On the fourteenth of May I got up a bit late so after a hasty bath and two slices of bread I was off to join the Concerned Citizens of Nagaland to spread awareness among the people and also remind that good roads are a basic human right and an essential component of development. On reaching the meeting spot I was glad to see quiet a healthy turn out. Having introduced each other and me showing off my upgrade from horse star chappals to an original bala pair we were divided into four groups.
Our group headed towards the Purana Bazzar junction. There we further divided ourselves into three groups to cover the three main arteries. We even managed to convince the kind hearted traffic policeman to hold up the traffic just long enough to paste our stickers while telling commuters about the reason for the campaign. Our group positioned ourselves in small groups of threes and fours along the main artery coming from Chumukedima. As soon as the cars/vehicles stopped (our target was private cars as the DADU had kindly agreed to paste the slogans on all Auto) we rushed knocked at windows and after getting permission and explaining the campaign stuck the stickers after cleaning the wind shield. Just on reading this one might presume that it was a long process but it was actually a very quick affair.
Though the heat was blisteringly hot and humid we had our share of laughs and inspirational moments. At one jam we went up to an SUV of some VIP and knocked at the window to explain our campaign and ask for permission to put on the sticker. But the body guard in front refused to do so. One or two frustrated volunteers pasted a few stickers at the back while the escort vehicle filled with gun toting cops silently cheered on giving us the thumbs up sign. I agree that we did not take the permission of that particular owner but I blame the heat and humidity. And that was the only time we pasted without permission. On the other hand many commuters were ready to donate for the cause some even taking out wallets and wanting to do their bit as citizens. We explained that this was purely a voluntary effort and that we would be more than happy if they just spread the news. Amidst these high and lows of the event my most memorable was when an old lady blessed us and uttered a short prayer for our success during the traffic jam. It meant more to me than any money or the likes I might have got earning for the same period of time. Another heart warming incident was when the Bodo community who were celebrating a festival asked us for stickers and told their volunteers to put them up in all the cars parked around their festival area.
Whatever the outcome of the campaign and whether it will get the results we hope to achieve is secondary to what I felt we have done by participating and volunteering for the Concerned Citizens of Nagaland. We have sent out the message to everyone that citizens can no longer be passive members in developing our society. That we as common citizens too have our own parts to play by not only pressuring the powers that be and raising awareness but by being civic minded as the CCN did by trying to clean up after themselves. We may not have done much but we have done something no matter how minute and as the saying goes "small drops of water make an ocean". With prayers in our hearts we hope what we did was at the least a molecule of that small drop towards a better tomorrow.
KUKNALIM
AoTemjen Jamir, Dimapur
