SC Phom
Kohima
Prior to the contact of the Nagas with the West followed by Indian administration, there were no disparities between the Nagas; there were no advanced and backward Nagas, no developed and underdeveloped Nagas, there were no rich and poor Nagas.
Nagas lived in equality in all aspects of life and lived independently and honorably in one’s respective villages isolated from the outside world. While modernity and civilization in the Naga context is determined and associated only through the contact with the West, that ensued an era of prosperity, modernization and the introduction of education in the land of the Nagas. Since then, the present major and advanced tribes have been under the administration of the West whereas the lands beyond the Dikhu River i.e. Eastern Nagaland, were kept outside the British Administration / Excluded area. Later, after the Independence of India, the areas were placed directly under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India till 1951. Thereafter, the then Tuensang area (present Eastern Nagaland) became a part of North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA) as its Frontier Division till amalgamation with the Naga Hills District of Assam, called Naga Hills Tuensang Area or NHTA and until creation of the State of Nagaland on the 1st of December 1963.
Thus, for decades, Eastern Nagas were detached from the rest of the Nagas so also from the path of progress and development, “Not by choice but by circumstances. As much as Christianity ,education and progress goes hand in hand in Nagaland, today when the Naga churches are celebrating 150 years of Christianity, the majority of Eastern churches are at 50 years of Christianity, indicating a impediment of at least 100 years in catching up with the rest of the Nagas. As a saying goes “Early bird catches the worm”, this simple fact shows that the disparities in all aspects are so huge that it is similar to conditioning an adult and an infant to run the same race. The needs and wants of an adult will never be compatible with the needs and wants of an infant. For instance, in 70 plus major departments in Nagaland, there are only 2 AHOD 5 HOD from the 7(seven) tribes and the trend will go if not worsen as the people of the region cannot afford quality education to compete with the rest. Geographical isolation is another notable factor hindering socio-economic progress. Not a single National Highway passes through Eastern land that connects with other developed states or countries coupled with long distance from the state capital, Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur. Abundant fruits, vegetables and forest products are perishing in homes and hearths due to lack of markets. Eastern boys & girls as Watch and Ward in many Naga homes, unskilled labors in every nook and corner of the state, in motor workshops, in roadside dhabas, in vehicle service centres, as car parking attendants on the streets of Kohima and Dimapur speaks volumes of financial crunch at home. For them, better nutrition, health care and quality education are not written in the fate lines, thus live a life of uncertainty and disgrace.
In the light of the above few reasons, the only remedy to salvage the situation our leaders past and present could think of, to salvage the precarious situation of the eastern people in all fronts, is to appeal the central and the state government to grant an exclusive arrangement preferably with executive, legislative and financial so that, suitable policies and plans are formulated for upliftment of the people . While for the West it took three centuries and four Industrial Revolutions to reach the present state of modernity, for the Nagas it has just been few decades if not century to come out from our primitive living to the present world, it is reasonably logical to take care of one’s family first in the race of this fast developing and changing world. The breach created in 100 years perhaps can never be filled, however, given the autonomy, the Eastern family could reflect, analyze and invest to join the race of modernity at our own discretion and in taking the helm of creating a roadmap for posterity of the land. The Eastern people would have never agreed to merge with the Naga Hills Tuensang Area in the past; Eastern people would never build homes, farms and fields in other parts of Nagaland today if we had the divisive mindset. As such, the humble statement is intended to convey the message that the move of ENPO for FNT is in no way to weaken and distort the Naga family as per the rumors doing the rounds in recent times rather, to uplift and strengthen the weaker section so as to ensure healthier and vibrant Naga society. Therefore, in this time of crisis and uncertainty, fellow Nagas are requested to support the cause of Eastern people in whatever way possible. “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak” Psalm 41:11.
