By Moa Jamir
As Advent gives way to Christmas, the public space in Nagaland is once again permeated with familiar refrains of peace and hope, unity and humility, and other virtues. From churches and community halls to political gatherings and civil society statements, the language of the season is unmistakably aspirational. It reflects a collective yearning for calm after decades of uncertainty, for reconciliation after years of fragmentation, and for a future anchored in dignity and justice.
These expressions are neither hollow nor incidental. Over the past year, there have been moments that rekindled cautious optimism in the long and complex Naga peace journey. Declarations and follow up engagements among Naga stakeholders suggested a renewed willingness to converse, reduce mistrust, and explore common ground. For a people fatigued by delay and division, even incremental movement matters.
Yet the lived reality presents a more uneasy contrast. Alongside messages of peace are discordant voices that reveal unresolved fault lines within Naga society. Sharp public disagreements and actions, accusations and counter accusations, some directed even at long standing facilitators such as the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, underscore how fragile consensus remains. When institutions created to build bridges themselves become targets, it signals not merely political rivalry but a deeper crisis of trust.
Further, even as unity is repeatedly invoked, the perennial inter and intra divisions among Naga Political Groups persist, while inter-tribal solidarity continues to be shaped largely by self-interest, with sturdy shared commonalities remaining elusive.
This tension between proclamation and practice becomes more pronounced during the festive season. While pulpits speak of goodwill and public platforms invoke unity, many citizens quietly navigate anxieties far removed from celebration. Calls for transparency, justice, dedication and humility, frequently reiterated during the season, sit uneasily alongside everyday experiences of opaque governance, selective accountability and uneven rule of law. When values are repeatedly preached but inconsistently practised, identity itself risks becoming diluted, as several recent reflections have warned.
Yet to dismiss these seasonal expressions as mere ritual would be unfair. In Nagaland, faith and politics have long intersected in complex ways. These messages continue to provide a moral vocabulary through which society critiques itself, serving as a mirror rather than merely a melody. The insistence on peace is, in part, an acknowledgement of how elusive it remains. The emphasis on hope arises precisely because despair is never far away. Unity is invoked because fragmentation is a daily reality.
If peace is to mean more than an annual refrain, breakthroughs in dialogue must be protected from being derailed by ego, mistrust or competitive posturing. Stakeholders must recognise that public disparagement weakens the collective position and deepens public cynicism. Reconciliation, by its nature, requires restraint as much as resolve.
Similarly, the moral weight of the season rings true only when matched by action, whether in curbing malpractices, strengthening accountability and transparency, or ensuring governance that serves rather than intimidates.
As Christmas approaches, the challenge is not a lack of noble words, but the discipline to live by them beyond the season. Perhaps these virtues are invoked because citizens, if only for a brief season each year, seek solace from life’s existential vagaries, retreating into a shared reverie. For Nagaland to truly observe Christmas, that reverie must be allowed to run into reality.
Here’s to a Christmas where peace is practised, justice upheld and hope lived beyond the season.
For any feedback, drop a line to jamir.moa@gmail.com
