What is YMA Day, and Why is it Celebrated in Mizoram?

YMA Day stands for ‘Young Mizo Association’, abbreviated as YMA, which is headquartered in Aizawl, Assam. It is the foremost non-governmental and non-profit organisation that represents the ethnic Mizo people. Before leaving India, Christian missionaries, who had converted the majority of the Mizo people to Christianity, decided to create a non-governmental association of the Mizo people to preserve their native culture. This led to the establishment of the YMA on June 15, 1935. The day is commemorated each year as YMA Day.

YMA was registered with the Government of Mizoram as a non-profit, secular NGO of the Mizo people on May 14, 1977, under Indian Societies Registration Act. It is the largest NGO that represents the Mizo tribes. The association’s headquarters is situated in Aizawl, under which there are 5 more sub-headquarters, 805 branches and 5 groups that exist. In addition to Mizoram, these branches administer over parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Nagaland.

Apart from preserving Mizo heritage and culture, YMA conducts skill development programmes for Mizo youth, runs adult education centres all over Mizoram, conducts tree plantation drives in June, annually, and builds homes for poor village folk. It also runs over 250 libraries, constructs public urinals and latrines throughout Mizoram, and conducts sports programmes and various social and cultural activities. Another commendable activity conducted by the YMA is its tireless campaign against alcohol and drugs. Since October 1973, YMA has been publishing a monthly journal called ‘YMA Chanchinbu’ in the Mizo language.

An important social service offered by the YMA is helping relatives of the dead. Their members normally spent a minimum of three days and nights with the relatives of the dead. They also dig the graves and bury them as per Mizo customs.

Last month, after the violence broke out between majority and minority communities in Manipur, it had a significant impact on Mizoram. Many displaced Manipur natives took shelter in Mizoram. For them, the YMA sprung to action by giving financial aid of 5 Lakh to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribe living in Manipur amidst the violent clashes.