Huzo Meru with the A Kevichusa Citizenship Award on November 28.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 28
“Who would have thought that a wide-eyed four or five year old boy from an obscure family, visiting the Kevichusa residence at Mission Compound, Kohima during Christmas, and getting his first taste of delicious cake, would one day be a recipient of the prestigious A Kevichusa Citizenship Award.”
These were thoughts expressed by Huzo Meru, Director of Operations, North East Christian University & Trustee, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) Bangalore, who was awarded the prestigious A Kevichusa Citizenship Award 2021 this afternoon at Alder Retreat Kohima.
Rewards, he opined “are earned mainly by one's own effort whereas awards are bestowed upon through sheer grace of others.” He reminisced how his headmaster motivated and challenged them with a sum of Rs 100 to anyone who could secure first division in Class Six Board Examination, which he secured. He was further rewarded in the form of a merit scholarship of Rs 20 per month from class 7 till class 10, which, he added was of tremendous help to him.
On the awards, he expressed, “this is unfamiliar territory as far as I am concerned, which makes this whole experience more humbling.” “I feel undeserving of the great honour, also because I am aware that there are many who deserve the award more than I”, he said.
On receiving the award, he said: “I have had the opportunity to once again retrospect on my life and reflect on God's faithfulness through all the ups and downs. I am reminded of all exceptional individuals who have impacted my life for the better. I am especially grateful to my wife for standing with me through thick and thin for the last thirty six years. This award is dedicated to her and to all who have played a vital role in my life along the way.”
Meru also declared that the cash component of the award will go towards a Gospel Mission project and a road improvement project. “May God continue to bless the family and use the A Kevichusa Citizenship Award to bless and encourage many more individuals in the years to come. To God be the Glory!” he expressed.
The award was instituted in 2017 by the Kevichusa Foundation to celebrate and promote the ideal of citizenship. It recognises an indigenous individual or group of Nagaland that has consistently championed, demonstrated, and embodied the ideal of citizenship, and unwaveringly sought the common good of the people of Nagaland or collective sections and constituencies thereof.
Addressing the award ceremony, Kevileno Angami, Special Secretary, Department of School Education recalled that A Kevichusa was a pioneer in many fields including education, politics, social service and it is befitting that this year’s citizenship award is going to an educationist— “a person who has worked for the promotion of education despite the challenges and worked to bring about common good for the people.”
Education, she remarked is a tool for social advancement, empowerment, and also scientific advancement. Observing that there is a gap between the haves and have-nots, the educated and uneducated, the economically empowered and not empowered in our society today, she asserted that “education will help bridge this gap.”
Like the recipient of the award who is working for the common good, she stated that “only when everyone is educated, and is socially and economically empowered, then can we have a progressive society.”
Giving an introduction of the award, Grandson of A Kevichusa, Kekhrievor Kevichusa maintained that the “representative democracy that we live in today has given us so many freedom and rights that we forget our obligations and our duties and that individuality that comes about from this freedom is leading to a selfish and fragmented society.”
A definition of a good citizen, he pointed out is “someone who is not only concerned about his/her personal benefit but also has the moral obligation to contribute to the community.” Stressing on the importance of moral obligation, he said “it transcends the physical requirements and goes to somewhat altruistic vision of what people can contribute and unselfishly not for his personal gain but for common good.” He recalled how in the process of identifying awardees, they found that there a lot of unsung heroes.
Kethoser Aniu Kevichusa introduced the recipient of this year’s award as someone who inhabits three worlds namely, educational, religious, and social community and public world. He described Huzo Meru as “a border walker, who has shown us that things can be done; and they can be done very well, if we just do it.”
