YMA Day – June 15th
YMA Day is celebrated in the state of Mizoram, India on 15th June every year. The day commemorates the establishment of the Social organization Young Mizo Association in 1935. Young Mizo Association is a Non-governmental Organization in Mizoram founded by the British when they came to rule over Mizoram.
Being declared a government holiday, all government offices and educational institutions in the state remained closed on YMA Day. YMA members in every village and locality work in rendering social services like cleanliness drive, construction of houses for the poor, planting of saplings, giving charity to orphanages, etc.
History of Young Mizo Association
Young Mizo Association (YMA) was formerly called Young Lushai Association (YLA) when it was formed on June 15, 1935, by the Christian missionaries and the pioneer Mizo Christians. It is one of the largest non-government, secular and non-profit organizations of the Mizo people. Its member is in Mizoram state and also in the adjoining state of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura.
When the British Missionaries landed in Mizoram, they found the Lusei (as the Mizos were called previously) to be headhunters and nature worshippers. They later educated them and converted them to Christianity. In order to help them make good use of their leisure they thought it will be good to form an association wherein, the Mizos can be taught to help others and be selfless in their life. Hence the Young Mizo Association has been formed.
But as time passes this association have gained so much support and popularity from the people and began to lose sight of the purpose of its formation and sometimes almost function as a parallel form of government, often taking matters into their own hands and sometimes at the cost of someone else’s lives which is clearly a violation of one’s human rights.
Indian Independence in 1947 brought about political revival even in Mizoram resulting in the change of “Young Lushai Association” to “ Young Mizo Association” on 7th October 1947, as the latter has a more panoramic coverage.
The motto of Y.M.A:
Y.M.A has three mottos:
1. Good use/ Proper utilization of leisure time.
2. Reverence for a good Christian life.
3. Striving towards holistic development of the Mizo society.
The ten commitments of YMA
Young Mizo Association imposes its member of
- Self-discipline and righteousness
- Good management of family
- Just and truthfulness
- Tolerance
- Politeness
- Chivalry and usefulness
- Social commitment
- Respect for religion
- Preservation of culture
- Abstinence from liquor and drugs
Emblem and color
The emblem of the Young Mizo Association is a flames torch with the abbreviation YMA is written, which in turn held by a hand inside a circle. The three stems of the torch signify the three objectives of the association. The ten sparks of the torch signify the ten commitments. In the ribbon the name YMA is written, there will be “ESTD” written on the left side and 1935 on the right.
The official color is a tricolored horizontal stripe of equal sizes. The three colors represent the earliest man-made Coors of the Mizo ancestors. first, red on top denotes the brightness of the association. second, white in the middle shows sanctity. And the black at the bottom symbolizes concern for the poor, the despair, and the helpless.
Suggested Read: Important Days In June
