Panah Express: A Zenfone story

Very often, I have seen Myanmar. Mostly from the hills near the Indo- Myanmar border. But never have I crossed the border and set my feet on. The name Myanmar itself is mysterious. The country has lots of connection with the history of our fore-fathers. Our language is grouped under the Tibeto-Burman family. Our speculations about Myanmar on the other hand,  has been influenced by media reports, which are hardly the brighter side. Nothing was clear until I set my foot upon it.

Reverie

Reverie: A rendition of my speculations about Myanmar.

Myanmar, the land of the golden pagoda, has undergone several transformation. The moment I set my foot on Yangon, I can feel that those speculations were negative.

A volunteer named Silas and Eleazar received me at the airport. At first, I thought Eleazar was a cab driver, his dress code was so similar to that of the cab drivers at the airport. He was wearing a ‘Longyi‘ and a panah.  Moreover, he doesn’t mention that he’s a pastor.

A panah

A panah, or a slipper in English, like all other South Asian countries is the most prevalent foot wears here in Yangon. And for a guy like me who often think that the invention of a panah, or a silipar or  vawthlep in Mizo, is one of the greatest invention, it makes me feel at home…hehe…

Cab driver at Yangon International Airport

The best thing about a panah is its ergonomy. It is easy to wear, easy to take off, easy to dry and easy to clean.

Panah Express

As you stand by the roadside, you can hear the sound of flip-flop there, a flip-flop here. The faster they walk, the pitch of the flip-flop increase.
Adjacent to the Minyekyawswar Street, there’s a narrow, yet busy street. Its dynamism is beyond words. They were so much engaged that a gentleman with a panah on his feet, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a short, with a zenfone3m on his hands, clicking random pictures also seems to remain unnoticed.

An old lady selling a badam on the road-side

The best thing about Yangon is the street food. For a guy like me, who loves a street food and a panah, it is Canaan.

Meat shop

Had they known that a panah express is passing through, these meat monger at the junction of narrow street bazaar would have pose themselves more proper.

A cycle rickshaw on duty

For a cycle-rickshaw driver, a panah is a must. There’s no other foot wear which has a better ergonomic!

panah of the driver, panah for the passenger and panah worn by the passer by

It’s my first time to see a cycle-rickshaw with a pillion rider on its side! Reminds me of a WW II  Nazi bike with a side car.

Roadside butcher

For a butcher, a panah is more feasible than other foot wear, and so is, for the lady. The Longyi worn by the lady looks like a Mizo puanzeh, and of course it is complimented by her panah.

Floridale

What I have noticed during my short stay here is their love for flowers. I don’t know to which varieties do those flowers belong, but of course, they belonged to Asteraceae family (of course all the lovely flowers belong there :D). Working in the flower garden is so much a comfort with a pair of panah on the feet.

Nuts and beans

These two ladies were in deep conversation, may be about the panah that I wear. But my flip-flop sound didn’t distract them, either.

A rehab

While all the others were busy with their chores, a young man who seek for inner peace was confessing to the bante. Had it been a pagoda or a gompa, they would have removed their panah.

News stand

As I detour towards my hotel, may be the flip-flop was audible. I was spotted! And it makes me realise that my panah doesn’t support a silent mode!

A revisit

Since it was raining, the fear of my sneaker getting wet was making me in a dilemma, “What if i stay in my room and starve…” Then comes the thought of wearing a black panah which the hotel provided us. It fits me broad feet. The flip-flop sound slightly differs with my own panah. The cushion and the grip are however much much better, pity my old cushion-less panah.

Plastic capping

A quick re-visit in the evening amidst the rain offered me another sneak peek.  This lovely little girl was playing in the puddle. She was wearing a plastic bag on her head, may be to avoid getting wet. But on her tiny feet was a pair of tiny panah, that resist water!

Blending yourself into the scene is very effective while performing a street photography. Sometimes, carrying a big camera (DSLR etc) is often distracting to the subject, which often left us unable to make pictures as desired. Cellphone camera have lots of limitations, but sometimes, people are less distracted and it gives more chance of getting an emotional pictures. Being a photographer doesn’t mean that you have to dress and equipped yourself with apparels specially designed for a photographer. Blending into the scene by dressing like the locals is often effective. When the story is more important than the picture quality, cellphone camera is the best option.

[All images are shot with Asus Zenfone3Max]

SAPTAWNG

Engmah nilo mah ila engemaw nih chu kan tum theuhva; kan chhungte pawhin engemaw ni ve turin mi an duh theuh bawk. ‘Engemaw’ ni ve thei tur chuan nitin thiam zirna Inah min tira, tichuan sikul kai-sikul naupang kan lo ni chawpchilh ve ta mai a, zirlai tak tak erawh nih a har teh e!

Zirna Inah

Chu zirna Inah chuan thil chi hrang hrang kan zira, keini aia an daizau chak zawk avangin Sapho-in an tawng hmangin min awp bet ta renga, an tawng chu tunlai khawvelah chuan thiam makmawh a lo ni ta. Keipawh thiam ve ngei turin ka chhungten min duha, thiam ve ngei turin Sap-Sikulah te lut chho ve zelin, ram pawn thleng thlengin Sap-tawng bawih nihna avangin kan feh chhuak ve ta a nih kha.

A tirah chuan

Mahni tawng ni lo ta fam chu thiam ve te pawh a chakawm a lo’m tiin, intihchangkanna remchang tak a nih bawk avangin, phur angreng takin ka zir ve mai bawk a. Thiam pawh ka thiam chak viau mai. Nursery ka kai tirh atanga kar hnih khat lekah Yes leh No ka hre nghal kau mai! Chutiang taka hma ka sawn chak avang chuan Saptawng ngatin ka hming te pawh ka sawi thiam leh thuai bawk a. A va ropui em!

Pre-School leh Primary School-a ka kai chhung zawng khan Lalpa tawngtaina te leh tawngtai hla chi hrang hrang te pawh Saptawng ngatin ka hre hman teuha, mahse khatih laia kan sawi dan leh tun hnua kan sawi dan erawh danglam tak a ni. A khawii zawk nge dik ang ka ti: Hmana “Laiking zawmkhawm…” nge tuna “Thy Kingdom come…” a tam mai, sawi tam loh hi mualpho lohna!

Sap-lo-tawng

Tichuan, ka lo upa telh telha, chu Saptawng chu a tira ka zuam ang ngawt kha a lo ni hauhlo mai. ‘Yes’ leh ‘No’ piah lam deuh thiam a lo ngaia, Saptawnga hming sawi ringawt a lo tawk tawh lova, tawngtaina awmsa ringawt a rin reng theih ta loh! Chumi piah lam chu a lo tul ta, ka tum laklawh a, a bawihah ka tang laklawh tawh, ka thiam ngei tur a ni!

Thiam tum ka ni bawka ka zir emaw zir lo emaw ka intih lai pawhin tawngka lamah Saptawng thumal ka telh ve ziah ta mai, ka va han thiam ve tawh reuh em! Mahse, mi thiam dan leh ka thiam dan a inanglo hi a buaithlak lai taka chu a ni. Ka thiam ve dan chu Mizotawng kara rem leh rem lova Saptawng telh a ni a; midang te erawh chuan Saptawng karah eng tawng emaw, hriatthiam ve theih tur tho si hi, an telh ve zauh thin chauh thung si. Tui taka ti ti a har thin ngawt mai. Saptawng pawh lo hmang eng ang mahse, Sap an nih miau loh avangin, “Sap-lo-tawng” ka ti tho tho!

A tul tlat bawk si

Hnamdang nena cheng ho ta chu Duhlian tawng ringawt hman theih loh hun a lo tam a, eng engah emaw a phur pawl nih phei chuan Saptawng hman ngei ngei a lo tul thin si a, lu a hai duh khawp mai. Kan thusawi tur Mizotawngin kan ngaihtuah lawka, chu chu theih ang tawka mawiin Saptawngah kan han chan tir leh thin kha a ni si a. Sawi chhuak thei tura kan inngaihtuah buai ang tluk zetin a ngaithlatu te pawh hrethiam tur chuan an inngaihtuah ve fê thin a ngaiin ka ring.

Har tak a ni

Hei hi hrui, a hmawra pehbuk awm, “Tussle” an lo tih ve bawk chu a ni :v. Image source: https://www.etsy.com/market/tussle

Bah John-a nena Shillong khawpuia thil kan zawn tum kha ka hre chhuak fo thin. Kan College-ah Retreat kan hmang dawna, retreat banner tur siamin kan hmanhlel a, a cheimawina’n tiin kan Chaplain nupui, hmeichhe thu zawmin hruihrual-a hmawra peh buk awm, mi changkang leh neinung deuh ten an parda hmerkhawm na’na an hman thin ang hi kan zawnga, a hming kan hre bawk silo, a nihphung Saptawnga sawi a har bawk si. Hrui chu rope a ni maia, hrui naran ni lo, thil cheimawina chu tih vel leh parda hmerkhawmna tih thlengin a sawi theih mai, mahse a hmawra peh-buk awm tih berkher hi a ngaihna kan hre ta der lo. Buai chu buaithlak tak a ni! Kan sawifiah thiam dan leh an hriatthiam dan a inhmu thei bawk silo. Bristih-ho hunlai ata tawha khawpui hlun lo ni tawh, Shillong khawpuiah chutiang ang chu kan hmu zo ta lo! Engdang vang mah a ni lo, Saptawng vang vek a ni. Aizawlah chuan nise kan hmu har lovang.

Hei pawh

UCC Anthem…Saptawnga zirtir har ber te zinga mi chu a va ni chiang tak

Buaina neuh neuh hi chu ka tawk ve fê mai. Zaipawl zirtir mawlh mai kha a ni buaithlak thin ni. An zaithiam leh thiam loh chu thuhran nise, hla an thiam theihna tura Saptawnga sawi kha a lawm buaithlak chu! Kan tawng chuan sak fawk fawk loh tur, sak hmawk hmawk loh tur, sak fawk-hmawk tur’ te kan tia, a chiang êm êm mai, mahse Saptawnga sawi chu har ve tak chu a ni, a ngaihna der ka hre lo! He’ng chauh hi a la ni lo, ‘sa deuh auh auh rawh u’ tih te, ‘a Slur kha lam liam mai mai suh u’ tih ang reng Saptawnga sawi chu buaithlak tak a ni ringawt. Theih ang tawkin kan han zir chhina, entirna te kan han pe a, hetiang hian ti rawh u, saptawng ngatin kan han ti a…a bak dang a awm tawh lo, a tawpah chuan hla zir emaw intih nak a lain zai zirah kan inchhuah leh thin. Saptawng vang vek a ni!

Hei erawh ka hria, kan sawi tak, fawk fawk, hmawk hmawk tih ang reng ho hi a Grammar lam zawng chuan Double Adverb an ti a, Mizotawng timawitu tak leh ti hausatu a lo reng tih hi! Kan thil sawi nihphung leh zia rang fiah takin a hril thei thin. Hnampui tia kan lo ngaihsan êm êm te aia kan chungnunna leh hausakna ropui tak pakhat a ni ve tlat a ni. Thiam taka hman phei chuan tawng hi a mawi duh bik êm êm a, zirchian chi tak a ni.

Thiamloh a pawi fo kherlo

Saptawng hi lo thiam ta hle ila chuan huat a pui leh thinrimna tur fê fê hi chu ka tawng nasa tawh ngawt ang. Zirtirtu pakhatin dawhkan kil meuha titi pui tura min sawm tuma darkar fé min zilhhauna zo zai te kha…ka lo hrethiam veklo te kha malsawmna thuah hnih hi a ni ringawt! A thusawi zinga thenkhat, ka chhinchhiah theih chin chin te ka room-mate Dictionary-a kan en leh chuan min zilhna tawngkam te kha aw, a lo va han khain a lo va han na tak em! A sarhu laia ka lo hrethiamlo hlauh kha a zangkhai thlak ngawt mai!

Ni e, thiam a thaa, thiam loh pawh a pawiloh chang a lo awm tho a lo nih tak tak hi. Chuvang chuan Sap ka lo ni lo kher kher hi chu ka lawm leh hnuhnawh ngawt mai! Heti taka Saptawng thiamlo hi, Sap chu lo ni ila a buaithlak tur zia mai chu sawiin a siak lo!

[Hmana mi, upload thar leh…intih tawngkam thiam vanglai a lo nih dawn hi :D]