Towards the end of the Second World War, the then Dimapur town had a small police station with one OC near the present East Police Station. A small dispensary with a doctor, a compounder and a nurse besides, a few pan-shops with a few Manipuri hotels also dotted the landscape. As I passed through hurriedly, I also saw a pharmacy with as signboard Dr. Haralu Pharmacy with a compounder. Near the railway head, a few scattered thatched houses with few people could be noticed. Because the then Dimapur was regarded as a land of malaria and kala-azar, no Nagas would come for settlement then as it was an unhealthy place to reside. How things have changed since then.
During the early fifties, when I joined as Deputy Inspector of Schools there were two schools, a middle vernacular up to Class IV at the railway head, now the present Public Law College and another primary school at Purana Bazaar.
In my visit to Dimapur on a particular Sunday, I attended a service at Nagarjan with a few worshippers in a thatched Church. In the evening, a few Christians met near the present town Baptist Church where the service was in Nagamese. I remember how happy the worshippers were and I recalled the occasion with fond memory.
Today, Dimapur is flooded with educational institutions both secular and spiritual. During my 32 years of stay at Dimapur, I have not come across any riot or bloodshed. Dimapur is peaceful and people here have always lived in harmony both Nagas, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others. Please live like this peacefully and everyone should bear a common responsibility that the peaceful co-existence of Dimapur is maintained at all cost.
People must learn to extend their full cooperation to the popular government of the day, work together with the local administration, support the work of the DMC, the Hohos, and women organizations and avoid at any cost misunderstandings. Failure to do so will only weaken the spirit if brotherhood that has been nurtured by the elder generations. Their tireless efforts and endless sacrifices should be respected if Dimapur is to be blessed for generations to come. Long Live Dim apur!
Yajen Aier
Concern Senior Citizen,
Retd Director
