Dr. Viu Meru
When I found the announcement of the departure of Mr.R.Lisen, former MLA, Nagaland Assembly in our local papers on the 5th May, 2016 morning I was swept away into an emptiness deep in my soul. The fact that he died in Dimapur where I live presently and that I knew nothing about his presence in Dimapur prior to his death.
I was a high school boy when he used to frequent my older father A.Kevichusa’s house in Mission Compound, Kohima when a good number of concern Nagas met together to find a solution to bring the Naga National Council and the Government of India to the negotiating table which ultimately led to the formation of the Democratic Party of Nagaland in early 1960s. Representing that new party he fought the 1964 general election and won.
Many years later in 1976 after I have done my medical studies he still remembered me and we kept in touch till the final years of his life. Being spiritually focussed, his heart was always on the spiritual condition of our people particularly of the younger generation and even though he was an MLA twice with a brief stint as Minister, he never made any reference to the political height he once enjoyed. Even in his advanced age and not so healthy physical condition, in Mokokchung he had a practice of visiting the students of the Nagaland University at Lumami with the gospel. I had gone there with him once and we spoke to the students in their hostels. Also whenever he comes to Kohima he would pick me up from wherever I was and together we would visit the Nagaland University hostels with the gospel.
He was very keen that the great works done by the American Missionaries were not forgotten and took upon himself the reprinting of their works and kept in touch with the archive at the BWA headquarters in the USA. I was privileged to partner him in one such project. My role was to find money for the reprinting of the small, but wonderful book “The Star of the Hills” about Dr. Rivenburgh and his family who were in Kohima for a long time. The book is full of familiar names and places and so for the benefit of the local readers I added an Index at the back. The reprint of the book came out beautifully. He had also hoped for the Government of Nagaland to develop some things lasting at Molungyimsen in memory of the first Missionaries to the Nagas like the Rev. E. W Clark and his family who were co-founders of the Village and were there for a number of years before moving to Impur.
The last time I saw him, he came to see me in my residence at the Referral Hospital, Dimapur. He was not looking well and I felt he will not be around for very long. And I looked for him when I was in Mokokchung this January expecting him to be in bed at home, but he had gone to his village, the village he loved so dearly.
To me he was a man who was at peace in his soul and was not disturbed by the world. He was one Naga politician who did not become economically comfortable. His little bamboo and wooden house in Mokokchung bears testimony to this. He sacrificed his reputation as a dynamic church leader to lead our people out of a political quagmire. Thank you uncle Lisen for doing what you did for our people and also for believing in me. Wait up there for me, I wont be long.
