Rev Dr Wati Aier
“In all of Lester Young’s finest solos (as in Ellington’s always ambivalent foxtrots) there are overtones of unsentimental sadness that suggest that he was never unmindful of human vulnerability and was doing what he was doing with such imperturbable casualness he had seen, been beset by, and somehow survived. In a sense, the elegance of earned self-togetherness and with-it-ness so immediately evident of the somewhat painful but nonetheless charismatic parade-ground strut of the campaign-weary soldier who has been there one more time and made it back in spite of hell and high water with shrapnel exploding all around him.” - Albert Murray, Stomping the Blues (1976)
The fifty-five plus years of Naga camaraderie to preserve and protect its political de facto has been deeply traumatic for Nagas and the Government of India (GOI). Five decades have hardly healed various political, psycho-spiritual traumas.
There is disillusionment in the lack of political will, which is simply to say, the capacity to be a subordinate is lacking. The ability to submit and respect others is a sign of maturity and wholesome identity, which ultimately guides pre and post-decisions of the government, thus becoming an essential aspect of any sustained political action and decision.
The Nagas and the GOI have their own blind spots in their memories. However, if these blind spots become too large or too serious, they can deprive the Nagas and the GOI of a much needed win-win outcome. It will also prevent a timely correction of mistakes and lead to a path of disaster in which both the parties become victims. Should we not learn from the typology of either a win-lose or a lose-win paradigm? An apathetic, inattentive, careless and uninspired approach on the part of the political status quo will only awaken and reinforce the other party. In this case, the Nagas will continue to preserve and protect her political de facto as in the past, with renewed and more informed democratic vistas.
Needless to say, India fought for her rights at the hand of imperialistic-colonial powers. At the moment, does one not see the imperialist elite casting itself as a defender of India under the guise of democracy? Subversive propaganda of all forms, ranging from divide and rule policies, alignments, coalitions, and psychological warfare have been ineffective. No civilized nation should resort to such kakistocracy.
Although seemingly “divided”, the Nagas are never divided in their political rights. This is the paradox of the Naga heritage and spirit. This uniqueness is akin to all indigenous peoples of the world and is drawn from a primordial and ancestral being in unity with common aspirations. It is the soul of the Nagas that will not die nor perish in their political struggle.
In this long road to freedom, for the second time Nagas have entered into a political talk with the Government of India; the latter acknowledging the “uniqueness of Naga history.” This moment belongs to the Nagas and the GOI to reclaim their common heritage and rights. Let no kakistocrats or any other force deny or sidetrack one of the world’s longest freedom movements in modern history.
