Imnasenla
One day I was quite taken aback when one of my aunts told me that we Nagas have straight away transitioned from Headhunting to Necktie, which is why we are still lacking behind others. She left me with the thought provoking quote and I tried to reason within myself. I realized that sudden evolution into the era of modernisation has left us in a difficult situation.
Instead of bringing growth and development to the state, modernisation has negatively impacted our lives. That is why people say that Nagas lack 200 years behind other developed state or nations. Though modernisation has highly influenced the Naga society and its lifestyles, it has however not penetrated into the intellectual thinking of the people. We still try to remain ancient in our thoughts and actions. I also realized that we often lack discourses in our society where genuine thoughts and ideas are not given due importance.
Commemorating the International Women’s Day, I would like to reason some of my thoughts regarding the recent turmoil on 33 percent reservation on Women. Being a scholar on Women and Media, I find it very pertinent to write something on this issue. I for one was not in favour of Women’s Reservation because I feel everybody is equal irrespective of gender. However, it pained me to see Naga women fighting for their rights with opposition from its own men. It really troubled me to know how the members of the Naga Mother’s Association were threatened with rape and death from their own men. During times of trouble and turmoil, Women and Children were given first preference to safety and shelter by the men. But today, we see that our own Naga men are said to be threatening the lives of our mothers. My heart goes out for the members of the NMA, who have tirelessly worked for the uplift of our Naga women.
In my 5 years of doctoral research on marginalised Naga Women, including the making of documentary films, I have come to know and realize how much our Naga women value family traditions and try to keep it alive. Those women who face violence from their husbands/partner and family members do not want to disclose their sufferings inorder to keep their family honour. So many of them are silently suffering inhuman atrocities from their loved ones, yet defending their husbands when situation arises. A very good example could be taken from the bandh movement, where women stood behind Naga men to revoke the 33 percent reservation on women. Instead of standing for themselves they stood to honour its men and its people. That is called sacrifice.
If at all Naga women are considered as equals by some organisations, why are women blamed for infecting her husband and children with HIV? Why are women blamed when children fail or disobey their parents? Why are women always blamed for something, which always goes wrong in the family or the society? Why are women called promiscuous or blamed for wearing indecent clothes? Why are women blamed for been bitchy? Why don’t men equally share the blame if women are considered as equals with them? If men really consider women as equals, I would like to see women given the role of the Head of any Apex Naga Organisation, women pastors given equal rights as male pastors, a women be elected as the Secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council and give us all equal rights.
The claim made by some organization, that in Naga society we don’t practice female feticide, child marriage and dowry is something, which has to be studied and even debated by scholars and intellectuals. It becomes a debatable issue, because some Naga tribes allegedly practice dowry system and I personally encountered a women praying for a son. Do you even realize, how many mothers are having health problems giving birth, year after year expecting for a son? And how can any organization claim that we don’t have female feticide, when they have not even done one preliminary research to prove their claim. The lives of how many minors have been destroyed because of early marriage in Nagaland? Do they even know that? And do they even understand why women reservation was needed not to stake claim on manhood, but to address all these issues?
At one point I tried to reason why Naga men considered women as equals. Is it because they see women chopping woods, fetching water and working shoulder to shoulder with them?Or the sheer strength of a widow, who single handedly supports her children without remarrying, as compared to most widowers. Even in Kohima, I have seen wives carrying cylinders in their bamboo baskets, while their husbands walked behind them. So it gives us all the good reason to understand that women are more powerful than men and they know it too.
Though men agree that women are among equals, mind you they don’t like women intellectuals and term them as ‘Oversmart’. When some intellectual Naga women rise above the ordinary with different perspective and opinions, they are seen as aliens to the society. Their life history and personal character is analyzed instead of understanding their perspective. It is high time that the role of Naga women be acknowledged in the society instead of criticizing and mudslinging their characters. Naga women do not need reservation, because we know our strengths and qualities. But there are certain areas where special care and attention be given to women who are deprived and marginalised. How do you know their plight, when you haven’t reached out to them or worked with them?
If our society has embraced modernisation without any reservations, why don’t we also follow other states or nations, where priority is given to women empowerment? If advanced states and nations are giving women reservations to its women, I am pretty sure they have good reasons and plans for their women. If we have to still stick with our customary laws, I want to know whetherScheduled Tribe reservation and Backward reservation quotas are also inscribed in it. Does the customary law allow us to avail all the quotas and reservations?
While wishing the best for all Naga women on the Women’s Day, I pray that they stick to what they believe and stay strong on their commitments. I consider myself very independent but there are many things I cannot do without the help of a man. Likewise, inorder to grow as a society, women need the support of men and it would be very encouraging if Naga men stand behind Naga women and support them unconditionally. If men still consider Naga women as equals, try to elect some women of substance in the coming elections (without reservation). Than we can know that we are really among the equals, as you want to say.
