mizoram, India
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Comments
2025-05-23
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Usha
2015-03-09
Hi Ramesh;
Thank you for being my seeing eye. I would never have read so much about Mizoram, as I am from your blog. Is English the street language here? wonder what the Mizo food specialty is? Do collect a spice unique to this place.
Drive safe
Usha
Ravi Rajagopalan
2015-03-09
Good to speak with you earlier today and take care of your health. Mizoram looks lovely and you have captured it very well. If only the rest of the country emulated its cleanliness and sense of order? Its not very hard to do.
Shachi
2015-03-09
What a wonderful glimpse into this wonderful town - surely a surprise for me. Reminds me on driving in SF a bit - not just crooked street, but many parts of downtown. How did you manage? or did you take the taxi (so convenient)?
I guess most youngsters from NE migrate to other parts of the country for work - hence the competition books for exams seen everywhere? that would be my guess.
5D theatre - my imagination is going wild coming up with the 4 and 5D aspects :) :)!!!!
Hope you are feeling better now.
Howz the veggie food scene in Mizoram?
indigoite
2015-03-10
@Usha - The street language is Mizo, but almost everybody speaks English. So communication not an issue. Me buying a spice ????? Fat chance !
@Ravi - Yes, there is something to learn from each culture. The cleanliness is a direct consequence of the missionaries; I saw the same thing in Nagaland.
@Shachi - No way I'll take a taxi. I drove around in Aizawl too :):) Yup, doing good; thank you. No veggie food scene here - similarities to Nagaland in that respect.
Anne in Salem
2015-03-10
I hope you are feeling better. I imagine missing one destination now to reenergize yourself will prevent missing more later. Take care.
I agree with Sachi's San Fran comparison. I see similarities with my recent travels - buildings on top of each other, making use of every available square foot of real estate, the shops, the creative parking. Other than the vegetation, some of those hill photos could be anywhere in the world. So beautiful.
Does the early shut down equate to an early rising and opening the next morning?
Pranav
2015-03-10
Your post paints quite a picture. This really comes as a surprise. I never would have thought of Aizawl as a city brimming with action. You should have found out what people do at night. Surely, they're not just hanging at home. They've got to go somewhere right?
J
2015-03-10
Never expected Aizawl to be a happening place! Take it easy - you've put yourself through such a grueling schedule, rest sounds like a great idea :)
indigoite
2015-03-10
@Anne - I don't know SFO well enough to compare, but I doubt any American city could have such narrow streets. Aizawl shuts down early but doesn't start particularly early next day. I think evening time is strictly at home.
@Pranav - Well, its a "bum place" in your definition !!
@J - Miles to go before I sleep ............. :)
Malini
2015-03-10
About the validity of Aizwal - San Fran comparisons being made, I highly recommend you check it out for yourself :)
Fascinating coverage of the entire region. Presumably it is Tripura next. (What else is left ?) Its a shame you cannot cut across Bangladesh on your way back. Is driving a private vehicle across the primary impediment or would one have problems even if one were taking public transport ?
Vincy Joseph
2015-03-10
Interesting read about Aizawl. Didnt expect this place to be jazzy when i read about Mizoram. The parking looks scary, though as you have said the pictures have not captured the steep gradients well enough.
Rest well Ramesh and yeah you got to come back a lonnnnnnnnnnng way!
Sandhya Sriram
2015-03-10
Wow, this is so exciting, how safe is the city? And does it respect women? Are there equal rights to education, employment etc, just trying to understand if it's education that drives respect?
Asha
2015-03-11
That must be a tough drive uphill.......Stunning pics especially loved the color of the sky...I see that color ( azure of clear summer sky) in all the pics..... otherwise it is generally very light blue:)
And why this city reminds me of Bangalore? the gradient roads, the steep sidewalks and even thorough fares like in old places like gavipuram, rajajinagar(navrang) and the last pic looks like brigade road and bangalore also has 7D. So similar but surprising to see such modernity in NE.
Vinod
2015-03-11
Love the taxis, wonder how the M800 is surviving the gradients!
indigoite
2015-03-11
@Malini - Ahhhh; what a riposte :) Yeah its a real pity I can't drive through Bangladesh. Crossing by public transport is easy; there are bus services between Agartala and Dacca and Kolkata and Dacca. The problem is the car.
@Vincy - Thanks Vincy. Yes, Aizawl is an interesting place.
@Sandhya - Very safe. And all across the NE, women have completely equal status. Well above hat it is in the rest of India.
indigoite
2015-03-11
@Asha - Interesting drive, it was. This season is dry season and so its brilliant blue skies I have been having. Chose it this way - in the rains many of the places I have been to will be unapproachable in my small car.
@Vinod - Hurray for M800 :)
Suja
2015-03-12
Really enjoyed reading your post today! Surprising about Aizawl being a lively hub of the NE! I admired the photos, they give a very nice overview. Those gradients! I wouldn't want to drive in those..though in Switzerland we do have many steep roads but the road conditions are much better of course. And yes, walking can be a pain in these steep towns, I know, I stay in one!
(hmmmm...wonder if the title of the last pic is derogatory...surely Ramesh can't think that the best thing women do is shop?? )
indigoite
2015-03-12
@Suja - I was waiting for somebody to hit me on the last caption. Just being impish. What's the joy in life if I cannot tease fair ladies :)