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Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 9
The Morung Express highlights the Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) Awardees 2021, which was presented on the occasion of International Women Day in Kohima on March 8.
Dr Visakhonü Hibo
Dr Visakhonü Hibo is the president of Nagaland College Principals Association, Nagaland and Principal of Japfü Christian College, Kigwema.
She holds an MA in Sociology, and a Ph.D with National Eligibility Test (NET). She has taught at Japfu Christian College since 1996, becoming its principal in April 2010.
Dr Visakhonü serves as member under a host of academic bodies including various boards and committees under Nagaland University; Academic & Administrative Committee, Department of Higher Education, Government of Nagaland; Nagaland Institute of Development Studies, Dimapur; Board of Under-Graduate Studies (BUGS), Department of Sociology, St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Jakhama, Kohima; the Governing Body of Baptist College, Kohima; and Board of Baptist High of Kohima.
Her past memberships include being a member panel in designing the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) Syllabus for Sociology (Prelims & Mains) in 2009; and member panel in designing NBSE Syllabus for Sociology: Class 11 & 12 in 2003.
Dr Visakhonü has vast experiences in research, teaching and writing. She is an established author, who has published widely in academic venues.
She has written numerous articles in various journals and books, designed new Sociology courses and curricula, authored and co-authored books several books. She has also organized and presented / delivered numerous lectures and has been a resource person, panelist, and respondent at a variety of seminars, workshops, conferences, trainings, and symposiums.
Apart from Sociology as a subject, her main thrust of research, lectures, paper presentations, and written works have been - Naga society, Naga women, Education and Empowerment of Women, Naga Culture, and Naga Cuisine, among many others, Some of her published books / articles in journals include - Education and Empowerment of Naga Women (2014), Tapestry: Academic studies on Education and others with specific reference to Naga society (2010), Angami Society at the Beginning of the 21 "Century (2009), Foundations of Sociological Thought (2009). Changing Gender Equity and Status Achievement in Kedilezo Kikhi and Narola Dangti Kikhi (eds.), Changing Gender Equation: with Special Reference to Nagaland (2009).
Abeiu Meru
Abeiu Meru is the president, Naga Mothers' Association (NMA).
She began her career as Assistant Stenographer in 1977 under the Department of Agriculture, Govt, of Nagaland. In her almost four decades of being a social worker, Abeiu has held numerous leadership positions in various organizations including the Angami Women Organization, the Northeast Indigenous Women's Forum, the Joint Action Committee on Women's Reservation Issue in Nagaland, and the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR); as well, she has been an active leader in various political parties, such as - the UDF (United Democratic Front), NNDP (Naga National Democratic Party), and the NPC (Naga Peoples' Council).
Abeiu was a member and later the first elected woman Vice Chairman of the Kohima Town Committee, as well as a member of the Nagaland Pollution Control Board.
She has also served under various capacities with societies, such as Child Welfare Society, Kohima, and the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society.
Naga Mothers' Association (NMA), of which she was a Founding Member in 1984, and has been serving as its president since October, 2009, is a recipient of 'Lifetime Achievement Award' for Peace from The Times of India at New Delhi 2013.
NMA has been working tirelessly for Women and children and very actively working for Peace initiatives within the Naga Groups and continues to be a very powerful pressure group in Nagaland and the entire Northeast India. NMA combats anti social issues, Crime against women and children, health, education, taking care of HIV positive orphans, fights for gender rights, initiates as mediators / negotiators and bridges misunderstandings and differences between different groups of people, organizations, etc. also taking long journeys in reaching out to meet our Naga brothers across the border in Myanmar for peace and reconciliation.
S Anungla
Pastor S Anungla Chang is the first woman pastor of the Chang Baptist Church Kohima, an office she has held from 2010 to this day.
She is the first fulltime woman pastor within the Baptist churches in the Chang area.
Pastor S Anungla has a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) and Bachelor of Divinity (BD) from the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, and has completed a Counseling course from the Christian Institute of Transformation Ministry (CITM), Hongkong.
She has worked at Oasis India, at Igatpur, Mumbai for one year; Eleutheros Christian Society, Tuensang for two years; and she has also served as the Women Secretary at Chang Baptist Lashong Thangyen (Chang Baptist Churches Association) for ten years before becoming the pastor of Chang Baptist Church, Kohima.
Rose Yanthan
Inspector Rose Yanthan (UBI) is the Officer-in-Charge (OC), Women Cell, Police Station, Dimapur.
Inspector Rose has a BA degree. She joined government service in 1998. She has held various posts following her probation, beginning with the District Executive Force (DEF), Kohima.
She has been posted back and forth between Women Cell, Dimapur; North Women Cell, Kohima; Government Railway Police Station (GRPS), Dimapur; Wokha Special Branch (SB); and Dimapur (SB).
During her second posting at Wokha (SB), she looked after Ralan areas Disputed Area Belt (DAB) sectors A, B, C, D, when the camp of the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) was busted. Inspector Rose has undergone trainings from institutions, such as the North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA), Meghalaya; and Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI), Kolkata on various forms of investigation including scientific interrogation, crime scene investigation, investigation of homicide cases, investigation of traffic accident cases, model on crime analysis and crime mapping.
Speaking of her rich experiences in the police service, Rose shares: "One of the most risky moments I have come across while performing my regular duties was an encounter with the underground forces above Mohonkhola under Kohima, South Station somewhere around 2001-2002 for a drug smuggling case. I was shot at by one of them, but fortunately, his pistol got stuck and failed to fire. In the midst of all the tireless efforts and dedication with utmost sincerity, and often sleepless nights in discharging my assigned duties both of department and the public. I have come across many ups and downs, smooth and rough experiences, and have been victimized and humiliated by some of the senior officers both male and female, and circle of colleagues which are all very bitter experiences for me. However, I have also come across many talented and God fearing department senior officials, other government officials and colleagues whose wisdom and guidance have moulded me to become who am I to day, despite my many shortcomings and weaknesses.”
Yanthan has received numerous rewards under the Police Department and an acknowledgment from SBI Dimapur in recognition of her outstanding achievements, and excellent exemplary devotion to duty in various cases, some of which include murder, and rescuing missing children from outside the state.
Dr Vezokholu Theyo
Dr Vezokholu Theyo is the current Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Kohima District.
Dr did her schooling in Little Flower School, Kohima (now Little Flower Higher Secondary School, Kohima) and Kohima Science College, Jotsoma, before completing her MBBS from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh.
Dr Theyo has worked as a Medical Officer in Naga Hospital Kohima and Phek District Hospital. She has also served as the District Tuberculosis Officer (DTO), Kohima District, and Deputy Director of the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS).
Dr Theyo is a true COVID warrior. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has striven tirelessly and selflessly, regardless of all the hardships and limited resources, she took care of all the Quarantine centers in Kohima which hosted thousands of returnees and also the COVID Care Center where COVID positive cases were admitted and treated.
She personally went in the CMO mobile van and collected samples of the returnees and patients for COVID test.
She also went to many patients' homes, offices as well as to many villages in Kohima district for sample collection. This has really eased the burden of the public and facilitated the process of early diagnoses and preventing further spread of COVID-19.
With the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Theyo once again went personally to many health centers, offices, villages all over Kohima to sensitize Health care workers, Frontline workers and the public about the vaccine.
Through her efforts the number of people taking the COVID-19 vaccine has really gone up.
