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Shops without shopkeepers(nghah lou dawr), Mizoram has them for Years!

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Studded with forested hills that roll across for hundreds of miles, dense bamboo groves, lush paddy fields, sheer cliffs and serene waterfalls, the picturesque, far-flung state of Mizoram is unfamiliar to most Indians. This tranquil state, blessed with breathtaking natural beauty, is also the home to one of the humblest and most honest communities in India, the Mizos.

On a highway along Mizoram, shop owners sustain their living more on the integrity and honesty of their customers than on the little forest produce they manage to collect and sell.

Mizo people are renown for their honesty, hospitality and serene approach to life. They even have a Mizo term for it, tlawmngaihna, that means always being kind, hospitable, unselfish and helpful to others.Mizos have indigenously developed a novel kind of grassroots commerce that is all about goodwill and honesty – the nghah lou dawr.

The nghah lou dawr (shops without shopkeepers) are a unique way to buy and sell harvested produce. It is a common sight to see these shops along the highway in Seling, about 65 kilometers away from its capital Aizawl. At these shops, vegetables, fruits, flowers and other produce are kept for selling with a rate list and a container into which customers can put the money. People can be seen going through these items nonchalantly and then grabbing whatever they need before putting the money they owe into the containers lying beside the items.

If they don’t have the exact change, customers can also pick up the change from the same container which says pawisa bawm or pawisa dahna. The owners of nghah lou dawr say,

“We run this shop the whole year. We just put the price list near the vegetable or anything we are selling and people simply pick up what ever they like and put the money in the container. If required, they even take the change from the box themselves. We trust them, they have never failed us. Nothing has ever been lost from our shops.”

Every morning these farmer cum shop owners arrange an array of vegetables, fruits, occasional bottles of fruit juice, small dried fish and even freshwater snails (a local delicacy) in the thatched bamboo huts that double up as shops. They then hang small signboards with the names and prices of the wares written on them using, in most cases, charcoal or chalk. After keeping small payment boxes at their shops, the shop owners leaves for their small jhum (shifting cultivation) farms and gardens. All the while they are at the farm, people crossing the area drop in to purchase the wares and put the desired amount into the box.

With farmhands few and expensive, the small farmers of the region can’t afford to spare any member to stay at the hut and mind the wares. Any money that trickles into the cash container is a big bonus for them. Also, though the nghah lou dawr are few in number and may not earn much, what makes the shop owners happy is the fact that their customers never fail them.

For the locals, the trust that is involved in the transactions with nghah lou dawr is enough to make them want to buy from these shops. Proud of the prevalence of such shops, locals say that it has been possible due to the enduring honesty of people.

“We feel great that Mizoram has such kind of vendors and we often buy from them. It makes us happy, like we’ve contributed to something beautiful. This is how it should be,” say the customers of nghah lou dawr.

It’s wonderful that how small scale farmers in Mizoram are entrusting their business to the honesty of their faceless customers. A longstanding tradition from the time tribes ruled over individual villages in Mizoram, these simple shops show that where the trust is reciprocated, honesty flourishes.

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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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