My dear countrymen,
We are gathered here today on this important Naga National Day to honour and pay our respect to all those sacrificed lives of our martyred heroes who laid down their lives in the defense of our nation. It is a great honor to stand before you in commemoration of this Martyr’s Day, the 18th of October, 2022. It is an occasion like this that reminds us of the value of both a sacrificial life and a sacrificial death. I stand here to salute and pay my tributes to all those soldiers and civilians, who have laid down their lives for our Naga nation.
It was on the 18th of October 1952, Zasibito Nagi of Jotsoma Village was murdered in cold blood in the street of Kohima by the aggressing Indian forces. Thus, he became the first martyr. Hence, this day has been marked as Martyr’s Day. Many like him have died. Brave soldiers have died in battlefields while many others were shot, captured and murdered. Besides soldiers, many civilians of men, women and children were murdered. Those who survived are living with the scars and trauma of an unjust war, a war of aggression, perpetrated by India upon Nagaland. To those who have died, I pay my tribute: their legacy will live on in our hearts and lives. Their blood and sweat had not been shed in vain, for it is because of this we continue to survive and thrive under extraordinary situations while also enriching our continual struggle against our aggressors.
To those of the younger generation who have not experienced the worst of our past: I fervently urge you to live exemplary lives as our heroes and martyrs have shown. By this, I do not necessarily mean we must all die to save our nation. The strategies of war have changed. Today, our aggressors fight us with money power, cultural assimilation, propaganda, economic packages in the guise of development. All these are destroying our lives and values. The sacrifice we can make today is to stand firm on the altar of truth and righteousness, lest we die an unholy death while we are still alive. While standing firm in truth, it is also our responsibility to move forward unafraid of our future. This is possible when we possess the clarity of our history and the willingness to serve the nation with integrity as our martyrs have done.
It is my hope that every responsible citizen of Nagaland, both young and old, is reminded of the supreme sacrifice made by our martyrs for Nagaland. Let us all revisit the past and contribute our might in whatever way we can for our future; as our martyrs have done for us. May God bless Nagaland.
KUKNALIM
