Published by the well-known Rupa Publications, India, the book is more of an exploration of the Naga mind and psyche by the authors, Dr Homen Borgohain and Dr Pradipta Borgohain, in a father and son collaboration. The book is an attempt to understand the perspective of the Nagas. While the question of whether the attempt has been successful or not will depend on the reader/s, there seems to be a sincere effort to see the world through Naga eyes.
At a small release function of the book in Kohima by the Nagaland Senior Citizens Forum President, Pradipta Borgohain explained, “What we wanted to do was to humanize the Naga Story, to make the experiences of the Nagas come alive, so that people could relate to them. A book like this can never be perfect, especially since we are not Nagas and cannot entirely see it from the Naga perspective despite our best attempts to do so. Nor did we want to write a propagandist book supporting the efforts of this side or that side. Factual errors can also creep in, and perhaps some actually have. However, if the book provokes people to think and to relate to the Naga people our task is largely fulfilled”.
There was also a note of challenge to the Naga people when he added that, somehow, most people seem to become fascinated with the Nagas and their Story. The underlying expression/hope seems to be how the Nagas see their role and contribution to the region and the world? This brings back to mind the challenge issued by late W.E. Porter, founder president of the International Communications Forum (ICF) when he said in Kohima in 2003, “You may feel that Nagaland needs the help of the world, and it is true that we should give it. But I would also like to say that the world needs Nagaland, a land that will have worked out the answers to internal conflicts and to those with the neighbours and, by so demonstrating reconciliation and progress to humanity, will bring hope and inspiration to the troubled areas of the planet”. (Pg 164, “Do Something About It : A Media Man’s Story” (John Faber UK and Caux Books, Switzerland, ISBN 1 85239 036 0, 2005).
Pradipta Borgohain had been wanting to write a book on the history and social life of the Nagas. Realizing that his father has had a long association with all kinds of people in the North East, particularly the Nagas, it seemed natural for him to seek his father’s help in writing the book or even to make a collaborative venture with his father. He felt that “the wealth of experience that my father has garnered over the years through his travels ... should not go to waste, especially with many Nagas with whom he has struck up durable friendships”. He put the idea to his father who agreed. Thus was born the initiative to write this book which has now seen fruition.
Surely, there will be certain comments here and there that many may dislike, even find objectionable. This is natural. It must be kept in mind that a writer writes a book knowing well in advance that there may/will be objections from some. This is even more so in the context of books like the present one where the author/s have dared to make comments and interpretations instead of just filing straight `history’. But the writer’s duty to society is about provoking thinking in a positive way as he/she perceives it at the time and not to please anyone or group. It is from such `provocations’ that the writer hopes to assist, and play his role by helping society to move to the future despite hurdles. Anything short of this would be a betrayal of himself/herself and the society for whom he/she writes.
The book, dedicated to the Naga people, is nothing short of Assamese neighbours reaching out and extending their hand of friendship. It may be recalled that Dr Homen Borgohain, sometimes referred to as the “conscience of Assam”, and the foremost Assamese to reach out to neighbouring communities, including the minority communities in Assam, had played the enabling role during the Naga Goodwill Visit to Assam in 2001 when the Nagas faced a defining moment as a direct result of the Indo-Naga Ceasefire being extended to all Naga inhabited areas. At the time, he was President of the Assam Sahitya Sabha. This book is an extension of that friendship, and others, he has developed over the years.
In Homen Borgohain’s own words, “My ties with the Naga people go back a long way. I proudly count many close friends among the Nagas and my interaction with them constitutes one of the more cherished chapters of my life. It was also an honor for me to be associated with the Naga Hoho... the attempt to understand the perspective of the Nagas has been made with the utmost sincerity (in the book). While some interpretation is unavoidable, we have really tried to see the world through the eyes of the Nagas and have refrained from imposing our preconceptions as far as possible”.
While there may be differences of opinion on the details, and some mistakes especially in spellings of names of people, which jar the general smoothness of the narration and subtracts from the book, many Nagas have appreciated the apparent intention of the writers. In a response, noted Naga social worker Mr Niketu Iralu, at the release function in Kohima, commented on the title of the book itself as reflective of the depth of thinking of the authors. He recalled that Nagas and Assamese have warm historical, socio-cultural and literary relations and paid tribute to Homen Borgohain himself as a true friend of the Nagas.
Book Content:
“Two outstanding factors have been dominating the thinking of the Nagas for over six decades now : their ardent desire for claiming sovereign possession over their land... and the huge racial difference between them and the “Indians”; which have made them more intensely attached to their homeland”.
As must be clear from the above, the book is neither an account of the history of the Nagas nor an interpretation of the events of the Naga Political Movement although that becomes necessary because that is a great part of the Naga Story. The authors said their book is about the “outsider” saga, or the narrative of the relationship between Nagas and “others” with multiple dimensions and no sign of early closure. The “endlessness” of the History of the Nagas was, in this context, because the contacts with outsiders (“Indians”) were continuous. In the opinion of the authors the Nagas are yet to come to terms with the “outsider” factor.
The book says “The Nagas are perhaps one of the most distinctive races in the world ... the Nagas are themselves very proudly conscious of such distinctiveness, which to them defines their anthropological and social demarcation from other peoples more sharply than might have been the case for someone who lacked their vibrant customs and strong sense of independence”.
The authors, not surprisingly, accept Nagaland as a part of India but would like to "look at the possibility of a more integrated and meaningful future”. They write to “disturb the complacence arising from the “fait accompli” of Nagaland being under Indian hegemony”.
The book is a valuable addition on the narration of the Naga experience as books like this have not appeared before. In this sense, this book on the Nagas belongs to a new genre.
In the words of the authors, “The reason for the violence is less of a racial recoil from non-Nagas than the desire (of Nagas) to assert their own identity. If there had been the right kind of mediation, the Nagas may have been able to have their fulfillment without exacting a price from others”. But they also pointed out the disunity among Nagas themselves.
While the title of the book suggests that it is about the Nagas and their history, the authors sometimes confuse readers by claiming their study was about the relationship between peoples of the Northeast and the rest of India and freely bringing other Northeastern communities into the picture from time to time. The extrapolation of Nagas and Northeastern communities vis-a-vis the rest of India on the one hand and the juxtaposition of recent happenings of atrocities against Northeasterners in Indian metropolises, in general, while the book lays emphasis on Nagas and their identity, make things even more confusing because most Nagas will interpret the study from the prism of the Naga Political Issue and not necessarily from the perspective of the authors as a study of “outsider” and “insider”.
According to the authors, “Nagas often find it easier to position themselves against the rest of India by leaning on the affinity with other Northeasterners”.
In above situation it is not surprising that the issue of “alienation” creeps in. While this may be true to most communities in the North East, the Nagas will be quite confident that their issue is primarily not one of alienation due to “Indian” behavior or attitude. In this instance, even talk of Naga Issue and Mizo Issue (which happily has found solution) in the same sentence may prove to be unacceptable to many Nagas.
It is also evident that the authors have realized this as they write, “while any non-Naga is an outsider to a Naga, a Naga in his specialness and extreme consciousness of a rich heritage, is content to be an outsider to the rest”. This comment by the authors indicates that they have managed to get under the skin of the Nagas! This surely springs from wide contacts and research for the book.
The book is a new and valuable addition to the number of books written on the Nagas. It will not only help scholars but also anyone interested in the Naga Issue. Written by non Naga neighbours, it is a must read book for Nagas and non-Nagas alike. Nagas will get insights into how our neighbours see us and non Naga readers will gain some perspective on the Nagas and the Naga Issue which has defied solution till date. For many, especially those uninitiated on the mainland, the book will start to defuse the mists of confusion and begin the process of understanding why Naga Ministers and MLAs, as well as Naga civil servants, who swear by the Indian Constitution would still stand by the “Naga Underground” while the Indian Government is helpless to do anything about it!
Charles Chasie
Kohima
Scrolls of Strife: The Endless History of the Nagas
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
2011
