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Growing up as a naga in a generation where the Government of India seems to have fed the wrong definition of “Solution”, “Political Dialogue” and “Peace Talks” to the Naga Political Groups (NPGs- read NSCN-IM), I have come to realise that we, the common nagas, have bee misled by the leaders of various political outfits who presumably have turned deaf & blind to the truth and accepted Delhi’s definitions along with the appetising economic package.
In their ‘serpentine’ course of peace talks, our leaders seem to have become amnesiac to the sacrifice of our fathers and forefathers.
Selfish agendas, disunity, lack of knowledge and wisdom, disrespect to common/public opinion, spiritual disconnect and greed have eroded the very foundation of Naga Freedom Movement and have today, marred and bracketed our sovereignty and birthright. The questions that befuddle the mind of every concerned Naga remains thus:
• How long must the Talks drag on?
• Why do we still find ourselves “in the wilderness”, and unable to reach “the promised land”?
• What’s really going on “behind the scene/talks”?
• Why do the hype and excitement preceding every fresh Dialogue/Talk fizzle out without bringing about any concrete solution?
We, common naga people, may not be well-versed in English but we do know the definition of certain words that have found most mention in our dailies, News- TV, Radio, other Media outlets. Words that excite us and raise our hope. but fall short to turn our hope into reality. To many today, these popular words that lodge themselves in the crevices of our memory do no longer bear much meaning or significance. if anything at all, they have been categorised under “accursed words”
Here’s my take on some of the words:
“Solution”: Naga political solution seems to have dissolved in the Ganges. It is probably flowing down the Dhansiri river.
“Protracted”: Naga political issue seems to have remain protracted for ages. It is likely to remain so for eternity.
“Talks”: The GoI and NPGs seem to love and have talks at the expense of our time and birthright. The talks continue without any fruitful outcome.
“Long-Standing Issue”: Naga issue has been kept “standing” for many decades. INDIA knows how to keep its asset States “standing”.
“Peace”: Peace comes at a price, but it shouldn’t cost us our identity or sovereignty.
“Interlocutor”: A mediator on GoI’s payroll who leaves the Scene just when the dialogue seems to gain momentum. Delhi has 1000s of interlocutors on its line.
“Naga Political Groups”: The outcome of disunity in the sad chapter of Naga political history. Today, almost every outfit consists of a motley group of disgruntled cadres headed by so-called “President/Chairman/Prime Minister” who can’t seem to get along with other groups even though they claim to espouse the same “Naga Cause”. Disunity among nagas/NPGs is an advantage to the GoI. This is one of the reasons why our adversity laughs at us.
“Final Agreement”: Finally, these two beautiful words seem to be used, year after year, because they sound lovely to our ears and not for what they actually mean. How many signatories, how many talks/dialogues or how many decades do we need to charter or come up with “A Final Agreement”?
It’s high time that we, the people of Nagaland, are given the pleasure and benefit to read about the “Solution e as an outcome of TALKS between GoI and NPG/s”, and not be coaxed into re-reading the same headlines/articles on “Resumption Of Talks”.
Wishing the “Peace Talks” a fruitful outcome, an outcome that would close the “chapter of talks” and usher in a new era where every Naga can live with a true meaning of “Solution” and “Peace”.
Thank You
Sincerely,
A. Anato Swu