[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are many inexplicable things in life. And there is no end to them. What is inexplicable is that the Opposition NPCC greeted the citizens of Nagaland on the occasion of celebration of our State’s 50 years of survival—Golden Jubilee to be more precise. It is well and good that they do so.
What is inexplicable is that they had to burn the effigy of Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Imkong L. Imchen, especially at this juncture, when the entire State is in the throes of celebrations. Burning his effigy has not killed him but rather has enhanced his support from many quarters. The NPCC has also called for a 12-hour bandh at Dimapur from 6 am to 6 pm on December 3 as part of its series of proposed agitations in protest against the alleged tainted and charges sheeted Minister.No matter what the NPCC may claim that its sole intention of the agitation was to fight against “unabated criminalization of politics” perhaps they are right in their endeavours. However, was the timing correct? When the Congress was in power, they never thought of such novel ideas and action that gave some measure of relief to our beleaguered population in terms of development. So why is the NPCC doing its best to spoil everyone’s mood? Most unsporting, one would say. Or, are the NPCC leaders beyond reproach themselves? Think it over.
The case of Imkong L. Imchen is matter of the court of law. How does his case affect our celebrations? The NPCC may agitate for whatever reason(s) and they may be right, but the timing is definitely wrong. His case has nothing to do with what the people are looking forward to. Even if he goes, say, someone else will take over. The whole thing seems like personal vendetta and must not be used to throw oil on troubled waters, or burning fires. We have enough problems as it were. Or, is the NPCC afflicted by a touch of envy? In that case, it does not augur well for our State and its citizens.
Our State has reached this stage despite many twists and turns and a lot of bloodshed and instead of the NPCC warming up to celebrate the occasion of our Statehood, why throw spanner into the works? This is not in good taste. On top of that, it wishes the people of Nagaland on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Is this not a contradiction?
The case of Minister Imchen is in the court and hence, sub judice. Is the NPCC trying to aggravate the issue particularly when the President of India who by virtue of his position is now supposed to be neutral but never forget he was always a staunch Congressman? Is there some unrevealed conspiracy in all this brouhaha?
The Indian National Congress is the strongest political power in terms of all aspects. However, continuous power tends to make it slightly lackadaisical. Hence, even such a political party like the BJP from humble beginnings with one MP eventually came to power and headed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Congress is now fighting for its survival in the general elections to five States. In the process, the NPCC is not doing much to help the party.
For the NPCC, all that it needs is to do something more worthwhile like hammering the NPF-led DAN Government on solid issues that will convince the layman voters in the villages that they deserve to come to power again. If they lost the last three general elections whose fault was it? The rural people are no longer fools. Threatening to stop flow of funds to our State because of the Congress-led Government at the Centre holds no water because the funds are what we deserve.
We have enough problems to sort out as it were without our very own Congress leaders giving us reasons not to elect them again.
Rat princess and greedy man
There is an Angami fable that still holds relevance today. Once upon a time, a man was going to his fields and on the way he caught a rat. When he went home he took the rat with him and put it in a box. A few days later, he opened the box to look at it. And behold, the rat had turned into a beautiful girl!
When he saw the girl, he thought about her, “If I could marry her to the greatest man in the world I should become a rich man myself,” so he made up his mind that as he had come by a very beautiful girl. He would marry her to the greatest man in the world.
Thus he went to the king and asked him if he would marry her, saying that the king was the greatest personage that he knew of. But the king replied, “Oh, my friend, I should like to marry your daughter, but if you say that she must marry the greatest that there is, then know that I am far inferior to water, for if I go to the river where the steam is flowing fast, it very easily carries me away. Therefore, water is greater than I.
Then the man went to water and spoke to him as he had spoken to the king, but water answered him, “I am not the greatest; for when I would be still then comes wind and blows me into motion. Therefore, wind is greater than I.”
So the man went to the wind and offered his daughter to him in like manner, and the wind too replied, saying, “I am not the greatest. The mountain is stronger than I and greater. All other things can I blow upon and move, but I cannot stir the mountain.”
So again, the man went to the mountain, but the mountain answered him, “Yes, I am greater and stronger than some, but even a rat can pierce my side whenever he please. Thus for his work’s sake the rat is greater than I.”
Then as the man had nowhere else to go and knew of no other great one he returned home, and behold his daughter was turned into a rat even as she had been.
No doubt, there are many such tales prevalent in many other cultures as well. While we might be tempted to think that these are mere fables, wise men have enunciated them based on acute knowledge of human frailties as well as their sturdiness,
There is a saying that even a rat deserts a sinking ship but why? Because it wants to survive and live while the Captain of the ship prefers to go down with it because it is the honourable thing to do. Now, we Nagas are at the watershed of our history. On one side downhill is our past history and on the other is our future history which if we can climb down it in style and dignity, the other side of the hill would become more commendable and become part of our history and folk lore.
However, it is we, the people who have to decide how we cover the other side of the watershed. May the significance of this Golden Jubilee of our Statehood guide us to do the right thing.
