Vibi Yhokha
Chennai | May 11
Although Chennai is one of the major metropolitan cities in India with a population of more than 3000 Nagas and also considered the Gateway to South India, it still does not have a Nagaland House unlike Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai which mostly have two Nagaland houses in each city. The news of setting up a Nagaland House has not been heard despite several attempts made by student and church leaders and other concerned Nagas in Chennai.
Also with its close proximity with Bangalore, Vellore, Puducherry and Hyderabad: places where Nagas are continuously migrating in huge numbers for education, employment and especially medical treatment, there is a dire need of a Nagaland house in Chennai. “Chennai is the main centre for South India. We need a Nagaland house as a rest house. It is the need of the hour.” said Ningsanglemba, President of the Naga Students Union, Chennai (NSUC).
Language, food and lodging are the major problems Nagas face when they first arrive in Chennai. “One problem why we need a Nagaland House is that when Nagas come to Chennai, we have problems with language, food and we need people to guide us. More and more people are coming and will continue to come. When our young people come to Chennai, they do not have much knowledge especially when they get into difficult situations. Church leaders and student leaders do not have proper place and facilities to accommodate them” said Pastor Wapangtoshi, Chaplain of Naga Christian Fellowship Chennai (NCFC)
“When our people here get into trouble, the leaders rescue them but we don’t have any place to rehabilitate them even if it is for a short while.” says Vahrii Duo, a social worker in Chennai.
According to Dr. Viravo Kar, an intern at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Puducherry, “students who stay in places like Puducherry and Coimbatore, have to stopover in Chennai when they go home or return back during vacations. Trains and flights often leave at odd hours and it is not safe for girls if there is no proper place to stay. Also we need a Nagaland House in Chennai so that there is a space for us to uphold our culture and traditions.”
Nagas have been moving to Chennai for the last two to three decades and it is high time that a Nagaland House be set up in the city. Nagas in Chennai are wondering why their appeals for the need of a Nagaland House has been ignored for so many years. However, Pastor Wapangtoshi says, “We are very hopeful that perhaps it will be Chennai this time.”
