Montfort Centre for Education

Landing at Silchar airport the six missionaries found themselves in a totally alien soil. They were earlier sent off affectionately by the Brothers at Yercaud much in the same way as mothers in olden days sent off their beloved sons to the battlefield. Good wishes and prayers in full measure accompanied the six men who were chosen to implant Montfortian foundations in the far off land of Mizoram. The affectionate and warm welcome they received from His Lordship Bishop Denzil Souza who had invited them to lend a helping hand in his diocese, was indeed quite reassuring.

To the north east of India, bordering Bangladesh, Myanmar and China lie the seven sisters - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Connected to the rest of the country only by a narrow goose neck stretch of land, these States greatly felt neglected by the rest of India. The natural consequence showed itself in the simmering anger of the people that gave rise to myriad self-styled underground movements. Born on the ostensible ideology of freedom and the right to self-determination, their very existence have now become a way of life giving rise to chaos and anarchy, hampering the growth and development of the Region.

The warm welcome that the missionaries received at the Bishops House on the outskirts of the town soon melted away their initial trepidation. The affable and cheerful ways of the young Bishop bowled them over. The priests and other religious appeared to be equally simple and endearing. After the lunch and some rest they proceed to Kolasib in Mizoram. After an exhausting journey that lasted about five hours, along NH 54 serving as the only artery that connects Mizoram with the rest of the country, meandering along the picturesque hills and valleys, they reached Kolasib to spent the night there.