Navigating Nagaland: Echoes of struggle, aspirations for harmony

Editor’s note: The piece is part of a speech on the topic “Naga Peace Process” delivered by the author on 16 September 2023 in Kohima.

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The Nagaland issue has persisted as an insurrectionary movement, ranking among the longest-running in the world. This brings to mind the life and times of Angami Zapu Phizo, the man who launched “a thousand mutinies.” The long march to Yunnan, undertaken by Thuingaleng Muivah and “Brig” Thinoselie in 1967, and the black-and-white photograph of Naga insurgents on the Great Wall of China further contribute to the historical narrative. The potential realisation of “Greater Nagalim” and whether the current inhabitants of Nagaland desire such an extension remain subjects of contention. I reflect on an incident over two decades ago in 2001 when the Manipur Assembly Building was burnt down in response to an absurd “extension of NSCN (IM) ceasefire without territorial limits.” These thoughts resurfaced when I visited Somdal, the ancestral village of Muivah, in 2022. Somdal is located in Ukhrul, which is Tangkhul territory and part of the current territory of Manipur. It was evident that Manipur was unlikely to relinquish Ukhrul to accommodate a “Greater Nagalim”. However, Muivah, the leader of NSCN (IM), hails from Somdal and belongs to the Tangkhul community. The top leadership of NSCN (IM), including potential successors like VS Atem and Anthony Shimray, also originates from Ukhrul. The question arises: Can the ongoing “Naga Peace Process” be peacefully concluded without incorporating the birthplaces of these key leaders into the “Nagalim” they have been fighting for? After being invited by the Assam Rifles to address over 200 students from various Kohima colleges and NCC lady cadets from Nagaland on 16 September, 2023, in the Captain N Kenguruse Hall in Kohima, I found it challenging to speak on the topic of the “Naga Peace Process”. I began my talk by invoking the feelings of India and patriotism in the audience aiming to gauge the sentiments among the youth of Nagaland. I have always felt that the common people of Nagaland are growing tired of the Nagaland issue. It has also dawned upon me that only a handful of belligerents are keeping the problem alive. When I encounter Nagas serving coffee in the T-3 airport terminal in Delhi or in a Gurgaon mall, it is evident that they don’t give much thought to “Greater Nagalim”. They are clear in their stance; their destinies are intertwined with India and they have left Kohima, Dimapur or even Mon for the metropolises of the Indian dream in pursuit of their destiny. Captain Kenguruse, on whose memory the auditorium was dedicated, brought back memories of the Kargil war and not only the victory that India was able to achieve in the limited war but also a sense of sadness and pride. I spoke about sadness because it had taken away many able youths who were in their prime, ones who made the supreme sacrifice for India, and pride. After all, they have left behind examples for others, including the youth of Nagaland, to hail and follow. Captain Kenguruse is one such proud name. His courage and valour will continue to be remembered throughout India and Nagaland. Indeed, in some sense, his supreme sacrifice also epitomises the umbilical cord that binds Nagaland and the North East to the rest of India. Captain Kenguruse was truly a Maha Vir [great hero] and India cherishes his proud name. The unrest, insurgency, insurrection or simply the inability of a section of the Naga people to come to terms with their relationship with the Indian nation is the issue at hand. Harking back to history and referring to my origin as a proud Assamese, a proud North Easterner, I consider myself to be an even prouder Indian. The pride stems from the fact that I proudly wear the badges of each of these entities, and I know they are all intertwined. Nagaland was part of Assam until 1963, but I assure you that there is much in common between the two peoples. However, Nagaland, like Assam, is just another exquisite leaf of the great Indian Banyan tree. Nothing absolutely can take that identity away and like in a family there are bound to be differences and dissonances. Still, these are to be resolved amicably, through dialogue, by way of “give and take”, by taking recourse to the charity principle. A solution that is acceptable to both sides should be cobbled out sooner than later. Holding forth about a separate flag and a constitution, I want to make it clear that while I have reservations about a separate Yezhabo or a constitution, I see no problem with a flag. After all, the “Tiranga” the “Tricolour” is and will continue to be the national flag. But the most important part of my address to the 200-odd students of Kohima was when I asked them, “Tell me, how many of you are desirous of a Greater Nagalim that encompasses parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Manipur? And, how many of you are content with the present territory of Nagaland?” In the same breath, I informed them that the proponents of “Greater Nagalim” know about the almost impossibility of the other three states parting with their territories. I once again questioned whether the youth of Nagaland would wish to carry on with a stalemate or forge ahead as proud stakeholders and partners in India’s nation-building exercise. The choice was squarely theirs. Emotional integration with Bharat, that is India, is certainly on the rails. Alluding to a quote from Sanjoy Hazarika’s Strangers of the Mist, I want to mention that Hazarika wrote that as the “crow flies, the region is closer to Hanoi than New Delhi”. However, I want to clarify that while that may be geographically true, the vagaries of geography do not define the boundaries of a nation’s ethos. It is the people and their dreams that determine a nation’s identity and the time has come for Nagaland to seize that moment and be the bejewelled crown of that great destiny. I want to share about a book that I read over two decades ago called Nagaland: The Night of the Guerrillas. It was authored by Nirmal Nibedon, who spent a lifetime in this region. The book documents the present NSCN (IM) general secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah’s 97-day trek to Yunnan in 1967, about the long march, Peking, Oking and Kuknalim. The book also talks about how Angami Zapu Phizo rejected Chinese communism and sought Nagaland for Christ. There is no false humility when I say that “I am no scholar, no historian, not even an ardent observer of aspects that are of import. But I can assure you that Indian magnanimity is a large-hearted animal, and this is one aspect that cannot be doubted. It can encompass your linguistic, cultural, and religious ideals. The Assam Rifles, on whose invitation I have come here, is a subset of that all-encompassing entity. Indeed, the Assam Rifles is your force, as is the Indian army. To that end, the Assam Rifles epitomises that sacred bond between Nagaland and India”. The author is a conflict theorist and bestselling author. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.