Mizos still influenced by superstitions

Aizawl, Oct 29 (UNI) Despite being the second highest literate state in the country, the menace of superstition still haunts Mizoram.

A recent study, conducted throughout the state by Science Teachers Association of Mizoram (STAM), found that many people were still practising superstitious traditions in their everyday actitivities.

''The Mizos, living in villages and urban areas still believe in the old-age traditions,'' STAM president Lalchandama told UNI here.

''During our extensive tour across the state, our members have found unscientific attitude of believing ghosts, improper usage of medicinal plants, old age cultivation and hunting among most of the people,'' he added.

''Here most of the marriages are conducted during the month of September (Taboo month) because people strongly believe that after the death their souls would go to Pialral (place of heaven),'' he said and added that this tradition is practised even in urban areas.

Mr Lalchandama, actively involved in conducting awareness campaign in the last two years said, ''We all know that allopathic medicines have yielded better results in curing various diseases, but most of the villagers here still adopt the very old tradition of plant medicines for health cure.'' ''We have also witnessed a case in which a 40-year-old doctor objected his wife's applying mehandi on her hair by believing that she could deliver a red-headed baby,'' he pointed out saying, ''In most of the villages people still believe that if a man kills an animal during the pregnancy of his wife, the delivered child would have a big mole on forehead, which they feel is a bad omen.'' Scientific awareness campaign also involves the realisation of the need to preserve environment, utilisation of natural resources, changing the method of cultivation, healthcare and many other things, the STAM president explained.

He also lamented that hunting was still widely practised in remote villages and said it should be stopped immediately to maintain ecological balance.

As a part of awareness campaign, the STAM coordination committee was also conducting a series of science rallies throughout the year, he informed, saying the Centre had allocated Rs eight lakh to the committee, of which Rs five lakh had been received and would be utilised for the awareness programme.

Forum for Implementation of Constitutional Rights Mizoram(FICORM) vice-president David M Thangliana said, ''Even as we have celebrated 110 years of Christianity, the Mizos are still living under evil bounds to some extent. Lives of educated urban people are also influenced by age-old superstitions.'' UNI SNR SJC SAM Mir BD1235