A POEM REFLECTING UPON THE DISASTER AT LAIPUITLANG, AIZAWL ON THE 11TH OF MAY 2013.BY NATALIA SAILO.

MOM, DAD, WHERE ARE YOU?

Was it nature on its course or was it the flaw of men?
That tragic Saturday dawn when the whole state mourned
When my sisters and brothers, all well and alive only few hours before
Lay there defeated under the rubble of cement, mud and concrete
When the landslide attacked them like thief in the night.

People gathered after hearing the news, that spread like wildfire in a flash of a minute
They carry tools with heavy hearts, hoping to find at least a soul to save
Tears everywhere, I bet every living soul prayed
Pleading for mercy, finding answers to the question "WHY"
Only to find the truth that was right in front of their eyes.

Father, they said he came in the morning, to check on matters that cause such tragedy
Yet, they said he needed to leave, to welcome new members of the family elsewhere
Strangers, of course, must be welcomed, that has always been a tradition
But are they so important to abandon his children in pain?
Was he unaware that it was his building that caused the shame?

And as I sip my morning tea at a very unusual hour for Delhi
Hoping to come across the news of my people on the papers
I flipped the pages but I see nothing
That's when my mind wondered, "Do we really belong here?"
"Or are we just some useless adopted children?"

Questions rolled through my head, answers I know none of
"Do we not fit here, is this not our land too?
While we pledge our belongingness in every schools every morning
Why are we being left out on our own at this time of cry and suffering?
Are we placed too far at the corner that we deserve no attention!

We heard of news and instances, where other people too meet accidents
Their Presidents would stood by their people like a father stays for his kid.
Comforting them with words, or volunteering themselves among the rescue team.
Do not all Americans shout "BOSTON STRONG"
When those coward men unleash their bombs?

What if this is a tragedy that happen in their so called "MAINLAND INDIA"
Would they treat them the same like they treated us
Do our cry deserve no comfort, do our wounds deserve no treatment?
Are we not joined within the dots of the same map"
MOTHER INDIA where have you been hiding?

With heavy heart I write this piece, to bid adieu to all the departed souls
May there be a meeting place for us somewhere beyond these worldly borders
Where we can smile and laugh again and no pain would ever come our way
And for those strong survivors out there who make it through the nightmare
May time erase and wipe out those ugly memories
And may the good Lord above give you the faith to cope every minute of the day.

Though no money or time could measure up to your loss
I hope you receive at least half of what you deserve to regain your loss
I hope you won't be left neglected that you may be reminded of this day every day
I hope someone bold would stand out to point his fingers and raise his voice
Because this is how I was always been taught at school
"Where there is no cause, there could never be an effect"
And I know that a mere landslide would have a lesser impact
Than a dying giant building lying neglected on top of it.

My comment: A subtle yet rough sketches of the whole situation is wrapped up in the first stanza. 

And in the second stanza, we are left with the big question, "WHY?" which keeps us hanging over the edge. The essence of selflessness or altruism (TLAWMNGAIHNA IN MIZO) has come to be a part of the poem flowing with its lines. 

The third stanza, however, has reflected the Political aspect of Mizoram as the Chief Minister Pu Lal Thanhawla has come into the scene. Political affairs come into place and the present department that the Chief Minister's brother is holding which is Public Works Department (P.W.D.) respectively. Here, the top-most building that collapsed first belongs to the same Department which has been vacated due to a large crack that was found in October of last year. 

The Fourth Stanza upto the seventh stanza give a wider appeal to every Mizo in the case of the sense of belongingness. The Question of Identity plays its part here. A long adopted thought that Mainstream Indians, most of them, do not give importance to the North-Eastern Region and the people that live here has been commented upon by the writer descriptively. 

The Eight stanza bids farewell to the departed souls and wishes them luck in the afterlife which is a better place for them from the context of Christianity. And for the survivors, the writer of this poem wishes them a life of contentment through the peace that God brings. A very psychological phenomena is seen here as the survivors are being told to forget the trauma and the tragedy that befall on them. Mental disorders can arise due to having experienced this kind of natural calamities. 

The last stanza again shows the writer's main theme which is to portray the political conditions of Mizoram. The different kinds of hope that are shown in the 2nd, 3rd, and fourth line indicate the writer's thoughts on how people in politics will or must react towards the survivors and their families and also towards the victims' families too. Money matters come into play. Political affairs come into the scene again. The main building that collapsed that further caused the immense tragedy is now the protagonist of the poem. This is indeed very true: "Where there is no cause, there could never be an effect."