Men sweep DHWA 2009 Awards

[By Lalmalsawm Sungte]

“Nu in Khawvel a siem!”

This is one of the most quoted adages used in the post-Christian Hmar society, yet rarely accepted as a truth and more so practised even by those who claimed that they have crossed the gender barrier.

The recent announcement of DHWA Awards 2009 clearly shows the strong nerve of the old mindset: Nuhmei var, varal a kai nawh. Twelve awards were announced and not a single woman in the list! No doubt that the men selected for this award are renowned in their respective fields, but the question -- Are there no Hmar women in New Delhi or rest of the world worthy of DHWA awards?-- lingers on.

The Hmars in Delhi are a role model for their brothers and sisters living across the globe. They are highly qualified in their own areas, and they have done great service to the community for being the face of the Hmars in the national capital. They have time and again withstood the divisive forces of denominational churches. Their resolve to present a united front is well appreciated. However, their (read DHWA Award Committee) unity in ignoring women, altogether, for the said award is a sad episode.

There must be at least a dozen women in New Delhi or even in states like Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya worthy of such prestigious honour. It is well within the privileges of the Award committee to consider and honour anybody, either men or women; however, ignoring the latter with a zero is an insult to our mothers, daughters and wives without whom we (men) cannot dream of living.

If we can have Men of Century Award, why can’t there be a Women of Century Award? The way we weigh or look at things seems to be blatantly male-centric. If one is to critically analyze ‘Men of the Century Award’, not making ‘Women of the Century Award’ category itself is a mistake which any highly respected award committee can afford to make.

With due respect to the DHWA Award Committee’s decision, it would have been fabulous if we began recognizing the ‘small achievements’ and important roles played by Hmar women.

Any Hmar committee is still an old boys' club and male-kind rules the roost. However does the DHWA Award Committee or any other panels have to be? Maybe not, because even when none comes forward to nominate a woman, the committee itself must look around and pick anyone for inclusion; at least for the Achievement awards. This will, in the long run, facilitate a truly gender sensitive Hmar society.