Seventy years ago, on February 2, 1946, NNC-The Naga National Council was born- in Wokha, Nagaland. The NNC, unlike the NSCN IM or the NSCN K etc was not formed as a political organization influenced by any political ideology. On the contrary, the NNC was evolved from the democratic traditions of the Naga people and was formed to become the political institution of the Nagas. From its very inception, every Naga born of Naga blood was counted as a member of the NNC and a member of the Naga nation.
After the end of the Second World War in 1945, over five hundred years of the Whiteman’s Colonial rule over Asia and most of the world was rapidly drawing to an end. And in the late 1940’s, after this 500 years of colonial rule, the whole South East Asian countries were in an agitated state trying to claim their rightful national identity in the future new world. And in this tumultuous paradigm shift in world history, the NNC became the first political institution to declare Naga Independence on 14th August 1947.
In the context of South Asia which also includes the Indian sub-continent, there were over 500 Princely States within the then British India. They were former kingdoms like the Marathas, the Punjabis and the Tamils etc. But even before these big Indian nations, Nagas became the first nation to declare their independence from colonial rule. And this declaration of Naga Independence was done under the auspices and leadership of the Naga National Council. This farsighted feat of the NNC is one of the greatest achievements of the NNC and the Naga people in South East Asian and South Asian history.
This NNC and Naga signature signed in the pages of human history can never be erased by any political authority under heaven- be it, the UNO or the Indian Government, not to talk of the NSCN IM who are trying to experiment a “Shared Sovereignty” with India. After all, Naga sovereignty precedes any other political national sovereignties of any country in modern South Asian history after the Colonial period. How then can India “grant us” or “deny us, “OUR INDEPENDENCE when we were the fist in South East Asia to declare our independence?
In conclusion, I and Nagaland are but small entities in the global world. But as far as political facts of modern South East Asian countries (Including India) are concerned, I and Nagaland can laugh at any other giant neighbor nations if they dare to challenge us.
Long live NNC and Naga Independence!
Kaka D. Iralu
