In Mizoram, bamboo is more than just a plant; it’s woven into nearly every part of life. Bamboo builds homes, from walls to rooftops, and is crafted into furniture, baskets, mats, and even tools. Its versatility is matched only by its presence in Mizo cuisine, where bamboo shoots, locally called 'mautak', are a beloved seasonal delicacy. Beyond its uses in food and construction, bamboo is also essential to agriculture in Mizoram. Local farmers rely on bamboo ash, created by burning bamboo cut for 'jhum' (shifting) cultivation, as a nutrient-rich fertilizer to sustain crops on Mizoram’s rugged, young hills. Bamboo holds deep cultural and economic importance in Mizoram, sustaining a rich indigenous lifestyle and contributing to the state’s income.

But Mizoram's relationship with bamboo is sort of a love-hate one. Every 48 to 50 years, this valuable plant becomes the cause of a strange and devastating famine known as 'Mautam'. A cyclical disaster with an eerie regularity, Mautam is triggered by the blooming of 'Melocanna baccifera', Mizoram’s most dominant bamboo species. When these bamboos flower, they do so en masse, blanketing entire hillsides with blossoms which sets off a disastrous chain of events. The mass flowering leads to the production of a vast number of bamboo seeds; a treat for Mizoram’s black rats.

During a Mautam, rat populations skyrocket as they gorge on bamboo seeds, a process called 'masting'. They begin breeding rapidly thanks to the abundant food supply. When the seeds inevitably run out, the swelling rat population has nowhere to turn but towards human crops, sparking a crisis of hunger and destruction. Numbering in the millions, the rats move to villages and fields, consuming crops, stores of rice, maize, and more. The results are catastrophic, with crops ravaged, storage facilities raided, and food supplies dwindling. The increased rodent population brings other dangers as well, such as the potential for outbreaks of diseases like hantavirus and bubonic plague, which rats can transmit to humans. This cycle of flowering bamboo, rat 'flooding', and crop devastation isn’t unique to Mizoram, either; similar cycles occur in places like Ethiopia and Japan, where different species of bamboo bloom in massive quantities.

The first documented Mautam famine dates back to 1815, and since then, these famines have struck Mizoram like clockwork, every few decades. Famines were recorded in 1863, 1911, 1959, and most recently, in 2007. Each Mautam is a brutal reminder of the strange connection between bamboo and famine, with people in Mizoram bracing themselves whenever the bamboo blooms. When the flowering cycle was finally understood, the government and scientists began seeking ways to mitigate its effects, recognizing the urgent need for solutions to a famine caused by rats, not by a lack of rain or soil fertility.

The Mautam famine of 1959 was particularly severe, sparking a significant response from the people and the state government. Out of desperation, Mizos established the Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF) to coordinate relief efforts and provide aid to affected communities. This organization would later evolve into the Mizo National Front (MNF), which played an essential role in Mizoram’s political history. By the time Mautam struck again in 2007, the government had prepared a comprehensive plan called the 'Bamboo Flowering and Famine Combat Scheme' (BAFFACOS) to address and contain the crisis.

The BAFFACOS plan was multi-layered and proactive. First, the government aimed to cut down as much bamboo as possible before it flowers and dies, reducing the amount of bamboo seed produced and thus limiting the rat population explosion. The second part of the plan involved stockpiling large amounts of food grains in anticipation of the rats’ destructive wave. This precaution ensured a food supply during the famine when local crops were likely to be ravaged. The government also supported agricultural diversification to reduce dependence on bamboo-related practices and promote more resilient food sources. Lastly, the state worked to develop a bamboo-based industry, creating a sustainable economy around bamboo that’s less vulnerable to the effects of flowering cycles.

In a creative move to tackle the rat infestation directly, the Mizoram government once offered villagers Rs 2 per rat tail, encouraging mass culling to keep the rat population under control. Alongside this, they trained local officials in emergency response, equipping them to coordinate relief efforts quickly and efficiently in the face of these natural disasters.

Despite the measures, the Mautam famine is a disaster too big to completely avoid. Every time it happens, eats away at the life and resources of a state that is already struggling with a lack of infrastructure, That most of the bamboo in Mizoram belongs to the state is also a lie. A lot of bamboo-dense forests are owned and operated by mahaldars (non-Mizo indivialsdu) who sell harvest and sell bamboo in an unregulated manner to large corporations like the Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited. Not unlike the way the most marginalized in our country are treated, the state is used for its resources with very little support for the people who live there.

We always think we've come so far in areas such as science and technology, but the Mautam famine shows us that progress doesn’t mean much if it leaves people behind. We once imagined the future with flying cars and smart cities, but what's the point of a flying car that we're using to flee the very same land we destroyed? For a truly better future, what we need is a world built on care, fairness, and a commitment to support those who need it most. When Mizoram’s bamboo forests are treated as little more than cash crops for corporations and outsiders, it’s the local people who bear the brunt and have to struggle through cycles of famine while others profit.

It’s a harsh reminder that true progress is less about shiny new tech and more about protecting our communities, respecting nature, and making sure everyone gets the support they deserve. Because without that, all the innovation in the world won’t mean a thing.

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