Imlisanen Jamir
Welcoming the New Year is usually a festive occasion. However, this year, it feels a little different. Many of us have been looking forward to ringing in 2021 since about March. If not before.
2020 started innocently enough. When the clock struck midnight last New Year’s Eve, only the psychics among us could have imagined the chaos the COVID-19 virus would bring into our lives. Since mid-March, we’ve all been pining for the day when our lives would return to normal.
Or whatever “normal” will become in the wake of this pandemic.
The worldwide outbreak of the virus has presented challenges for state and local health officials, who have been trying to balance the need for safety against people’s individual freedoms and the health of the economy.
Although the development and distribution of vaccines presents hope that the outbreak will be contained soon, we’re not quite there yet. As a result, expect officials at all levels of government to continue to grapple with the most effective ways to reduce COVID-19’s spread.
We can only hope the past few months have been a learning experience. Perhaps this year’s experience will make us more nimble and efficient in dealing not only with public health crisis, but any others that follow it.
The world didn’t stop when the virus hit, although it may have felt that way some days. And some of the issues that have been prominent this year are likely to remain so in 2021. The pandemic has cast a shadow on the other ailments that Nagaland is desperately trying to deal with.
The unemployment scenario in the State has been compounded by the effects of the pandemic and Naga society is yet to effectively manage the alarming situation of joblessness among our youth.
Further, while there has been some good news on the infrastructure front, particularly in terms of roads and bridges in the urban centers, the same in Nagaland’s remote areas along with other utilities like electricity pose tremendous challenges.
With the thirst for development yet to be satisfied, the importance of efforts to protect the State’s environment remains another major task. How we chart our development path with sustainability and responsibility remains to be seen.
Then there are the deeper issues—questions about the future of the State, its people, Naga identity and the Naga psyche. Despite the reassuring voices from all quarters, there is an air of uncertainty and even fear. Meanwhile everyday realities have etched in us a sense of indifference, and an entire generation now sees through the deceit of their forbears who still refuse to let go of their hold on the reins to Naga society’s future.
Of course, those are just a few of the items likely to make the news in some form or fashion next year. It’s impossible to anticipate everything the next 12 months have in store for us, just as it was impossible to anticipate how this year was going to unfold.
As tough as it’s been, we made it through 2020. And that feat alone is significant. As we move into the New Year, let’s try to be safety conscious, considerate of our neighbors, and willing to pull together and make personal sacrifices for the greater good.
2021 is almost here. And whatever the year holds, we’ll all be in it together.
Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com
