As a concerned Naga citizen, these questions always strike me. What is Naga struggling for and how? Are we struggling for National freedom or demanding economic development from India? To grow rich or to remain free as a nation? What is Freedom to Naga people? What is Nagas’ dream/vision?
As for me, I am convinced that, Nagas’ dream and struggle is for National freedom, not demanding economic development from India or anything short of Freedom from India. This struggle is human natural rights. Right to be free from captivity. This is Nagas’ right. Right to be free as a Nation. This right to freedom is not negotiable under any circumstance.
I am still a captive Indian Naga but a non-conformist. I want freedom that money cannot give. I rather die in the struggle to be free then to die under captivity. I enjoy my freedom in the struggle. This is my inherent right as a human person. God knows I want freedom not from my responsibility and my right but from captivity. History speaks that the mighty British ruled India, ruled Nagas. But when the British realized the truth, they gave up their ruling over India not by Indian over-ruling power upon them but the truth that convicted them.
My identity as a human person is my right to self determination. I cannot compromise or allowed myself to conform to others’ ruling over my right to live as I choose and as God designed me. I will live or die on my right. Nothing less or more. I don’t know nor accept what is Indian’s right over my life and my Naga people as much as I know I don’t have any right over the lives of Indian and their nation. Any policy or power or position a nation may have for their own has no real power or truth over others’ life or Nation. If a person accepts or conforms to other’s rule, he is no more living a full and free human life but half and bondage life or purchased life. As for me I cannot be half Indian and half Naga in my human person by any rule of law or power. I must conform to one identity and denounce the other.
To me, I personally hold that the Nagas’ problems with Indian are not man-made rights that can be negotiated through compromising or mutual sharing. Right of a person to live free cannot /must not be negotiated on the basis of minimising or maximising the right. For right cannot be wronged nor wrong cannot be righted. Right remain right and wrong remain wrong. Any true settlement or solution must and should base on this principle. The truth is that, Nagas have no right over India to rule nor India has any right to rule on the Nagas unless consented. When this right is realized by both the Nagas and India can true settlement or solution come about as that happened between Indian and Britain in time past. Any sort of solution or settlement falling short of this truth is not a solution but a compromised or acceptance under compulsion. The right of a Nation hood can neither be lowered, nor negotiated. Life of a person may come and go/live and die but Nation that God designed and created goes on forever and can never be compromised on any political platform.
Man may come and go but time and space remain the same with the truth. Man and people may attempt to change the nature, the time or the truth but in vain they lose their lives and energies. Not a time, nor the truth can ever be changed. I wonder and am feeling so sorrowful to see that Nagas and Indian are trying to settle the problem between them through negotiation of rights. The problem of India and Nagas is of “not knowing the Right/Wrong” and not willing to accept the right. Are the two Nations defying and trying to settle the problem on the basis of greed oriented and self-righteous rights without looking on the aspect of universal truth and justice? In fact India has no right or nothing to give what belongs to the Nagas neither Nagas has a thing to take from India what belongs to them (Nagas). There is nothing to take, or to demand from others who does not rightfully own or posses a thing.
The law of the right to self determination of a human person cannot be taken or given nor posses by any person, because it is a human entity or natural endowment. It is part of life. Therefore I believe that, the present two parties’ talk can truly be settled only by realizing the truth from both the parties. Any other’s solution or settlement outside this truth will amount to only appeasement solution or short term settlement. Until the truth is perceived, accepted and practiced from both the parties, there can be no true solution or settlement. Let the suffering Nagas exercise more patience and tolerance to avoid our impatient tendency to go for early solution which may turn to be an irreparable blunders for the poster generations like we have experienced and experiencing today from the past blunders.
We tend to look at others’ huge and determined rights and strategic policy and forget the truth we hold on. We tend to believe others’ established laws or operating systems and speak of their rights and tend to conform to their rights as true. We have failed many time to remind ourselves that, the truth will triumph at last. The bible says, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”. Let us steadfastly hold on to the faith of our fathers and be true to the cause till death.
My earnest prayer and appeal to India and Nagas is to settle the issue on the basis of respecting and honouring the truth and the human rights by both the parties and not by respecting each other’s rights. Because each other’s right to fight is wrong. The truth to accept by both the parties is, let India and Nagas remain as two neighbouring Nations without undue interference from both the sides. Let India and Naga Nations grow together and support each other on mutual term.
Both the people will live and die in their own land but the land remains theirs as endowed by nature and not by forcefully taken from any one. These lands of their own will be inherited by the coming generations. Let both the neighbouring nations think together in term of living for the good of the future generations by living with honouring the truth that the future generation may be proud of their past generation for the humane foundation we laid in this generation.
Gwangphun Gangmei
Social Worker. Peace Activist
