Exploring Aizawl, India's only Silent City, India

Exploring Aizawl, India's only Silent City

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Aizawl is as unique as they come. This busy city gets its sobriquet the Silent City because of its impeccable traffic etiquette. It’s not your everyday ‘wear your helmet’, ‘wear your seatbelt’, ‘don’t overspeed’ and so on. This ci … Read more

Exploring Aizawl, India's only Silent City

Here’s how you can make your Northeast experience memorable and a conversation-starter–make sure you visit Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram. Aizawl, when compared to other major capital cities in India, may look unremarkable but look closer, nay, listen closer, and you will find what makes Aizawl stand out. Aizawl city is India’s only Silent City, and here’s why.

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Aizawl is as unique as they come. This busy city gets its sobriquet the Silent City because of its impeccable traffic etiquette. It’s not your everyday ‘wear your helmet’, ‘wear your seatbelt’, ‘don’t overspeed’ and so on. This city and its people have managed to impress everyone by how smooth the everyday traffic is, even in rush hours.

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While folks from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi have people feeling like they are spending half of their lives tackling the city traffic, and the other half complaining about it, folks in Aizawl are taking their left lanes pretty seriously, and it’s beautiful.

When you are out and about in Aizawl, it is normal to see people out on the roads with their vehicles, maintaining their lane, not overtaking one another, no honking of horns, no road rage, and best of all–everyone is courteous to one another. All these, even during peak hours!

— Mizoram_Tourism (@Mizoram_Tourism)

The left lane in Aizawl also has separate lines for four-wheelers and two-wheelers. It is important to note that most of the city roads in Aizawl are pretty narrow to begin with. There are no big dividers to separate the left and right lanes. More often than not, it’s just a white strip of marker. Even then, people on the left lane keep the right lane free for any vehicles approaching from the opposite side. Now that is some serious commitment towards road etiquette and road safety.

In case one is in a hurry and desperately needs to pass the vehicle in front, it’s common to give a slight ‘beep-beep’, just to let the vehicle in the front know. If possible, they will let you pass. In return for this kind gesture, the driver usually gives a gentle beep, and this is acknowledged by both parties.

Also read: Picture-perfect Mizoram for adventure seekers

Wait, there’s more. It is not common to find traffic lights in Aizawl.

It is generally felt that honking incessantly and speedily overtaking other vehicles is an embarrassing act and one wouldn’t want to come off as uncivilised. Yes, that’s what the locals feel about openly disregarding traffic rules. The silence in Aizawl is not merely the absence of noise; it is a reflection of the city's distinctive cultural and societal ethos.

Also read: Mizoram is the happiest state in India, reveals study; know why

This is definitely a unique experience that one should visit Aizawl for.