Once
upon a time long long ago, Livingstone Shazia woke up in his mountain home in
Ukhrul, home of the TanghulNagas, just across the Nagaland border on the edge
of Manipur, draped with the mist. The little mountain spring gurgled, waking up
the village with its mirth. The land was beautiful, enveloped with forests and
greenery and little paths that snaked their way around mountain huts.
The
tangkhulnagas are a tribe who most of India felt was foisted in the national
and international consciousness due to the long standoff between their supreme
leader T Muivah and IsacChisiSwu and the Indian government. It was a fight for
identity and against alienation, a fight which though subdued, isn’t quite
over.
But
what is the connection between the misty slopes of Ukhrul and sea windswept
coast of Goa? Livingstone Shazia is. His journey from his tangkhul village of
Ukhrul to Baga, via a small restaurant in Bangalore where he washed dishes for
12 hours a day, is a stuff stories are made of, and books too. It is in Goa
that he rekindled his life, met his future wife, had a bubbly little daughter
and opened one of the finest restaurants serving north eastern and Thai food.
But
his story is indeed one of connect, of displacement, of migration of the people
of the North east. And it is no surprise that noted human rights activist
Nandita Haksar, chose to release her book “Exodus is not over” at Livingstone’s
restaurant Meiphung. The book is about the economics induced exodus of the
North East people, who travel to towns and cities all over India looking for
work. Goa has more than a fair share in restaurants, parlours, casinos, each
with a tale they seldom choose to tell, mainly because no one wants to know or
hear.
But
Livingstone, turned all this around. After his father’s passing, he married
Ruth a fellow migrant from his region and they nurtured a dream of opening
their own restaurant.
That
dream slowly took shape. He embraced Goa, in 2008, not to be a little dot
adding to the numbers of migrants from the North East but took ownership of his
life and became not just a wage earner but a wealth and opportunity creator,
first working in a restaurant owned by a German, in which he became a director,
and then finally, with more than a little help from friends set up Meiphung, a
taste of home, in the spirit of home, where he brings the flavours of Ukhrul,
Senapathi and other naga villages to the tables of diners at Meiphung.
It’s
a warm pace with a big ‘Naga gate” with naga symbols welcoming you. But it’s
also a cocoon, like a fireplace around which stories are told, songs are sung,
romances are rekindled. And that’s what Meiphung means in the Naga language, a
fire place.And as yo u eat and drink, all of the above happens. Stories,
romance, music and of course the Tangkhul pork washed down with rice beer.
Periodically,
fresh local vegetables from Nagaland and Manipur ( he still calls them
‘vegetables from home’) are transported, perhaps symbolic of Livingstone’s own
journey And each meat or fish dish has the vegetables as an accompaniment or
even holds a pride of place on the dish. The smoked beef salad will have the
king chilli and spicy beans, the naga pork has fresh bamboo shoots, the pork
akhoni is best paired with “nagadaal’ or the pork curry has to go with chillies
smoked over slow fire just like in the “meiphung’ (fire place) back home
Other
dishes that stand out are beef with yam and on special occasions Iromba chutney
is prepared and served on special black pottery from Ukhrul.But the draw
clearly is Livingstone, his easy laughter, his genteel ways a constant reminder
of the mist and the mountains and the songs of the North east. In his journey
of turmoil, there is calm, in his displacement also lies settlement, as he
builds on a foundation of hard work and goodwill and easy acceptance in Goa.
He
reminds yours truly of another character called Baumra Jaap, from North Burma,
not far really from the Manipur border, who left his turmoil ridden country to
migrate to England before fin ding his way back to Goa and opening the finest
restaurant for Burme se cuisine Bomras in Candolim.
This
is an enduring and endearing story of migration. What you take, no matter what
you leave behind, is your food and food habits. Which is why when you walk on
the streets of Swindon in England, you smell choris being cooked, fish being
fried with an overpowe ring aroma of coconut oil.
Here’s to Livingstone and Ruth and all
those who have undertaken journeys in search of better lives and in turn
enriched the lives of those in their new homes
