When incumbent Governor of Nagaland Shyamal Datta bids adieu to Kohima Raj Bhavan, his home for five years, there is no doubt that his absence will be sorely missed. Not only did Datta and his wife warm the hearts of people all around them, but here was a Head of State who spend as much time outside, as he would, in the safe and easy confines of Raj Bhavan. Journeying to the unknown places and reaching out to the nameless masses across the length and breadth of the State, the due recognition as a Governor of the people in itself is a testimony to his deep concern for people centred issues and his faith in the ingenuity of the Naga people to develop according to their own genius. In his departure, the people of the State can only wish him and his family good health and success in all their future endeavors.
More than even the tag of a “People’s Governor”, Datta will be remembered for championing the cause of women in Naga society. In fact, the Governor in his last major public statement included a separate section on empowerment of women in the State and pointing out that women, in horticulture, in floriculture and in a variety of services including public leadership, will have to play an important role in the State’s future progress. On several occasions Datta would speak about the role and contribution of women in the noble task of the State’s development, which according to him was not a choice but a necessity.
As such, it is obvious that for Datta, the (long delayed) setting up of the Nagaland Women Commission, the provision for reservation of wards for women in the State’s municipalities and for a woman member to be included in the NPSC, were all close to his heart as much as he was convinced that all these measures would finally enable women to contribute more to the progress of the Naga society. By facilitating, an enabling environment for women’s voice to be heard, and helping create a base for their participation in public life, will hopefully fulfill Datta’s hope one day of seeing a woman get elected to the State Legislative Assembly.
In his departure, Datta should take great satisfaction from the fact that as the Constitutional Head of the State, he had rescued the provision of women’s reservation in local bodies from being put in the cold storage by the male political class dominating the decision making bodies. Public memory may be short but it needs to be placed on record that it was Datta who did the right thing to return the Nagaland Municipal (First Amendment) Bill, 2005 back to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) for ‘reconsideration’. Datta had pointed to a major lacuna in the legislation, in that it failed to make provision for reservation of seats for women. This ‘rescue act’ of the Governor will hopefully enable the future generation of women in the State to enjoy equal access to power and decision making starting at the grass root level.
From all accounts Datta has had a successful stint as Governor upholding the dignity of office. Non-controversial, Datta’s relationship with both the Congress Chief Minister SC Jamir and the DAN alliance led by Neiphiu Rio was one of mutual trust and courtesy despite the occasional aberrations and differences. Datta was no rubber stamp either and despite his limitation as a constitutional head, he was known for having a mind of his own and acted according to the letter and spirit of the Constitution while discharging his role fairly and meticulously. At the end, the setting up of a women commission, inclusion of the first ever women as member in the NPSC and paving the way for women’s inclusion in local bodies may well have had the ‘guiding hand’ of Datta—his swansong no doubt.
