TRADITION and CONSERVATISM

The recent clarion call made by a certain organization of a particular locality to uphold tradition by wearing puan here in Aizawl sparked off numerous debates. While there were many who cheered this idea, there were also others, especially from the younger generation, who felt it was inconvenient and biased. It was considered inconvenient because by this law, women would be required to wear puan every Wednesday regardless of inapt time and place. And biased because the imposition was upon women only and not upon men.

Fear of antagonism seals my lips. I would not like to state an opinion on this, every view bids different angles and therefore, my opinion would not make me wholly right.

Ethnocentrism sometimes leads to unpleasant outcome. It is one of the many causes of horrifying genocides around the world. Valuing one’s traditions and customs is ideal in today’s world of multiculturalism but on the flipside, it can promote insularity whereby one would be egged on to denounce any change that modernization brings. Evolution forms the crux of life on earth. Culturally speaking, our food habit, dress and lifestyle are set to change with time.

But, from another stance, we also thrive on the past. In an age when quest for identity has become significant, reverting to the past to question one’s entity is important and as such, tradition still holds the key to achieving a sense of belonging. If even my limited learning about my culture and history in my high school could have so much effect, Im sure proper education, starting from the lowest, in these regards can be tools to moulding children and youth of today and the future.

 Still, drawing lines is as necessary as it is difficult. If we don’t, the past with all its practices can be a means to senseless conservatism. That is why we need to look back into those practices in the past with guarded eyes. What was once acceptable may no longer be valid. Taking heads as war souvenirs, for instance, was very much in back in the old days, but in our progressive society, it would never be encouraged again. How a particular custom was observed may not be applicable today but it may still persist in a different mode. Our perception and practice of Tlawmngaihna would be a case in point. But to discuss this would require a whole new post.