Thepfulhouvi Solo
One of Kohima Villagers returned to his house in the Village at dusk one very early morning with his wife from their jungle hide-out during the Second World War in Kohima in 1944, to collect Rice. They collected the rice from their granary Baskets in their dark house and were then returning to their jungle hide-out.
In the dark lane between the houses in the Village, a Japanese soldier materialized and bayoneted the man perhaps suspecting of intelligence collection of their positions to be supplied to their enemy the British. They let the woman go with her basket of Rice.
The woman returned to the jungle hide-out and narrated the sad story to her husband’s male member relatives.
According to Angami belief System of life, a person done to death faces unacceptable loss of honor in the land of the dead unless the living members of his kith and kin take the responsibility of taking a life from his living opponents in restitution for his honor. A Japanese life has to be taken if the honor of their dead villager in the land of the dead, is to be restored.
It happened, a lone Japanese soldier was found straggling in the jungle retreating to his homeland far away. The relatives of the Villager bayoneted to dead found the lone Japanese and restored the honor of their dead relative. They felt quit relieved they had fulfilled a deep Belief System of their People.
Turkey’s refusal to apologize for the genocide in Armenia is a big blot to the country in the eyes of the civilized democracies of the world particularly to the European Union to which Turkey-the only secular Islamic Country- has tried very hard to join unsuccessfully so far.
Mokoto, the Leader of the Japanese Baptist in the recent NBCC 75 Year Platinum Jubilee apologized to the Nagas for the excess of the Japanese forces in the Battle of Kohima in 1944. The Nagas, particularly the Angamis have no grudge against the overwhelming majority of the Japanese Soldiers who have shown exemplary high standards of honor and behavior. It was the non-Japanese INA who have often misbehaved with the local women and earned the ire of the people.
Brother Mokoto need not apologize, the Nagas did not demand apology from the Japanese but brother Mokoto felt for an injured or two Nagas and he apologized for his people. This indicates the depth of his Soul. Apology given on demand is only a formality devoid of much value but one given without being demanded has Real Value. Apology coming out automatically for the dept of the Soul heals the injured Soul, real apology heals the injury to a Society.
In Nagaland today, apology is often used as a cover-up for every kinds of misdeeds: apology is becoming a very cheap in Christian Nagaland today. The local Papers are full of demands and apologies but injured feelings in the Society are getting no better. Apology deeply felt and automatically given without being asked is real apology, others are ‘naklis’.
An Apology should have a price, even a costly one, then it heals the injury to the Soul. If an Apology does not heal the injured Soul of the Society, it is nothing but empty words fit only for the dustbin.
Recently, an ugly incident happened in Wokha Town involving a section of Longsa Villagers who appeared to be dissatisfied with the decision of the Deputy Commissioner in the selection of the Village VDB Secretary.
The selection of the VDB Secretary of a Village is purely an internal normal matter of the Village. There are more than a thousand Villages in Nagaland and in each village there arises no difficulty in selecting the VDB Secretary. It is just a normal small thing for the village to do, but the fact that the Longsa Village took the matter to the DC for decision of their VDB Secretary selection does not reflect highly of the Village in the comity of the Villages of Nagaland.
But more serious than that, the senseless irate mob of a section of the Longsa Village in physically assaulting the DC, vandalizing the Office Room and for no fault of it abusing in derogatory terms the Community to which the DC belongs, are actions totally unacceptable in any society, let alone the Nagas.
If Longsa Villagers working and inhabiting in Angami Country have any complaints of discrimination done to them from the Angami Community, let them say so; otherwise Nagas work and inhabit in each other land jurisdiction and at every dissatisfaction, if some unreasonable groups are to lay hands on others and describe other community in derogatory terms; then this is completely an anathema to peaceful co-existence of the Naga brothers. This has serious repercussions undesirable Statewide and cannot be tolerated by the Government or by the Naga Communities.
The DC happens to belong to the Angami Community and the community strongly feels the Longsa mob’s derogatory remarks on the Community in addition to physical assault on the person of the DC, is totally unacceptable. Longsa has to answer for their action in a face to face negotiation for Peace with the DC and his Community.
The other issues involved are:
i. Failure of the Police to protect the Government Servant on Duty.
ii. The share of responsibility the Secretary-Candidate should take for the misdeeds of his
supporters.
iii. Share of Longsa Village for the destruction of Government Property.
I. The Police Inaction: The Police are not for the decoration of the Government or to display their disciplined Parades; they are solely for the maintenance of Law & Order in the State and for the Security purposes of the Government; their call of duty is to protect whoever needs protection in the Government and of the Citizens of the land.
The Police in the case at hand has fallen far short of their Call of Duty expected of them for which they are paid for. The Government should punish them dully for their failure to perform their call of Duty.
Their punishment should be:
1. for the Officer in Command: Withhold Annual Increment for 1 (one) Year ‘with cumulative effect’.
2. For the subordinate Officers: Withhold Annual Increment for 1 (one) Year ‘without cumulative effect’.
ii. For the Secretary-Candidate the Mob supported: He should be debarred from the Post of
VDB Secretary for 10 years by the Village.
iii. Longsa Village is made to pay for the repair of all the damages done to the Government Property.
Nagaland today needs exemplary costly Peace; not cheap ‘naklis’.
