Nagaland’s lockdown stories unlock a new normal

Baking to gardening, missing friends to missing open hardware shops, Nagas are rediscovering DIY

Dimapur, April 15 (EMN): The lockdown in Nagaland—an uncomfortable but indispensably protective method against the coronavirus pandemic—has opened for Naga youths and young professionals an array of novel activities and intellectual engagements.

Their stories are those about freeing their perspective as they scramble to devise new ways to cope with the lack of social interaction, livelihood concerns, and general anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The lockdown in Nagaland began from the nationwide ‘Janata curfew’ on March 22, and a series of extensions since then which continue.

The lockdown stories of Nagaland’s youth and young professionals now explore the unusual, just a yard off rejecting the mundane to challenge the monotony of staying at home.

The new alternative is to embrace certain aspects of living they once neglected or never engaged in—like gardening or dedicating schedule to starting a fitness regime. 

Monotony from the lockdown and an influx of depressing news about the coronavirus pandemic are feeding general anxiety in people across the world, not only for the people of Nagaland.

On the brighter side, the lockdown to counter the pandemic may have spurred a phenomenon of self-reflection, artistry, and even a general embracing of the ‘new normal.’

Eastern Mirror interacted with a number of Naga youths and professionals in Nagaland who talked about how the lockdown was affecting their lives.  

The stories about their lockdown experience are tales that hold their own: A young baker finding comfort in his scrumptious creations, a police official growing grafted flowers and fruit saplings, and a graduate who came to Dimapur to visit her sister only to be held back by the lockdown in Dimapur. 

Livi Joseph Assumi, a health services professional.   

Livi Joseph Assumi lives and works in the Big Apple, New York. For someone who loves the outdoors and interacting with family and friends, she is now helping around the house or reading. She says to be “doing well,” but “keeping busy during the quarantine doing activities.”

‘Much has changed aside from not going into work. I am currently still working remotely. Reading or watching the news, learning more about what is going on along with being more physically active, viewing homes for investment purposes,’ Assumi, originally from Nagaland, said.

Being in a lockdown isn’t fun, of course. But a little bit of spice helps. For instance, vehicles. The owner of a bright pink Jeep has a thing for automobiles.  ‘There are new things I have done, not much aside from learning the art of detailing vehicles,’ she explained.

That aside, Assumi misses attending events and being with friends. Likewise, she misses another love –travelling—among other outdoor group activities.

‘The first thing for me (to do after the lockdown) would be any type of social event with family and friends,’ she said.

Imo Alem, a civil services candidate.

For Imo N Alem from Mokokchung, it was all about visiting her sister and her family in Dimapur. And then the lockdown was announced. She has been in Nagaland’s chief trading center since then.

“Mentally, it's a very challenging task. There is air of extreme anxiety sometimes. With the present situation I'm very stressed but I have good friends and also my family whom I'm in constant contact with,” Alem said. Thankfully, she is ‘definitely not depressed.’

Before the onset of this lockdown, life was “pretty much normal,” she said. Actually, she had taking shots AT competitive examinations.

‘I was preoccupied with studying, helping at home and preparing for exams. Now, with the onset of this lockdown, things have definitely taken a paradigm shift. We stay home. We go out for food with the constant fear that people among the passersby might be infected with the virus.’

One of Alem’s sisters had a baby. ‘And as such, I am preoccupied with helping at home and cooking and running the errands,’ she said.

“In a society based on human interaction, the thing that I miss most is going out and not being felt chained in my home,” she added. “I will probably continue preparing for my exams.”

Richard Belho, architect.  

The change in routine and daily objectives has also touched construction professionals like Richard Belho, an architect based in Nagaland’s capital Kohima town. From him, the lockdown experience would be about transiting from building to delivering food essentials.  

“I am keeping myself well preoccupied with the Green Caravan (a delivery service).  Before, there were so many engagements and tasks,” Belho said.  

Green Caravan is a home delivery service that delivers essential goods to households in the town. The ‘new’ thing that he now does is delivering food. It’s one way he copes with the lockdown.

“Now I have fewer. Before, it was mainly construction and training-related (programmes). Now it's food delivery and communicating with villagers,”

“We are involved in a home delivery (sic) to minimize social contact in response to an open invitation by KMC (Kohima Municipal Council) to help out during this crisis,” he explained.

“We were in the midst of construction and now all the hardware shops are closed. It sounds weird but I wish hardware shops are also open.”

After the lockdown, Belho wants to travel to the interior areas of Nagaland before the monsoon.

Pito Kiba, baker.

Pito Kiba is a young baker, a youth that doesn’t know TV or sleeping late. Working hard to bake the good bread, he seems to be holding on well during the lockdown.

‘It’s been a break from work and stress. Being a baker, with every order that goes out you’re always concerned and stressed to a certain extend if it will please the clients,” he said.

Before the lockdown, he would be busy taking orders and catering. Now it’s just baking for neighbors, family and some few orders for people in the neighbourhood.

‘Prior to the lockdown, sometimes I would start my days as early as 4 am and run through the day. Now it’s more relaxed and easy. I’ve also shared tried and tested recipes too. Earlier, I hardly had time to do beyond the orders and catering. Now that I have time on my hands I’ve learnt, unlearned and relearned and honed some recipes and techniques and I’m happy. I had been meaning to do this for a really long time.’  

The new routine now includes watching TV. This is “definitely a new thing to me now.” He said to not have watched any TV during the past 7-8 years—“I did not want to be distracted from work.”

The optimism notwithstanding, Kiba misses some things: Eating out, fresh organic vegetables, or just being able to go out for a walk or to buy things without any worry. Likewise, he misses practice sessions with the worship team, he said.

“I’m going to meet friends, catch up over endless cups of tea, start the worship practice and just be more grateful then ever,” Kiba said, when queried what he would do when the lockdown is lifted.

Athungo Ngully, police officer on special duty.  

N Athungo Ngully is a Nagaland Police officer with a love for pottery, carpentry, gardening and rearing livestock. The lockdown has not changed his routine that much as he has to fulfil normal policing duties, although not as much as some of his counterparts have to, outside.

That said, engaging in making pots or growing plants is what makes his staying at home interesting.

“To me, this lockdown seems no different from the rest of my normal days. Being in the uniform service, my days before the lockdown was always remaining in standby, awaiting any orders from the controlling officers in the department to carry out any task assigned to do,” Ngully, a non-gazette officer in the police department, explained.

‘But as of now, after this lockdown began, I am mostly confined at home unlike my other colleagues who are performing duties at the frontline. The police department has many branches to perform different duties. It is something like I will have to wait for the lockdown to get over as there will be zero VIPs/VVIPs related duties and functions in the state during this period.’

While he awaits his orders, the police official focuses on his flowers and fruits.

‘Gardening being one of my hobbies of the past and present, I usually engage myself in doing all sorts: Sowing, transplanting, grafting etc., in my home just like I do during breaks in my duty days,” Ngully said.   

The activity he misses the most is travelling, which is actually part of his policing duties.

“Once the lockdown gets lifted and everything is back to normal, I will get back to my normal duties,” he said, as a matter-of-factly.

Tiasunep Amri, university teacher.

For university teacher Tiasunep Amri, the lockdown has offered him an opportunity to explore his academic cravings. He has decided to walk away from the negative distraction that the constant news about the Coronavirus pandemic is becoming.

So how has he been coping with the lockdown, especially mentally? Dr. Tiasunep Amri, an assistant professor of anthropology at Nagaland University, would rather raid the thesaurus.

‘I read few important articles regarding Covid-19. Beyond that, I avoid reading anything about it (sic). As far as lock down is concerned, I spend much time reading, thinking and writing, which immunized me from boredom and perhaps makes me less concerned about some of the inconveniences we face,’ Amri explained.

Amri spoke about having flirted with a thought or two to write an ‘etymology book.’ Having to conduct classes prevented him from writing though. Plot twist: “Now that I am free from most of those activities, I am actively writing the book I wanted to,” he said.   

Another new thing that he is on to is taking classes online.

“Recording lectures and sending it to my students is something that I never did before. Anyway, no complain about that. I am enjoying it.”   

Likewise, he has taken affection to ‘finding the root word for words I never expected in the first place.’ But the wife must not be forgotten: He said to be watching funny videos with his wife to ease the monotony of the lockdown.

Amri misses interacting with his students. That said, once the government lifts the lockdown and normalcy returns, he has thoughts about working on ‘reflections’ about the consequences the lockdown has on the economy.

M Ozukum, government servant.

M Ozkumu, as she requested to be identified as, is a government employee from Kohima. She isn’t having an amazing time since the lockdown began.

“I try not to think about it too much,” Ozukum said. She explained that she stays away from the phone and social media as much as possible. What she does now is gardening and even crocheting.

The life of the lower divisional assistant with a government department has not been anything ‘out of the ordinary.’ There was no hectic schedule too.

“But I would always leave the house for work, meet people etc., etc., but now I can't do that,” she said.

Before, she would go to work at 10 am. In the evening, she would participate in church activities or spend time with friends.

“Now, my routine has changed a lot. I stay up late and wake late. I don't have to rush to work,” Ozukum said. Now that she must have to stay at home, she has chosen the productive—gardening and crocheting.

“Occasionally, I go for a short walk. We're told to stay indoors but I just want to stretch my legs. I don't visit my friends nowadays neither do they. (I told them not to come),” the young government worker said.

Further, she has started to exercise. “I always thought about it but never really did.”

However, the most unusual thing for her is starting to learn about how to play a musical instrument. She didn’t reveal which, but she is enjoying it.

“I'm learning to play a musical instrument by watching YouTube tutorials (laughs).”  

Like most people away from home since the lockdown, she remembers her family and friends.

“I miss my friends and family, eating out, and mostly my church. It’s been almost a month that I haven't seen my family,” she said.

‘For the first time in my life and hopefully the last, I spent my birthday alone,’ she added.  

Once the lockdown is lifted, M Ozukum wishes to travel and make a commitment to staying fit.

‘Try to stay fit and healthy, visit places I've never been to, put extra effort to love and care for near and dear ones. Our lives are so fragile and unpredictable. We have to make the best of it,’ she added.