Joshua Sheqi
Kohima
I have heard our Chief Minister on several occasions stressing that ‘right and duty should go hand in hand’, which is very true, because Nagas have the habit of claiming every right, even the imaginary ones, as their birthright, without realizing self duties.
The area of Raj Bhavan is one of the cleanest and the coolest place in Kohima. I was saddened the other day to see that there were litters everywhere! I asked; ‘who with little or no sense of duty have distorted this beautiful place ?’ I was more saddened when I learnt that it was the handi-work of the educated agitating youths of Nagaland! Not just the students, but this is the stark reality of the civic sense of the Nagas! For reference, check anywhere, the picnic places of officers, professionals and educated people in Nagaland the next day after the event, forget about the bostiwallas!
Am I against the students union (ANCSU) for agitating? No! It is in the interest of the students to get their results on time, even if it means the inconvenience and extra work for the officials and staffers of Nagaland University, because if the results are declared much later than other universities, another challenge occurs; can NU accommodate all the graduates who want to go for masters’ degree? That is impossible, which our NU officials are aware.
However, as a student today, upon whom reformation and development burden of Nagaland rests tomorrow, basic civic sense must prevail. The actions you are doing and thoughts you are harboring today is a self preparation of what you are going to be tomorrow. You ask any successful person in any discipline on how they did it; it comes with a lot of discipline and self responsibility. Are we blaming the seniors and past leaders for the society we have today? What better result can we produce either when we are failing our basic duties as students today? Little things that we often ignore are very important, because ‘many little good things make one good big thing’, as much as an ocean is not a single drop of water.
I want the educated students and youths also to know that this year is a year of Sanitation, and a parallel campaign of ‘Clean Kohima’ is in full swing. Will all these good initiative of concerned leaders make any difference without every individual performing his/her self duty? Never! It is the duty of the educated students and youths to set an example to the general populace. Sadly, educational qualification alone does not make someone truly educated.
Rights are part and parcel of civilized human society, however, more importantly, it must be noted that ‘a civilized society cannot exist without civilized citizens’. Take a pause; ‘Is it only the students?’ It is for all to self-examine in all ways.
