The above word ‘Laknyed’ is given in Phom dialect which in English can be translated into ‘foul-hand’ or ‘squalid-hand’, meaning ‘service charge’ for making one’s hands untidy or filthy from work with hand. It implies to a small price given in the form of ‘piece of meat’ or ‘meat of internal parts of the animal killed’ for making the hands dirty or wet from handling, cutting, cooking and serving of a cow or pig or such that slaughter at one’s house. It uses to give by the house owner or host of feast where the tame is slaughtered.
This word is also used to any charge/price pay in return for service or one’s loyalty on assignment irrespective of the job is related to sordid hand or not. It is similar to commission or gratuity. However, it is given when the authorities or owners are having grateful to the workmen when the later was doing without expectation of any reward.
It is good to receive gratefully of any kind or monetary if the owner or authority pay us upon the good work and help rendered whatever it may be in recognition but it’s unwise to take provide with our own and take away a thing if the responsibility we undertook has not involved authorized wages or commission.
Here’s a story of what actually encountered at one village in Nagaland. There was once a community working day in which the authorizing agency entrusted some members to steward a task for slaughter cow and serve lunch for the working community members. But alas there were no internal parts like intestines, stomach, liver, kidney, heart etc., of a cow killed on that day when the authority look for it. It has been vanished. The entrusted party (say cooking party) had taken away all those internal parts of cow beef. They took out as kind of laknyed without the knowledge or approval of authorizing agency.
Such situation often happens in our society. We often think is privilege to handle public properties. We think lucky to be steward which involved responsibility to deal with public financial matters with an intention to gain own profit. We are relatively corrupt people. Those in public based offices or high ranking officials apart from their salary charge laknyed for carrying out their duties. Politicians amass wealth beyond their income by swindling manipulatively on the funds meant for development. Even village administration and those involved in developmental schemes at village level are unaccountable occurred omission in which he participates. Innocent masses are suffered.
Best policies are formulated along with targeted earmarked resources for development and lift poverty, and yet, at all level functionaries there is no simplicity among people. These resources before arrive destination; evaporates into thin air. With maximum charges at every point, the infra-structures we built are moderate which could have been extreme, and low for moderate. Whatever we do, and little did we help, never make any commission or omission as part of service charge unless the owner or authority pays us for our loyal services. We should abide by austerity measure.
Bausha Pauwung Buchem, Agri Colony, Longleng
