Guwahati: The grand funeral of a certain Mizo lady Carolyn H.Lalvenmawii in the tiny hamlet of Sangau in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, who assisted in the Covid-19 fight, has caught the imagination of Northeast Indians.
Although Carolyn was not known when she lived and it is not known how she died, a video of her funeral has landed on social media and is going wildly viral. Why is that, one might ask? It is because the lady, according to several accounts, tirelessly assisted her Village Level Task Forces on their Covid-19 border patrol. In the viral video footage of Carolyn's last voyage, villagers can be seen lining up, singing sorrowful songs to mourn the departed, and in a show of great respect for the departed Carolyn, letting loose a volley of bullets.
Sangau, sandwiched between foreign nations Bangladesh and Myanmar, is among the tourist attractions of Mizoram due to the presence of Phawngpui, which is the highest mountain peak in Mizoram. However, after the Covid-19 pandemic landed on Indian shores, the Mizoram Government sounded the alarm and tasked villagers with keeping foreigners out of the state.
In the ensuing weeks, civil society bodies and the village administrations have taken it upon themselves to protect the villages from the "infiltrators". It stands to reason that in a highly-alert state like Mizoram, the contribution of the faceless Carolyn who stood guard at the bordering village would not go unnoticed. Although one can only imagine who this lady in one of the remoter corners of the nation was, her funeral will stand testimony to courage and sacrifice at a time when the entire nation of 1.3 billion Indians was forced indoors.
"Here's how Miss Carolyn H.Lalvenmawii, from Sangau, who unfortunately passed away after assisting her Village Level Task Forces on their Covid-19 border patrol was given a rare yet valued heroes farewell. She will be remembered. The Government of Mizoram offers our deepest condolences", Mizoram Chief Minister wrote on Twitter, reacting to the viral video.