Dr Nsungbemo Ezung
Wokha Town
If there is one strong indication that Indians will never accept us, the Nagas, and allow us to fully integrate with the mainstream social, cultural and political life of India, then it’s their constant show of abhorrence and intolerance towards our food habits, our way of life and our physical appearance (chinky culture). For so long there is a common perception that Nagas are never willing to become an Indians and always rebel against Indian state, but such an attitude of intolerance shown not just by government at New Delhi and political leaders but also general mainstream population shows that the sole objective of keeping Nagas and Nagaland within India is to serve some strategic and political interest of the country, and not to give opportunity to Nagas to fully integrate with India, and make them become the same and equal citizens of the nation. Judging by the attitude of the mainland Indians they had towards Nagas, it’s apparent that they will never allow us to become an Indian.
The recent complaint letter of Maneka Gandhi, BJP MP and animal right activist, address to the chief minister of Nagaland highlighting the alleged mistreatment of animals in the state including the report of local authorities issuing “shoot-at-sight” order to kill stray and pet dogs is a total misrepresentation of the issues and problems that the people of the state faces in our daily lives. The letter unfortunately refused to takes cognizance of the circumstance under which local authorities in some part of the state has to initiate measures to address local grievances, to which Nagas don’t need to apologize for. This ridiculous judgment is based on the assumption that the kind of cruelty towards animals never happens anywhere in the country, and that the behavior of the Nagas needs to be address seriously. Sadly this was followed by hurling of abuses and demonizing of the Nagas’ food habits by mainlanders in social media. This kind of treatment will reinforce the belief of the Nagas that may be even if a day would come in future when we show our willingness to be part of India they will never allow us to do us.
This is not a first instance where mainland Indians makes an outlandish attempt to framed Nagas in a worst possible means vis-à-vis Nagas’ way of dealing with animals. It is noteworthy to recall that every time the question of problem of stray dog’s menace comes up in the minds of mainland Indians, unfortunately the first thing that always strikes their mind happens to be the people from Nagaland and Northeast India whom they consider as low rung human beings, alien and outsiders in the land. In the pretext of proposing a solution to the problem, they “legitimize” their popular racial attack and inherent hatred against the microscopic communities in the North East for the only reason that the culture and food habits of people of this region is invariably different from that of mainstream Indian culture. Any ploy to reduce a particular group’s cultural and food habits to level of lower status and any ill treatment, insult as such where the presence of member community of the nation is considered only as a menace, causing nuisance and disturbance, is a sowing ground of racism, communalism and exclusivism – a vicious trend to destabilize the nation from the root.
In 2012, an MLA from Punjab proposed to send all the stray dogs to Nagaland to solve the problem of stray dogs’ menace in the state which deeply hurt the sentiment of the people of the state. A Delhi based NGO too filed a petition in Delhi high court in 2015 for packing off stray dogs and monkeys to Northeaster states of Nagaland and Mizoram to solve the alleged hindrances to Modi’s Clean India Campaign because they said these animals are defiling the drive. It is terribly shocking to learn that these are not candid comments of ordinary civilians but by the so called social workers, public leaders and legislatures.
It’s not about sending dogs that matters, but it is the underlining perception of how the people of Northeast are looked down upon and this very perception inevitably guides their policies and actions, and influences the way of their dealing with us in social and political fronts too.
Their “Look East” or “Act East Policy” whatever may be the name, too can never be free from the elements of deception as long as the general mindset of Indian policy makers reels under the same perception.
On the other hand, it is disheartening to observed that our state government, which is a government derived through popular mandate and which is supposed to represent the voice and sentiment of the people of the state, are playing a shameful stooge to the direction coming from New Delhi, and it took just one complaint letter from one lady MP on the alleged mistreatment of dogs or any animals prevailing in the state that the state government are so quick to act, and immediately issued an order banning commercial import and sell of dogs and dog meat in the state.
The leaders of our state never show courage to address this problem that the Nagas faces from the mainland India, and at the same time never willing to take the lead in still assuring the Naga population that we should not let ourselves down by the scornful remark upon our food habits, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with our food habits, and instead we should be proud of who we are, what we eat and what we believe no matter how outsiders tries to project us.
If mainland Indians are not even willing to tolerate or show some respects toward our food culture/habits, how can one expect that India and Nagas can co-exist together in one nation with mutual respect irrespective of our differences in social, cultural and religious life. This difference should be a fine color to the diverse India, but for them perhaps it becomes a cause of fear that this unique socio-cultural life that Naga possessed would harm the interest of India, and so the country should never allow that to happen!
