Nagaland Chief Secretary, J Alam, IAS, at the book exhibition and sale of works by Naga authors, initiated by the Kohima Educational Society (KES) as part of the Gordon Graham Prize for Naga Literature (GGPNL) on November 29. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | November 29
Chief Secretary of Nagaland, J Alam, IAS, today noted that the literary tradition in Nagaland is still young, owing to the tradition of oral literature and said that “pursuing these creative pursuits as a pioneer is not easy.”
He was speaking at the inaugural programme of the two-day book exhibition and sale of works by Naga authors, initiated by the Kohima Educational Society (KES) as part of the Gordon Graham Prize for Naga Literature (GGPNL) at Hotel Japfü Kohima.
However, describing writers as the ‘cream of the society’, he exuded hope that the KES initiative is making a lot of difference while adding that the Gordon Graham Prize for Naga Literature (GGPNL) is doing wonders to raise the profiles of Naga authors. To the publishers in the state, he said, “publishing books is not an easy task or the most profitable industry in the world.”
“They deserve our applause and unqualified support for being in these fields. You are not doing it purely for publishing, but for the love of books and literary pursuits and it is a great thing,” he said.
Further putting across that writers are the “conscience and knowledge keepers of the society,” he pointed out that thinkers have helped shaped society and therefore, stressed that it is essential to nurture such talents and give ample opportunity for expression. Commending the KES for its pioneering work, although difficult, he said, “hats off to KES for supporting all these artists.”
While there has been increase in access to digital books, he observed that the publishing industry is still flourishing and said “the future is very bright and publishers should take a lot of heart from these trends to continue in their profession.” He stressed on the need to build on the intellectual capital of the state and called for creating more libraries in all parts of the State.
The Chief Secretary also formally inaugurated the book exhibition cum sale, which saw participation by publishers including Barkweaver, Heritage, Woods and PenThrill Publication House. Besides these local stores- A Ra Kezivi, The Common Room and Gutouch are also participating in the exhibition.
An interactive session with Dr Vikas Kumar, Associate Professor, Azim Premji University, Bangalore and co-author of ‘Numbers in India’s Periphery: The Political Economy of Government Statistics’ was also held in the afternoon. He gave a presentation on ‘Numbers in Nagaland: A History in Three Episodes.’
In his presentation, he dwelt on the ‘The Colonial Cue’ and touched upon the Simon Commission Memorandum and speech of AZ Phizo during the 1951 Plebiscite. Highlighting the Naga National Council (NNC), he threw light on ‘Nagaland’s Demographic Somersault,’ showing the decadal population growth rates (in per cent) which stood at 64.53 during 1991-2001 and -0.58 during 2001-2011.
In this context, he said, “most interviewees, both from within and outside the state, argued or believed that the conflation among census, elections and development policies was unique to Nagaland.” He said that the “Naga response to the manipulation of government statistics had three layers- Incorrect responses reflect individual dishonesty; Flawed statistics are a matter of collective shame; and Poor statistics reflect (civilisational) backwardness vis-à-vis other societies.”
Stating that a manifestation of dysfunctional public institutions in an ethnically divided and economically stagnant setting was transformed into a moral-civilisational problem, he noted that “while this helped in conducting a relatively clean census in 2011, it diverted attention away from deeper reforms that would have helped prevent the recurrence of similar problems in the future.” He further deliberated on the experience of other societies in this regard.
The event also witnessed book readings by authors of GGPNL, which was chaired by Elizabeth Vizovono. Authors who read included Konaei Shongdok, author of ‘Once upon a time in Kohima’; and Nzan Kikon, author of ‘The Unlikely Indians’, whose books were also shortlisted for the Gordon Graham Prize for Naga Literature 2021. Neikihienuo Mepfhü-o, author of ‘My Mother’s Daughter,’ which won the Prize in 2019, also read from her book.
Extracts from the winning books for this year’s Prize namely ‘Waiting for the dust to settle’ by Veio Pou in the fiction category and ‘The Chang Nagas- In memory of our undefeated ancestors’ by Wangto Chingmak in the non-fiction category were read out by Dr Kevizonuo Kuolie and Dr Easterine Kire respectively.
