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posted by: Niband Vinod
Last updated: June 15, 2023, 06:10 AM IST
YMA Day is celebrated every year on June 15 (Image: Twitter/Congress)
YMA Day 2023: Created to preserve the local culture of Mizo culture, YMA Day is celebrated every year on June 15th. Find out more about its significance indoors
YMA Day stands for Young Mizo Association, abbreviated as YMA, based in Aizawl, Assam. It is the most important non-governmental and non-profit organization representing the Mizo ethnic people. Before leaving India, the Christian missionaries, who had converted the majority of the Mizo population to Christianity, decided to establish a non-governmental association of the Mizo people to preserve their indigenous culture. This led to the creation of the YMA on June 15, 1935. The day is celebrated every year as YMA Day.
The YMA was registered with the Government of Mizoram as a non-profit secular non-governmental organization of the Mizo people on 14 May 1977, under the Indian Societies Registration Act. It is the largest NGO representing the Mizo tribes. The headquarters of the association is located in Aizawl, where there are 5 other sub-headquarters, 805 branches and 5 groups. In addition to Mizoram, these branches administer parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Nagaland.
Apart from preserving Mizo heritage and culture, the YMA conducts skill development programs for Mizo youth, operates adult education centers all over Mizoram, conducts tree planting campaigns in June, annually, and builds houses for poor village people. It also operates more than 250 libraries, builds urinals and public toilets throughout Mizoram, and carries out sports programs and various social and cultural activities. Another commendable activity of the YMA is its tireless campaign against alcohol and drugs. Since October 1973, the YMA has been publishing a monthly magazine called “YMA Chanchinbu” in the Mizu language.
An important social service provided by the YMA is assistance to relatives of the dead. Its members usually spend at least three days and nights with the relatives of the dead. They also dig graves and bury them according to Mizu customs.
In the past month, after an outbreak of violence between majority and minority communities in Manipur, it has had a huge impact on Mizoram. Many displaced Manipur residents have taken refuge in Mizoram. For them, the YMA has sprung into action by providing financial assistance of 5 Lakh to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribe living in Manipur amidst the violent clashes.
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