Sensing the responsibility and obligation as concerned Naga citizens, we would like to make an earnest appeal to fellow Naga citizens and Naga National workers toward regenerating Naga people and Nation.
It is my earnest appeal to all concerned for a change movement; regenerating our Naga society and nation in the spirit of humanity. Let us not be a spectator at the present eventful scenario that are tending to down trend for all downfalls. It is time for action; action for change, regeneration and Nation building. The rise and fall of a nation lies in the action or inaction of its citizens. It is not the quantity of population or the material wealth that its citizen posses but the quality and character of its citizens that a nation is honored and counted. Quality Citizens makes Quality Nation.
The trail of Naga struggle against foreign invasion and occupation in their Homeland since the British time has been long, tedious and unending till date. Nevertheless, the spirit and aspiration of the Naga people remains persistence and ever strong. The Nagas have been shaken many times but not shattered. Many blows and setbacks have been experienced in the distant and recent past that our faithful leaders have forbore it. They have stepped upon them as ladders higher up nearing the goal we have been cherishing for so long now. Our forbearers, history-makers have forfeited their own gain and good at the expense of losing their bloods, tears and dear lives with the faith that they will gain our freedom by giving theirs all.
“FREE TALK is an open sharing of concerned citizens borne of love for service to humanity and Nation amidst of vulnerability, liability and oppositions”
Today our Naga people are in the crucial threshold of Change; Change for final solution; for settlement. The present situation seems difficult, to some impossible. But nothing is impossible that is right with God. We have also right reason and clear vision too. The Nagas have the sole right to be free from outside ruling. Therefore, we have every possibility and power over every wrong imposition. The blows and seeming defeats should not put (Nagas)us down abit but rise us above the blows and seeming impossibility. Some National workers and factions are viewing that, the Issue of Naga sovereignty, integration or independent is not possible and conforming to Indian politic. This conformation is a surrender of Naga national principle which have been established since the inception of the Movement. The concept of separating ourselves on the basis of the arbitrary state boundaries is a big compromising surrender to Indian politic. If when Naga accept this to be the alternative solution for the long sacrificed struggle for freedom, our concept of freedom ends in dependent not Independent. Why should we give up our struggle just at the face of seeming impossibility? The impossible struggle of an American astronaut, Neil Armstrong was made possible through and by patience struggle and he was rewarded with historic success. One man landed on the Moon and humanity is uplifted. All that seem impossible at times are actually possible through persistence struggle. Thomas Elva Edition lived in the era of darkness and He attempted to do an impossible task of making light apart from sunlight. People of his time ridiculed him as fool. But to him impossible was “I m possible”. The world says of Him. “One man Discovered electricity and the whole humanity is benefited”. The truth and rights of the Nagas to be a free Nation is uncompromisable if Nagas believe the God of Creation and His unchangeable laws of Nature. We cannot think of giving up all the worthy sacrifices made by the past faithful dreamers and fighters of our Nation.
Our fight will and should not end in petty compromises or give in settling for less. Our long journey has not been and will not be the path for the faint-hearted or negative people; who prefer easy life over hard work, or seek pleasures of riches and fame but of risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things to happen. They have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. They are converter of negatives into positives.
We are in the midst of choices and confusions. The fear and care we must accept should be that we should never choose easy path, seeming or apparent truth or thought-to-be-best way that may be offered in the act of resolving the long suffered Naga Issue. We must not forget or lose our courage to hold on, the legacy of hope that our faithful forbearers and founding National leaders have handed down to us with all their indelible founding documents earned by their all. We must rather reaffirm our commitment with greater zeal and vigorous will-power with the understanding that greatness or victory is never given or taken but earned. Let us understand that our freedom is to be earned and retained but not compromised. The word of David Ben Gurion validates our struggle. He said, “A homeland is not given or gotten as a gift. It is not acquired by privilege or by political contact. It is not bought with gold or held by force. Nor is it made with sweat of the brow. It is the historical creation and collective enterprise of the people, the friend of its labour bodily, spiritually and morally over the span of time” Our time today is not easy though possibilities and opportunities avail around us. We are conditioned by our focused goal to look beyond the opportunities and strive on for our Homeland Nation. We Nagas should not be absorbed by the attractive and promising offer. For we are not an opportunist people but a free people. Let us be watchful and stay active, for many political ideologists with their short sighted vision or persuasive devices or policy to win their self recognition, power or gain may distract our common people corporate vision or goal and deface our hard earned history. The uniqueness of the Naga history that the world recognized is the only treasure of our political and historical rights with which and by which we shall finally settled. It is time for Nagas to rid of greed based attitude or tribal based sentiment. Rather gather a selfless courage with National sentiment as we face the challenges head on. Let us march forward in the spirit of collective responsibility and sacrificial commitment to the Nation. We cannot make another mistake or blunder anymore. The past blunders have we suffered enough, delayed us, complicated our journey, derailed our National corporate vision which have left us in great confusion today. Let us shake ourselves off from the burdens borne of past seeming solutions accepted by some of the past leaders. Our time is great and priceless; we must not lose a minute in protecting our narrow interests rather protect our rights and lands from external threats and conquest. Our time of narrowed conception and contention has surely passed. We are now into new and best time for action and victory. The journey we continue today must be a renewed journey and must complete it. This is our task; our mission. It must be accomplished at all cost.
Starting today and now, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue to work for remaking our society and Nation in the equal spirit and will power of our past true leaders who have shown the path we must treat on. With humble gratitude and salute, we honor those brave Nagas who have laid down their lives and paved the way to freedom. We honor them not only because they died for our cause, but because they embody the spirit of service and sacrifice that we may energize our courage even to greater risking and undertaking we shall have to take if we are to stage on for last fight any time. We are the keepers of the legacy of our Nation passed on to us by them. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort even greater cooperation and understanding among ourselves and with India and others. We will begin to responsibly act our part toward our destination unwaveringly upholding and valuing our hard-earned history. We know the path we take is a risky road yet we have no other option but to risk for it no matter what comes. Let us call forth a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility to work harder and look farther and see that we are almost done.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same pettiness and act of immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. We shall measure our tolerance by act of humility and determine to heal the divides that have held back our progress making us spin in the whirlpool of failures and foolish repetition. We shall not harbour our hatred against each other in the name of our Nation anymore but confess our own wrongs and follies in the spirit of brotherhood and in the name of God. Let us say to ourselves as Lincoln said, “We are not enemies, but friends and brothers and sisters…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”
We, Nagas must no longer remain the same old Nagas under obscured region. We must change and regenerate our lives and society if we are to cope and keep apace with the transitional world.
Readers are requested to commend, correct or suggest out of this article inclusively. The author holds the responsibility for any wrong or misgiving if resulted out of reading of this art. Contact No. 9612848686.
Gwangphun Gangmei
Social worker & Researcher
