Numbered days
Life flirts with us, lets us believe we are not as temporary as we actually are. The speed at which acquaintances, friends, and relatives are evacuating Earth is not funny; it is faster than we can comprehend. I regret not visiting a number of older people before they left. Now, it is too late. It also brings home the truths of gravity and mortality in the brutal way that only death can. Questions hang in the air, unanswered and irrelevant. Why has death come so quickly? Was it the sudden cold or the Christmas food or life under the pandemic? The number of people dying seems much more than before. Or is it the fact that such news travels much faster now with way better communication systems than ten years ago? A number of WhatsApp friends love to be harbingers of death, doom and gloom. Bless them nevertheless for this public service they render.
Each death is a reminder of how short life on earth really is. Each parting has a touch of eternity about it. ‘His place shall know him no more.’ I cannot help but wonder at how completely a person disappears when he or she dies. Our people often comment on the feeling of emptiness in the wake of a death. The vacuum left behind is tangible and nothing can take the place of the one who has gone ahead. And profound thoughts remain. I want to live my life better, unsay unkind things, and put more effort into forgiving and loving others.
Things to be proud of
A visitor from Rajasthan was amazed at the Dimapur-Kohima highway. The last time he had visited was in 2019 when the highway was a caricature of a road. On his recent trip, he stopped the driver two times to ask if he was on the right route. ‘This road is too good. I think you have taken a wrong turning. Please be sure you are going to Kohima as I don’t want to end up at the wrong destination!’ he anxiously told the driver. The driver simply laughed him off so his next question was, ‘What happened here?’ The driver smilingly answered that the roadworks had made good progress during 2020-2021, hence the improved state of the road. So now, the highway is one thing to be proud of and grateful for. There are still patches that need tender loving care and one hopes that will come to be.
But we can be proud in a very high measure of the two-day peace walkathon undertaken by the Naga public on the 10th January. ‘Fight violence with love, fight darkness with light’ were the words that impressed non-Nagas when they witnessed first-hand how the Nagas were responding to Oting. The peace walk takes these words and puts them into practical action. Hopefully, more light will be shed on this extraordinary effort that fights for the people without using any aggression.We bless those who carried out such a feat.
Electricity and related news
Our family house stands opposite the Assam Rifles camp. In the month of December, they set up a powerful light facing our house, and it burns day and night (not sure why it is left burning in the day as well). When we go to bed, the static searchlight provides blinding light even after we have switched off our lights. I haven’t tried reading by its glow. But from time to time, I do idly wonder if it will bring down our Electric bills somewhat considering the high intensity of light aimed in our direction. It remains to be seen.
Room 03
Room 03 on the Nagarjan main road, is a delightful book-music-café. A pleasant surprise was the large size of the cafe in comparison to other book places. It was at Room 03 we had the pleasure of releasing Sangmaikumba Chang’s book, ‘One day at a Time.’ The second edition.Blues and Jazz playing in the background, or to be very accurate, to the side in an alcove, set the mood beautifully. Soon, masked individuals assembled as the evening rolled out. Room 03 says it wants to provide a safe space for artists to be able to share thoughts and express themselves freely. What it is now providing is a welcoming arena where things are happening and can happen. Bless them doubly. Welcome 2022.
