Sihfa Village

                 SIHFA 

Village                    Sihfa
Block                     Thingsulthliah
District                    Aizawl
State                     Mizoram
Country                   India
Continent                  Asia
Time Zone                 IST ( UTC + 05:30)
Currency                  Indian Rupee ( INR )
Pin Code                  796261
Dialing Code               +91
Telephone Code/Std Code      0389
Language                  Mizo
Time difference            -40 minutes
Latitude                    23.738405
Longitude                  92.9806808000001
Elevation/Altitude:          1,118 meters(Above Seal level)
Assembly constituency :     Chalfilh assembly constituency
Assembly MLA :   Lalrinliana Sailo
Serpanch Name :           Lalbiaktlinga (incumbent)
Post Office Name :          Saitual

ABOUT  SIHFA VILLAGE

This is what the elders say about the origin of Sihfa. Sihfa is a Lushai word which is the name of the village. It is surrounded by a small stream which is yellow in colour because of the crabs living in it. The word 'sih' refers to a small stream (that has crabs in them) and the word 'fa' means a child , so the name basically means ''a child of the stream''.

Sihfa (English Pronunciation :  Si:h'fa:) is a medium size village located in Thingsulthliah RD Block of Aizawl district, Mizoram with total 209 families residing(as per 2011 census). Positioned in rural area of Aizawl district of Mizoram, it is one of the 23 villages of Thingsulthliah Part Block of Aizawl district. As per the government records, the village number of Sihfa is 271271. The village has 209 homes.

Nearest town of the village is Saitual and distance from Sihfa village to Saitual is about 7.8 km. Sihfa is connected by metalled road with state capital of Aizawl through State Highway. The village has its own pin code of Sihfa village is 796261. District head quarter of the village is Aizawl which is about 25 km( air) or 80km (land) away.

The surrounding nearby villages and its distance from Sihfa are:
Dilkhan 3.0 KM , Tualbung 5.9 KM , Lungpher 7.3 KM , Saitual 7.8 KM , Keifang 8.7 KM , Rulchawm 9.6 KM , Buhban 9.9 KM , Ruallung 10.7 KM , Mualpheng 15.5 KM.

HISTORY

The village was established in 1919.

Unfortunately, when the ancestors lived at Hmunpui Ram, people died time and again due to unknown reason. So that,  they shifted the village to about 1.8 kms far. At that time, Sihfa was under the administration of monarchy and Thangkama who was king of Sihfa as well as a courageous man governed his village with community elder.

GEOGRAPHY

Sihfa is located on steep slope, top hill and north of the Tropic of Cancer in the northern part of Mizoram. Sihfa settlements are located in between Tuivawl(River) and Sihdarh(River) . It is situated at an average elevation of 3,430 ft (1,118.5 m) above sea level with  the Sihdar river valley to its west and the Tuivawl river valley to its east. The geographical location of Sihfa is average between 23°46'28" - 23°46'01" N latitude and 92°54'16" - 92°54'36" E longitude. 

[[As per recorded by some interested person, the geographical location of Sihfa Dawrkawn is average between 23° 44' N ( N = 23°44 '13.8" latitude) and 92°58' E (E = 92°58' 47.5'' longitude). Altitude of Sihfa Dawrkawn is 1197 m above the sea level.]]

CLIMATE

 Sihfa is surrounded by mild environment and experiences a southwest monsoon in summer. 

Sihfa has a mild and moderate, sub-tropical climate due to its location and elevation. Under the Köppen climate classification , Sihfa features a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) but very rainy. The annual rainfall record at some places is 289 cm per year. The temperature of the village is neither too hot nor too cold. The village hardly exceeds 31°C at summer and never fall below 4°C during winter. All these above factors shaped the growth of vegetation and the village area is currently well vegetated.

FLORA 

More than 58% of the village area, now, is covered by thick forest, but the continuous practice of Jhumming, and non-agricultural land use like buildings, transportations like agricultural road and communication utilities etc. in the area led to a decline in the forest cover area. The village forest is an open access and is where the villagers go for their everyday needs like fodder and firewood etc. Some area of the land are protected by the villagers by planting useful species of trees like Ngiau (Michelia Champaca), species of timber(Terminalia Myriocarpa) like Char, Zuang, etc., species of oak like Fah, Thîl,etc., Vang(Albizzia Stipulate), Khiang (Schima Wallichi) etc. Planting of trees is also done with the help of Village Forest Department Committee (VFDC) and Young Mizo Association (YMA). Vast areas of land are owned by individuals and are mainly used for cultivation. Current forest status shows decreases in forest cover due to the continuous practice of Shifting cultivation.

ECONOMY 

As per 2011 government records, the number of occupied person of Sihfa village is 556 whereas 402 are non-working. And out of 556 working people 411 peoples are entirely dependent on agriculture. Village population of 65% are angaged in shifting cultivation while Government servants account for 2% and others constitute 33%.

The economy of Sihfa is basically sustained by Shifting cultivation. Though some villagers are angaged in Government Office, the majority of the people of Sihfa depend on Agriculture and horticulture for their livelihood. Apart from these, a small population including immigrants relying on livestock. The village approached road, which is the metalled road, is about 7.8 km long from Saitual Town. Even though agriculture has become the main source of income for the communities, most of the products are sold outside the village especially through Middleman. Marketing through middlemen has reduced the amount of money that could be earned by the primary producers from the export of vegetables and cash crops. Paddy and ginger are intensively grown by the farmers of Sihfa since the land in Sihfa village area is highly capable of growing such a crop in Kharif season. Few years ago, nearly 90% of the total exported agricultural products from the village to the Market is vegetables like brinjal(egg plant/aubergine) , snake gourd( trichosanthes anguina) , plant with bitter edible fruit( lycopersicum esculentum) , cucumber , corn, edible arum bulbs( colocasia esculentum) , bitter gourd( cucurbitacious) , chilli and capsicum, peas, watermelon and mask-melon, etc. The village is located 80 kms away from Aizawl, the farmers of Sihfa village did not have the opportunity to sell their products in a distant market, they need to go through middlemen in order to sell their products, but marketing through middlemen has reduced the amount of money that could be earned by the primary producers from the export of vegetables and cash crops. Rice/paddy, edible arum bulbs , Maize, Brinjal and  plant with bitter edible fruit are also the commonly cultivated vegetables and cash crops which are produced in a large quantity. 

The villagers can have a good deal of production without introducing fertilizers. But, as the population is increasing as well as household, there will be a growing pressure on land for cultivation. Therefore, it is imperative to introduce organic fertilizer in order to optimize the land use and increase in production.

In 2013, 'Changkham' technology was introduced by Agriculture Department, Government of Mizoram at jhum field for the first time in Mizoram. 'Thlai thar kûtpui' was also organised on the same year.

Even though the Govt. of Mizoram is introduced a programme called New Land Use Policy (NLUP) to Sihfa village to have permanent occupation and raising the standard of living, it seems this Programme has failed to bring out any perceptible improvement in the economic condition of the Sihfa villagers.

POPULATION

Sihfa village, with population of 985, is  the 7th most populous village in Thingsulthliah RD Block. According to 2011 census, 482 (50%) are male and 476 (50%) are female in this village. Child (aged under 6 years) population of Sihfa village is 13%, among them 52% are boys and 48% are girls. There are 209 households in the village and an average 5 persons live in every family.

GROWTH  OF  POPULATION 

Population of the village has decreased by -2.9% in last 10 years. In 2001 census total population here were 987. Female population growth rate of the village is -0.8% which is 4.1% higher than male population growth rate of -4.9%.; Schedule Tribe population has decreased by -3.3% and child population has decreased by -3.8% in the village since last census.

Growth of population (percent) 2001 to 2011 - Sihfa

                           Total       General      Schedule

Total                  -2.9%           0%                0%

Male                  -4.9%           0%                0%

Female             -0.8%            0%                0%

SEX  RATIO - Females per 1000 Male

As per 2011 census, there are 988 females per 1000 male in Sihfa village which is higher than Mizoram state average of 976. Child Sex Ratio for  Sihfa Village as per 2011 census is 923, lower than Mizoram average of 970. 

Overall sex ratio in the village has increased by 41 females per 1000 male during the years from 2001 to 2011. Child sex ratio here has decreased by 77 girls per 1000 boys during the same time.

OFFICIAL  LANGUAGE 

The native language of Sihfa is Mizo and most of the village people speak Mizo. Sihfa people use Mizo language for communication. Mizo language is first language and English is second language in this village.

EDUCATION

PRIMARY  SCHOOL

In Sihfa village, there are two Primary School viz., Government Primary School - I and Government Primary School - II which are both run by Government of Mizoram. The Primary School - I  has been governed by the government of Mizoram since ______ and also Primary School - II has been governed since _____ . These two school activities under SSA were successfully run by the school. Primary School - I currently have about ______ students and also Primary School - II currently have ______ students.  The current headmistress of Primary School -II is Madam _______ and also Sir. Lalrochâma who is senior teacher is temporarily selected as the headmaster incharge in Primary School - I.

MIDDLE  SCHOOL

Only one Middle School is in this village.

Govt. Middle School, Sihfa is under the government of Mizoram. It was established in ____ , and currently, has ____ students enrolled. Sir. _____ is currently headmaster.  Government Middle School, Sihfa is surrounded by mild environment and its pleasurable atmosphere for students play.

HIGH  SCHOOL

A Government High School, Sihfa was established by Government of Mizoram in  which has motto as 'No Pain, No Gain'. Currently, it was under the deficit and has about  ____ students enrolled. The headmistress ___ was transferred to , and no other headmaster/headmistress was given to them, so one of the senior teacher Sir.Lalhuliana was temporarily selected as the headmaster.

LITERACY  RATE

Sihfa village has higher literacy rate compare to Mizoram. In 2011, literacy rate of Sihfa village was 98 % compared to 91.33 % of Mizoram. As per 2011 census, literacy rate (children under 6 are excluded) of Sihfa village is 98%. 815 out of total 958 population is educated here. Among males the literacy rate is 99% as 412 males out of total 482 are educated however female literacy rate is 97% as 403 out of total 476 females are educated in this Village.

The Negative part is that illiteracy rate of Sihfa village is 14.9%. Here 143 out of total 958 persons are illiterate. Male illiteracy rate here is 14.5% as 70 males out of total 482 are uneducated. In females the illiteracy rate is 15.3% and 73 out of total 476 females are illiterate in this village.

 Overall literacy rate in the village has decreased by 0%. Male literacy has gone down by 0% and female literacy rate has gone down by -1%.

Change in literacy rate 2001 to 2011 - Sihfa:

                  Total.        Male.      Female.

Change    -0.3%        0.2%       -0.7%

2011         97.8%      98.8%     96.9%

2001         98.1%      98.6%     97.6%

WORK   PROFILE

In Sihfa village out of total population, 556 were engaged in work activities. 89.57 % of workers describe their work as Main Work (Employment or Earning more than 6 Months) while 10.43 % were involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months. Of 556 workers engaged in Main Work, 411 were cultivators (owner or co-owner) while 2 were Agricultural labourer.

CASTE   FACTOR

The whole village peoples are Schedule Tribe (ST) which constitutes 100% of total population in Sihfa village. There is no population of Schedule Caste (SC) in this village.

GENERAL   DATA

Particulars.                        Total.    Male.    Female

Total No. of Houses.        209          -              -

Population.                         958        482       476

Child (0-6)                           125          65          60

Schedule Tribe                   958        482       476

Literacy (%)                       97.84      98.80   96.88

Total Workers.                   556         305       251

Main Worker                       498            -             -

Marginal Worker                  58           29         29

RELIGIOUS   COMPOSITION

As per 2011 census, Sihfa's religious composition is recorded as 100% Christianity. Among the different denominations of Mizoram, Sihfa is made up of three churches of different denominations, viz., Seventh Day Adventist, Salvation Army and Presbyterian. Presbyterian constitutes two churches, the one is named 'Sihfa Kohhran'(Sihfa Church) and other is named 'Sihfa North Kohhran'(Sihfa North Church) which is less than Sihfa Church in member wise.

Presbyterians make up the majority of the population. However, there are also significant numbers of the Salvation Army and Seventh-day Adventist  in the village. There are also some cultural based Christian sects. Presbyterian has the largest number of members which currently is about  89.3% of the total population, while Seventh-day Adventist is  0.50% and Salvation Army constitutes 10.20%.

CIVIL/LOCAL   ADMINISTRATION

There is only one Village Council Court in Sihfa. It was established in__. Currently, the President(sarpanch) is Pu Lalbiaktlinga ( ZPM candidate). There are five village council court members and the following listed are against their names and parties :  

President:                    

Lalbiaktlinga(ZPM)

Vice President:            

Robert Zomuansanga(ZPM)

Secretary:              Vanlalsawma

Treasurer:              Lalnipari(ZPM)

Members:    Lalzarliana(INC)

                     Tlângdingngheta(INC)

The Young Mizo Association (YMA), Sihfa Branch was formed in ___ and ____ memebers are there. The current President of YMA is Pu Lalmuanpuia Sailo. Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), the biggest NGO among women, was also established in the year of 1963 ,  __ years after the Young Mizo Association started a branch. The current MHIP president is Pi Thangliani. Among the NGOs, MUP (Mizoram Upa Pawl) also played an important role in the village and was established in ___. The current president of MUP is Pu F.Kapzauva. Another NGO  is named Sihfa Students' Union(SSU) which has also been playing an important role in education of sihfa. The current president is Tv. Vanlalsawma and  120 members are there in this denomination. Succesfull students for H.S.L.C. examination may enroll his name in this pressure group. Sihfa Students' Union is always important for the development of village education.

MEDIA 

Newspapers

Mizoram 's popular daily newspapers

Vanglaini and  Saitual Post reach the village mainly at the afternoon. There are nearly 30 subscriber for  Vanglaini while Saitual Post is also subscribed by around 25 families.

Local newspaper

Name of newspaper  Frequency  Name of editor

Hauhuk  (YMA)          Weekly    David Lalchhuanmawia

Ebenezer(KTP, Sihfa Branch) Weekly  V.L.Nunhlukima

Thuhriltu(KTP, Sihfa North Branch) Weekly Tv.K.Lalthansanga

Cable  Television

LPS(Laldailova Pachuau & Son) cable is reached here which operates as the same to other village or town.

CULTURAL  HERITAGE  SITE

1. 'Chhura Lungkawh', one of the famous cultural heritage site in Sihfa which twin stone are renovated by Art and Culture Department, Government of Mizoram. It is located at near village and YMA takes care of it.

2. 'Suakhanga Lungphun', even though no one who is living in Sihfa knows him who he is, his memorial stone is ever remembered.  His writing is displayed on his stone like this: ('Suakhângan nupa 80 a sawi rem, tît heti tiat a hmu.....' <Ka hre mumal ta lo>) This stone is taken to nearby 'Chhura Lungkawh'. This is also renovated by Art and Culture Department, Government of Mizoram.

3. 'Bâk Puk',  it may be carried around five hundred people and is located on around 9.8 km away from Sihfa to east direction. Some people ,who are cultivators, aptly named that heritage name is derived from two Mizo word, Bâk and Pûk. Bâk means bat and Pûk means cave. Many Bats are always living in this cave, so some called as Bat Cave (In Mizo word, 'Bâk Pûk).

NOTABLE   PERSON

1. 'R.Dâla', _______

2. 'Pi Lalruali', one of the famous gospel poet in Mizoram.

3. 'Pi Hruaii' (Miss _________) , English missionary nurse.

4. 'Pu K.Sangthuama, MLA (MNF)

5. 'C.Lalnunsanga,'Top 5 , LPS Youth Icon, 2016

(Data dik lo leh thu ziak dik lo hrim hrim a awm a nih chuan a hnuaia information tarlanah hian min hrilh turin ka ngen a che. Blank ( __) a ka dah hi ka hriat loh lai a ni a, I hria a nih chuan min hrilh hrâm dawn nia.)

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