Why Lord Ram is making waves in Christian dominated Mizoram

On January 25, 2024, a controversy erupted in Mizoram over the inclusion of Ramhlun, a locality in Aizawl, on a list curated by India in Pixels and content creator Ashris Choudhury.

The inclusion of Ramhlun in Aizawl in a list of 1,230 towns starting with the name 'Ram' has sparked widespread attention.

The post by India in Pixels gained significant traction online, with over 8,000 likes and 1,800 reposts on Twitter, and more than 10,000 likes on Instagram.
Despite its popularity, the linguistic misunderstanding sparked discussions among netizens, particularly those from Mizoram who took to the comments section to clarify the cultural significance and true meaning of 'Ramhlun'.

In the Mizo language, 'Ram' means 'land', and 'Ramhlun' translates to 'prominent land', devoid of any religious connotation typically associated with the name 'Ram' in Hindu mythology.

Social media users from Mizoram offered clarifications on this linguistic nuance. Some comments stated 'Ramhlun' in Mizoram has no connection to the Hindu deity and that 'Ram' is simply a Mizo term for 'land'. Others shared insights like, "That one town in Mizoram - 'Ramhlun' is not named after the Hindu deity 'Ram'. 'Ram' is a Mizo word that simply means 'land'.

Christianity is the largest religion in Mizoram with 87 per cent of Mizoram population are Christian in various denominations, predominantly Presbyterian. More than 98 per cent of the Mizos are Christians by faith. The culture of Mizoram is mainly influenced by Christianity.

Ashris Choudhury, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, runs India in Pixels as a self-funded project that explores the cultural artifacts of India through data storytelling.