Kaka D. Iralu
By God’s grace we Nagas, like any other nations, also have a unique history of our own. But it is inappropriate for one nation to boast about one’s own uniqueness. We are therefore grateful to India as well as other nations for recognizing our unique history.
However, the unique history of any nation is always inextricably connected to a unique geography or land. For India, their unique history is connected to the great geographical South Asian Subcontinent from which their ancestors had developed their civilization and their history. As for the Nagas, it was Nagaland- the land of the Nagas- from which our ancestors developed our unique history.
We are happy that India has finally recognized Naga history, albeit, only after six decades of conflict and warfare with us. Now as the Peace talks seems to be drawing to an end, we Nagas are hoping that India will also recognize the unique territories of the Nagas which were never a part of Indian territory or Indian history. For India not to recognize this fact would amount to acknowledging Naga history but denying the Nagas their geography. We Nagas are hoping that India too will understand that history and geography always go together in the existence of any nation on earth. After all, human history has never evolved in the thin air or beneath the oceans.
