Aheli Moitra
L sat in her cousin’s compound stitching pieces of woolen material into large oval beads. They will come together to become part of a larger decor. Her cousin, T, is putting up a stall at the Dimapur night carnival for the first time and the only way to decorate it is through homemade art work. With the lack of opportunities for clean earning in Nagaland State, their families wait for the end of the year to set up temporary shop.
Armed with skills passed on through generations, the families will prepare food and beverage to be sold during the five days of the night carnival for a marginal profit. A large number of such temporary stalls will take care of Christmas needs of multiple families for whom adhoc earnings support important festivities. L & T have explored myriad such temporary options through the year, from mobile stores for second hand clothing to commission based deals. Income never really regularizes for them, and life, for years, has been hand to mouth. Being women, the upkeep of the little ones in addition to earning, cleaning and cooking drives their stress levels manifold. Choiceless, they find the strength to sit around in laughter, weaving more woolen beads.
This is a common Naga story today. The corrupt and powerful ride along in their Rovers while the choiceless and weak eat the dust left behind. The Against Corruption And Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland came up as a pressure group in defense of the latter. The movement started with the issue of excessive and unabated taxation on the common Naga person who has no sustainable form of earning to fit into the new economy. Firmly into its next phase, the movement has focused upon the more pressing and complicated zone that demands urgent and strong action—state corruption.
In a place where the issue of corruption can drive violence, it has been a commendable achievement on ACAUT Nagaland’s part to remain nonviolent and focused in their approach. Data has been shared with the public whenever necessary and a sense of urgency has been induced in the public. It remains a matter of mystery why more people are not already on the streets protesting, both, the exposed corrupt practices that are probably indicative of the state machinery at large, as well as the actions being taken under the cloak of legality against ACAUT Nagaland activists.
Perhaps families like those of L & T are too busy trying to make sure Christmas, as well as other regular societal functions, can be held up in place while more seasoned members of the society handle activism. This puts an added onus on the activists of ACAUT Nagaland to make sure that the movement does not fizzle out or lose focus of the larger picture. This critical juncture could lead Nagaland State towards a new direction that many Naga families must be waiting for.
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