When the Rats Came Calling
- Part 2 -

By Dilip Kanti Chakma *

A section of the population has merged ahead while a section of it remained where it was in terms of developmental parameters. There are tribes in the state such as the Chakmas, Brus, the Lhais, Hmars, the Maras whose literacy rate is as low as thirty percent as compared to the ninety plus something percentage that the state enjoys in the national literacy map.

There are still sections of the populace in the state who are still backward, and in fact so backward to even imagine to face any eventuality such as the Muatam without proper relief delivery machinery in place.

Let us not forget that there are still minority tribes in the state who remains to this day as backward as the Mizos were way back in the late 1950s when the last Mautam happened. If the magnitude of starvation was severe then, it is no different this time to these tribes who dwells in the remotes corners of the state in late 1950s rural set-up.

The recent report by ActionAid India has revealed the grim reality of starvation faced by thousands of people across Mizoram belonging to the tribes of Chakma, Lai, Bowm, Burmese and Mara.

A team who visited remote villages of Lawngtlai, which is a dominantly minority district in southern Mizoram reported that there were nearly 10,000 people facing extreme situations of starvation. Their food stocks have been depleted, their agricultural fields and kitchen gardens are completely destroyed by the rodents beside their homes being infested and their belongings ruined.

The people in these parts depended largely on slash and burn method of cultivation for sustenance and they barely have any other sources of income for purchasing food. But due to the Mautam, their crops planted in 2007 hardly yielded any harvest. Reports indicate that nearly 55 per cent of the population is surviving on roots of yam and banana from the jungles.

As the onslaught of the rodents continue without any relief support from the government or from any non governmental agencies – people fear that even these forest reserves will be exhausted in the coming two to three months and they will have to further forage into the jungles for food.

Most families in the villages have reduced their meals from three a day to just one or two a day and in the absence of any other alterative source of income generation the situation seem grim.

In an era when the world is busy talking and debating about human rights and other allied rights such as the 'right to food' , 'the right to health care' and the like, reports of even a single starvation death coming from these remotest parts of the state ought to be seriously taken note of.

And, as the report undertaken by ActionAid India showed, minority non-Mizo tribes such as the Chakmas, the Brus, the Lhais, the Maras, the Hmars are primary the ones to suffer the most.

Beside the immediate impact of widespread famine, there is every possibility that like the one in the late 50s did, the ongoing Mautam might have far reaching consequences in the long run. Economically, it will leave these effected families without food grains for the next few years, debt-ridden and debt-trapped in the absence of any alternate source of income to feed them.

Pictures of backward Vidharba district in Maharashtra and the farmer suicides therein scan through one's mind here and it would not be a surprise if a similar eventuality is witnessed in these remotest parts of the state as well.

Socially, one can foresee social turmoil and conflicts at some point of time as the affected population begin to lose faith in the sincerity of the administration and its failure to tackle a disaster it always knew was coming.

Mass dropout of students from schools is bound to happen and healthcare needs of the people will go for a toss in the absence of an integrated approach from the administration.

Unlike a tsunami or an earthquake that wrecks havoc without a warning, Mautam has been always on the cards and the state could have been better prepared to face it head-on. The government's initiative of 'BUFFACOS' – providing Re1 for every rat tail submitted by a villager- has not brought any relief to the people as people in these parts do not even know about such a programme and in hindsight it now looks like a mere child's play and a policy subjected to much ridicule and merciless jokes.

Politically, there is already palpable resentment among sections of the population. The Bru problem is yet to find a solution and the Lhais and the Maras have been crying foul over the step-motherly treatment meted out to them (a recent instance being the budget allocation for the District Councils), the Chakmas still harboring vision of a greater autonomy for themselves and it would be utter foolishness on the part of the state to put them in the backburner for they are sure to boomerang if the circumstances are allowed to made conducive. And, like the Mautam of 1950s acted as fuel to the fire, there is every chance that this Mautam will lead to similar dissenting voices among these minority tribes of the state.

Add to it another man-made disaster brought about by the Indo-Bangla international border fencing undertaken by the Indian government that displaced thousands of families, mostly belonging to the Chakma tribe who have till very recently been the victims of apathy shown by the builders, contractors and the state government machineries.

It required more than a number of protests by the affected families in the affected areas and media attention before the administration came out with a face saving compensation package. Questions such as whether those displaced were adequately compensated or shortchanged or whether their lands have been legally acquired can best be answered if a proactive civil society takes notice and seeks information and details through instruments such as the Right to Information Act.

Whether these man-made fences will lead to the easy solutions that the government of India seeks to achieve is a debate best left to policy makers. Is it merely a tool at the hands of the state to curb the liberty of individuals in the garb of national security?

I cant help myself but wonder how does the international fence not curb the autonomy of the very people whose interest the state seek to protect. It fails to convince me for one!

On one hand we talk about the world being a global village, and romanticizes words such as 'free trade', 'borderless world' , and on the other hand we as a nation are busy building fences that we know would not in any ways whatsoever contribute to the first one.

Like Dispur was unaware of the woes of the people of the Mizo hills then, isn't it visibly possible for Aizawl to show a blind eye to sparse media reports of starvation, especially among the populace of these backward minority tribes in the state?

The Central and State government urgently need to step up the response to meet the food crisis. Nothing short of a concerted effort is being called for to deal with the prevailing situation.

More food for the hungry, seeds funds for the next harvests and a swift government response to rein in the growing food crisis are some of the immediate needs of the hour. An integrated approach to tackle hunger, and health care needs may not be too bad an option either.

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