Yimkhiung cultural troupe performing at the Tsüngkamnyo festival at Old Showuba village on January 16. (Morung Photo)
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Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 16
Advisor for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Zhaleo Rio on January 16 called for reviving the dignity of labour and reducing excessive dependence on government employment while addressing the Tsüngkamnyo festival celebrations at Old Showuba village in Dimapur.
Speaking as the special guest, Rio drew parallels between the Yimkhiung Tsüngkamnyo and the Angami Sekrenyi festivals, observing that Naga traditions are intrinsically linked to agricultural cycles. He urged the community to celebrate the post-harvest festival by reflecting on the values of hard work and self-sufficiency practised by their forefathers, who sustained themselves through agriculture despite limited resources.
Expressing concern over the erosion of work culture among the younger generation, the Advisor said a majority of Naga youth were chasing “white-collar” government jobs while shunning manual labour. He pointed out that although the ratio of government servants to the population in Nagaland is higher than in mainland India, the sector is now saturated. Government employment, he said, has become strictly merit-based, demanding high qualifications and diligence.
Highlighting what he termed an economic paradox, Rio said that despite high unemployment rates, local youth were largely absent from the private sector in commercial hubs such as Dimapur and Niuland. He noted that fabrication units, stone crushers, sawmills and commercial transportation sectors were almost entirely run by non-Nagas as locals were unwilling to take up such work.
Criticising the prevailing educational mindset, he said many parents sent their children to acquire degrees merely as “status symbols” without considering economic realities. He cautioned that Nagaland had turned into a “consumer society” with negligible local production in livestock and agriculture despite favourable climatic conditions. A society, he asserted, could not sustain itself on donations and fundraising but must depend on production and labour.
Challenging the youth to look beyond government employment, Rio urged them to take up skilled jobs in the private sector. While acknowledging the presence of various tribes establishing villages in the western areas, he called for peaceful coexistence and unity among all communities.
The programme, organised by the Western Yimkhiung Hoho, marked the winter festival of the Yimkhiung community.
