And this week it all started with…..
Sashi Jamir: Hats off to the Naga Women Hoho for the “dress prohibition”. Talibanization in Nagaland I say!
Grace Kikon: Decency in dressing is essential but laying down of a “dress dictum” is beyond impossible. Perhaps the Ayattolahs ought to reign in our society, LOL.
Abei Mere: Not to forget the ban on Korean DVDs. Maybe like Manipur, they will ban Bollywood movies too. Man, we will be stuck with Nagamese movies only then!
Nokho Naga: Good in a way, but banning Korean DVDs is kind of funny. I’m not a fan of Korean movies but watched a couple of it and find them more decent, unlike “western” movies where a movie hardly ends without a sex scene.
Neikh K Meyase: What about the Arirang Fan Club?
Shan Kit: The question here is: Why does the print media even bother to publish such preposterous views? I find this piece of news not worthy of criticism even.
I believe women have the right to dress in any way that they want. Just as teenagers dress up like “anti-socials” to channel their rebellious attitude, women too have found the novel way of imbibing that same rebellious outlook i.e., by breaking away from the chains of paternalism and misogynist views, which is still very prevalent among Nagas (even among young men). While the idea of the feminist movement is still at its nascent stage in the Northeast region and Nagaland, the core idea towards women’s emancipation must begin from the basic physical appearance which is still considered a taboo in Nagaland. I am 100% sure that those very people or men (especially) who pass judgment about the way a women should behave or dress, will be the first ones to ogle at smartly dressed women the most.
As eminent feminist Susan B. Anthony said, “Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.”
Lepdener Jamir: Everyone should just wear a “Mekhela’” and watch Sholay instead!
King Doms: Hey, I saw two 40-something-year-old women wearing jeans and t-shirts in the hospital campus. Does that mean the NWH has directed older women to reverse roles with younger girls?
Avi Richa: NWHD please get some serious real education before passing such idiotic, myopic, pre-historic, Taliban-inspired resolutions. For you ladies have obviously missed the bus to the civilised world. Please, I beg you to stop embarrassing the Naga society. You have clearly not done your homework and if u even had an ounce of intelligence or common sense you would have noticed that molesting/raping a minor has nothing to do with dressing or watching a “foreign” movie - it is rather the rotting mindset of the perverted that wasn’t raised to respect women. He wasn’t taught by his parents or anyone how to live in a society.
My dear ladies, the problem lies elsewhere and not in short skirts or whatever it is that you have defined as “indecent”. You should be more worried about passing resolutions on how to make your sons more decent, teaching them to respect women and your daughters on morality and decency.
Society doesn’t need another headache: the factions of the “undergrounds” have made sure that we have enough to last us through to the next generation. So for the sake of civility and humanity, stop encroaching upon the boundaries of liberty, for we are born only with liberty and free will. Even God gave us that much and you are not God!
Nicky: Like dealing with men’s idiosyncrasies wasn’t enough, now we have to deal with women’s as well. When they say, and I quote “Indecent Dress”, did they once consider that dressing is also a form of expression which is in fact a fundamental right? Considering that even the famous “slut walk” (a popular movement against a similar remark that women must dress “appropriately” to counter atrocities against women) has made its way to the capital, New Delhi, it is a shame that our Naga Women Hoho would pass such a barbarous resolution instead of actually trying to tackle the problem of “How to make Nagaland a safer place for women”. I highly doubt “modest and decent” dressing would reduce the rate of crime against women; neither will it play a role to combat such social evils in society.
Mongsen Aier: The whole thing is just absurd; it just doesn’t make any sense. And here I thought that we Nagas were a forward looking lot! I wonder what is eating this organisation. Looks like I will now have to tell my mom to stop watching her Korean movies lest she face the wrath of this self-appointed social workers/organization!
Chumben Murry: If these bunch of “jokers” were so concerned for the Naga society at all, they should be passing resolutions against rampant corruption, extortions, illegal taxes etc., that has profoundly affected each and every member of our society. What should be the correct length of a woman’s skirt in the streets of Nagaland is the last thing we Nagas should be worried about at this juncture.
Vikeduo Linyü: Next step NWHD plans to ban all the serials in Star Plus and Sony channel etc. Even Flintstones in cartoon networks because it seems to discriminate women. Welcome to the 21st century!
(The Naga Blog was created in 2008 by Yanpvuo Kikon & Alem Ao. This column in the Morung Express will be a weekly feature every Saturday)
