Young Mizo Association
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The Young Mizo Association (YMA) is the largest and most comprehensive
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
,
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
,
nongovernmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
of the
Mizo people The Mizo people ( Mizo: ''Mizo hnam'') are an ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India. The term covers several related ethnic groups or clans inside the Mizo group. All Mizo tribes and cla ...
. It was established on 15 June 1935, originally as the ''Young Lushai Association'' (''YLA''), which was later replaced with the "Young Mizo Association" in 1947. It was initiated by the
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
Christian missionaries A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...
who understood the need of
cultural conservation The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...
of the Mizo tribe, who were under pressure of political and social
modernisation Modernization theory is used to explain the process of modernization within societies. The "classical" theories of modernization of the 1950s and 1960s drew on sociological analyses of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and a partial reading of Max Weber, ...
s. It was registered as SR No. 4 of 1977 under
Indian Societies Registration Act The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is a legislation in India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society – education, health, employment etc. The British Indian Empire, with a wish to encourage such ...
(XXI of 1860) on 14 May 1977 to the
Government of Mizoram The Government of Mizoram also known as the State Government of Mizoram, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Mizoram and its 11 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of ...
. The association is administered by a central committee (Central YMA), headquartered at Aizawl, and under which there are 5 sub-headquarters, 49 groups and 805 branches, which covers all of
Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo people, Mizo", the endonym, self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo ...
and some parts of
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
,
Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
,
Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...
and
Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...
. Vanlalruata was elected as the President for 2017 to 2019 term, and again for 2019 to 2021 term.


History

By 1935
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
had taken over most of the traditional Mizo lifestyle, formal education system had been introduced,
British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
was about to be revoked and local administration was to be subjected to Indian politics. The basic tribal administrative system
Zawlbuk Zawlbûk (; ) was a traditional bachelorsʼ quarters of the Mizo people, predominantly of the Luseis living in Mizoram, India. It was prominently the largest house in the tribal village, and it was customary for every village to have it construc ...
was dissolving. The traditional social security, custom and training ground for young men was coming to an end, thereby necessitating a substitute of the tribal institution urgently. As serendipity would have it, a
thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
on the Monday evening of 3 June 1935, right after worship service, drove the Welsh missionaries and the Mizo church leaders to the nearby residence of Miss Kattie Hughes (known to Mizos as Pi Zaii), at Aijal (now
Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...
), wherein they made an impromptu proposal over a cup of tea for establishing an association that would unite all the Mizo people. As a Christian gathering, the initial proposed name was ''Young Mizo Christian Association'', to rhyme with Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), which on scrutiny they noticed had a restrictive and religious
fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...
connotation. Then Rev David Edward (Zorema Pa) came up with "Young Lushai Association" akin to their familiar
Young Wales Association The London Welsh Centre ( cy, Canolfan Cymry Llundain) (founded as the Young Wales Association in 1920) is a community and arts centre on Gray's Inn Road, in the London Borough of Camden. The centre is owned and run by the London Welsh Trust. T ...
in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The name was unanimously accepted. It was also agreed that the association would be formally inaugurated on the coming 15 June. Though how many people and who were present on that night could not be ascertained, the following people were present: :#Rev David Edward :#Upa D. Ṭhianga :#Rev L. Evans :#Upa Chawngzika :#Miss Kattie Hughes :#Pu Muka :#Rev Chhuahkhama :#Pu Vankhuma :#Pu L. Kailuia :#Pu L.H. Liana :#Upa Ch. Pasena YLA was unveiled on 5 June 1935 at the grand public meeting at Nepali School, Sikulpuikawn, with a candle lighting ceremony and election of the officials. Branches were soon created in every village, and all Mizo of age were soon registered members. The advent of Indian Independence incited new political and ethnic identity revivals in Mizoram (Lushai Hills, as it was called). For democratic administrative system, a
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
was need. As the only and most endorsed organisation, YLA itself was suggested in 1945 to be the first political party. But the central committee objected to it, and this prompted the creation of an entirely political party, the
Mizo Union Mizo Union (6 April 1946 – 12 January 1974) was the first political party in Mizoram, northeast India. It was founded on 6 April 1946 at Aizawl as the Mizo Common People's Union. At the time of independence of India from the british rule in ind ...
. Then the terminology "Mizo" began to have new revolutionary meaning, it had much more inclusive and panoramic implications than "Lushai", which in any case was the Welshs'
misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...
for "Lusei", a major
clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
of the Mizo tribe. Consequently, the central YLA committee resolved to change YLA to "Young Mizo Association" (YMA) on 7 October 1947.


Aims and objectives

*Good use of leisure () *Development of the Mizo society () *Revere Christian ethics ()


The Ten Commitments

Young Mizo Association imposes its members of #Self-discipline and righteousness #Good management of family #Just and truthfulness #Tolerance #Politeness #Chivalry and usefulness #Social commitment #Respect for religion #Preservation of culture #Abstinence from liquor and drugs


Emblem and colour

The
emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
, as described in the constitution of Young Mizo Association, is a flamed
torch A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end, which is ignited and used as a light source. Torches have been used throughout history, and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggling entertainment. In ...
with which the abbreviation YMA is written, which is in turn held by a hand inside a circle. The three stems of the torch signify the three objectives of the association. The ten sparks of the torch signifies the ten commitments. In the ribbon where the name is written, there will be "ESTD"' written on the left side and 1935 on the right. The official colour is a tricoloured horizontal stripe of equal sizes. The three colours represent the earliest man-made colours of the Mizo ancestors. First, red on top, denotes the brightness of the association. Second, white in the middle, shows
sanctity Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
. And the black bottom symbolizes a concern for the poor, the despair and the hapless.


Publications

Young Mizo Association publishes a monthly
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
''YMA CHANCHINBU'' in Mizo since October 1973. It has a circulation of 10,000 copies. It also has a quarterly ''YMA News'' published in English.


Awards and recognition

*''
Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Awards or IPVM Awards are given by Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India to individuals and institutions who have done pioneering and exemplary work in the field of afforestation and wastelan ...
'' of 1986 from the
Ministry of Environment and Forests The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of ...
,
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
*''Excellence Service Award'' from the Government of Mizoram for the three consecutive years, in 1988, 1989 and 1990. *''Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar'' of 1993 from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. *''National Award for Outstanding Service in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse'' as the "Best Non-Profit Institution" from the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment,
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
. The award carries a medal, a citation and cash of INR 400,000. The award was presented by
Pranab Mukherjee Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the India ...
, the
President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
, at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, on 26 June 2013.


References


External links


Charity LocalistWISERKarmayogYMA Constitution
{{Authority control Organisations based in Mizoram Youth organisations based in India Organizations established in 1935 1935 establishments in India