Kedi Haralu
Nagaland being an agro based economy should never had to live on the sympathy of the Indian Government as a welfare State. We are so blessed in soil that everything or anything planted grows beyond its expected size, like the case of the Giant Paddy and the Bamboo on display at the rice festival was nearly 70 feet, this is not the length of the whole tree, but just half of the original size, but due to difficulty in Carriage, only a part of the Giant Bamboo Tree was displayed. Bio Fertilizers are now being encouraged for it is more eco-friendly, less damaging to the soil and most important safe to partake of it. The Rice Festival 2007 at the Agri Expo was an eye-opener to how much we have developed in the field of Agriculture. Infact Agricultural sector is so huge that it had to be broken up into smaller departments, such as Horticulture, Sericulture, et cetera etcetera. The Agriculture based expo enabled the local people to have a sneak preview of what the Department and also how developed we have become. We may crib and moan when we hear of our State coffers being empty, but if Nagaland can actually utilize these Agriculture Products, plus catch the Indian market, we can be well off without the Centers Charity. Nagas have always been farmers by nature and our forefathers depended mainly on the yield or produce of their paddy field or their gardens, thus they had survived without any aid or interference from outside the border. But as it is our human nature to always want to have more then what we have, we are not satisfied but we always want easy money. Most NGO’s, Organization (Nation workers) depend on donation and extortion, since they do not have the zeal to work and toil in the field, but all they want is easy money and to get richer and richer, regardless of their brothers and sisters who are literally starving and living in impoverished conditions. What I do not understand is, why do we need easy money, when we can work ourselves, thus being more respectable, rather then feared. I do not care if any body is scared of me, hence the “Babu” treatment, but any day, I would like to be respected for my hard work and work ethics. Until and unless we change our priorities we can never achieve what we all desire, which is our sovereignty and nationhood. For as long as we remain beggars, begging for small bits from the Center, who will respect us, leave aside our sovereignty. The Indian Governments mentality (which we helped create) is that, “just pour in some money, and they will remain obedient like a dog and its master.” The truth is hurtful, but can anyone prove me wrong? I think not. Only a half-crazed, lazy bum would refute my statement.
The Jalukie Valley is so rich in its soil that food products thrive, thus the race of encroachers from other districts whose land is not at all fertile. The Paddy from this belt can be considered a manna from heaven, for the food grain is rich in texture, starchy and aromatic. As the previous Governor of Nagaland, His highness, Shyammul Dutta, who visited Peren Town for the Hega festival a few years back truly put it, “this belt is the rice bowl of Nagaland. It is God almighty gift to the Zeme’s, hence you must protect what is yours but be generous to those who come for your hospitality.” Sadly, most tribes coming into this valley, have other intentions and not our hospitality. It is very surprising how a village is created. First will be the settler, who builds a house with the Landowners blessing, then the Church is constructed, then comes the Pastors house and so on, and before you know it, it becomes a village, and thus they go for recognition of the village, which they do so with ease since the politicians and bureaucrats are all involved. After a year or so, the village decides to have a Silver or Golden Jubilee Celebration, claiming that they had resided here since time-immemorial. Such blatancy ius usually laughed at, but these villages start building satellite villages till you have the most in population, per capita. But if one is a Christian, then he should realize that it is clearly written that encroachers will die, that too horribly. Most big time encroachers I have come across usually died of Cancer, thus the Lord’s judgment should never be taken for granted. That is why I look at unification as a way of solidifying the claims of certain people from a certain tribe, for one thing they always wanted, by hook or by crook was the Jalukie Valley and also the land adjacent to it, the Intangki Reserve Forest. Where have our conscience gone? Have we become so blind due to our greed? I do fear for those who have illegally encroached, for Gods Judgment is imminent.
Yes Nagaland is for Nagas to live in and live out on the food products nature has given us so abundantly, and every one surely should enjoy these products, for it is local, but doing so at the expense of another is unethical and very Un Naga. If anybody wants to share our good fortune, each and every Naga is happily invited and accepted, but to try to steal and grab what is not theirs, is not only abomination to the landowners but it is surely an abomination to God Almighty, Our Jehovah Jireh (Jehovah our Provider).
