Aizawl: Towards the end of 2022, a new chapter was written in the history of Mizoram in the Sakawrtuichhun locality. For the first time ever, Rebecca Lalruatkimi, a single woman, was elected as the branch president of the Young Mizo Association (YMA).
With this, Lalruatkimi became only the second woman president of a YMA unit. In 2010, Teresa Rothangpuii was elected as a YMA president of Sairang locality, becoming the first woman YMA president. Lalruatkimi is the second woman president and the first single woman elected for this post.
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If you meet Rebecca Lalruatkimi, you would never guess she has been elected to head the youth and citizens of 400 households in the Sakawrtuichhun locality. With an easy smile, her sentences echo traces of humility, the most crucial trait when one services their life for the YMA.
And if you are wondering what is the ‘big deal’ about this, you must first understand the history and the role of the YMA, the largest non-governmental organisation in Mizoram.
YMA focuses purely on voluntary service work, a service devoid of oneself, where the community and the neighbours are put before your family or your individual needs. The YMA’s motto is to help the needy irrespective of their religion, citizenship, and mother tongue. It functions under the discipline of the famous Mizo trait, Tlawngaihna–selflessness. As a YMA member and especially as a community leader, one has to be ready to be on call for any emergency or request from the members of the community 24×7. To be a YMA leader in a locality, one must have leadership capabilities and empathy in equal amounts.
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Over one meeting with Lalruatkimi, it is easy to see that these qualities, humility, strength and empathy are etched in her. She became a YMA member at a young age and also became a member of the locality’s main Branch Committee at the age of 23 in 2001. The next year, she was elected as a member of the office bearers, the most important committee and she has remained there for the past twenty years, holding various posts, including treasurer, secretary and assistant secretary. For twenty years, she held every other post, except that of vice president and president and in the 2022 year-end elections, she was finally selected for the post of president.
As per the functioning of the YMA, the Central Young Mizo Association is the top committee in Mizoram. Under the CYMA are the heads of each locality. The localities further have sub-committees in different areas.
When asked how she feels about her new designation, Lalruatkimi is quick to answer: “It has just been eleven days. I am counting the days because I know this is going to be a big challenge. Even though I will hold the post of President, it is a group initiative. As long as we cooperate, we will be able to move forward.”
Lalruatkimi not only gives her service to the community through the YMA, but she is also a teacher at a Government high school in Chawlhhmun and a Sunday school teacher in her church. “The church activities are planned so it is manageable but when it comes to the YMA, there are many emergencies. There are many times I have to leave in the middle of a meal. I am lucky that my family supports me.”
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As a YMA leader for over twenty years, she has been present for emergencies in her community, sports activities, HIV support work, drug-related cases, service to the poor during Covid19 and any other issue faced by community members. She has also attended every other YMA meeting held at least twice a month and attended almost every funeral in the locality for two decades. “This is God’s work for me,” she told EastMojo, “that’s how I can do it, by considering that it is my way of doing God’s work.”
There is a glow in her eyes as she speaks of the YMA, “If there was no YMA, denominations would divide us. YMA makes the Mizo people unique, it unites us. It gives me joy to give my efforts to serve others. All the hard work is worth it when we see the gratitude on people’s faces. Without the YMA, there would be a lot of disharmony among the Mizo people,” she told EastMojo.
When asked what concerns her about the Mizo youth of today, she said, “What concerns me most is that the youth of today are more concerned about their outer appearance than about their work.”
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When she is not teaching or attending YMA activities, Lalruatkimi toils on their farm, come rain or shine. She and her siblings grow food for their table. They also have two pigs which they tend every day. “I only watch the TV to listen to the news. If I am not working on our farm, I like to read books,” she said.
What makes Lalruatkimi a dynamic leader is that she doesn’t read to occupy her idle time. She also reads books to research topics that could help her community. “A few weeks back, I was reading books about law. People come to us when they have family or marriage troubles, so I wanted to understand and know their rights and how I can support them. These days, I am reading books on depression because I see that several of our youth are suffering from depression. I want to know how I can help them out.”
Lalruatkimi clearly has no plans of stopping.
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