Why an elderly couple in Mizoram runs a shop without a shopkeeper

After I retired in 2024, my wife and I bought a farm in New Lengpui in Mizoram’s Mamit district. It is not too far from the village but secluded enough to be a restful place, so much so that deer and wild boars drink water from our spring. We began farming and have plenty of produce today, but we don’t have the time to go to the market and sell it. We grow nimbu (lemon), theihai (mango), zawngṭah (stink beans), theiherawt (starfruit), lamkhuang (jackfruit), avocado, sunhlu (amla), litchi, lakhuihthei (pineapple), balhla (banana), and some herbs. It is our Garden of Eden.  

Not wanting to let our fruits and vegetables go to waste, we decided to set up a shop without a shopkeeper on the roadside. Any passer-by can see the banner in English that reads ‘Shop Without Shopkeeper’, check the price tags against the items, and pay us through our UPI code or clip on money when they buy from us.    

The idea wasn’t to generate profit; we just wanted to share the blessings of our harvest by running this shop that’s symbolic of our culture. But it was also our small social experiment. 

We like to think that the Mizo society is as honest as people believe, and we wanted to see if this is actually the case. We were curious to know if people would steal our produce and not pay us. 

There have been only a few instances where people have stolen from us. Mostly, we have received the payments through UPI and, to a lesser extent, through money clipped on at the stall. Once we couldn’t visit the shop for days, but the clipped money was intact.  

Over time, we have made small changes. Apart from the produce that we sell, we also spread out extra produce so that anyone who wants to eat it can help themselves. For example, we heard that starfruit is beneficial for cancer patients, so we made it free at the shop and left a note that read, “Have this for free if you have cancer.” It turns out people really paid attention, because all the fruits were taken.  

Moments like these bring us joy. Moreover, in this pensioner’s life, I get to work in our farm and be active instead of sitting idle. This is the contentment we had always longed for. 

Lianthangpuia is a retired headmaster and owns an unmanned shop in Mizoram. 

As told to Malsawmdawngliani Tara, IDR Northeast Fellow 2025–26.  

— 

Know more: Learn why seasonal fruits are both a gift and a gamble for a Mizoram candy brand.