(In remembrance of Haipou Jadonang’s martyr’s Day of 29th August 1931)
Zeliangrong has incurred great losses: the hero of the ‘Naga Raj’, the Haipou Jadonang; the never ever going to be born-again-figure; and the Naga Rani, the Rani Gaidinliu, the sacrificial voyage that undertook for the motherland. It is unthinkable, it is unimaginable that such Avatars would be sent to the people of Zelaingrong, the descendents of one single parent called Hoi of Makuilongdi (Zeliangrong-wikipedia.org).
A day of “29th August 1931” has come again! A time to reminisce has come again: A time for contemplating and enlivening our nonpareil history has arrived again. Or else, our history will go into the mouth of adversary.The “seer”, the “social reformer”, the “freedom fighter” and the “messiah” are the appellations given to Haipou Jadonang by Indian writers as well as by Western writers. These titles just don’t come from the pens of authors, but from the hearts of those who admired and lamented on the unjustified sentence meted out to him on 29st August 1931 at Imphal Jail for propagating the dream of Naga nationalism. Regardless of territorial coverage, Haipou Jadonang fought for the ‘Naga Raj’ though initially sought help from Indian leaders so that British’s power could be driven out from the soil of Naga inhabited areas. For this, he is regarded as one of the honourable entrants in the Indian History for fighting against the British Empire. A.Z. Phizo and some of the Nagas of Burma did the same when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had sought help from him to enter into the territory of Kohima in 1943 Second World War when he was in Tikkyi, Burma. A.Z. Phizo, in return asked Netaji’s help for a separate independent Nagas’ homeland which Netaji assured him to look after only after the India is liberated first from the British rule. Unfortunately, Netaji and INA were defeated by the allied forces of British because of the involvement of Nagas and their intelligentsia in the allied military forces. A question creeps up in my mind why didn’t majority Nagas support Phizo and Netaji’s INA while a decade earlier Jadonang’s movement was already on the verge of climax and bursting? Had majority Nagas happened to join Netaji and Phizo, the story of Naga nationalism could have been different today. Alas! They supported the adversaries and now begging from India for independence (or recognition) without extending any help to India when even all helpless independent kingdoms were merged to India to fight against the British under one banner. This undoubtedly reveals flame of nationalism was less felt at that time as pointed out by Neivetso Venuh in his book called British Colonization and Restructuring of Naga Polity in page 78. In this context, I take the apologetic privilege to correct a statement made by respected A. Lanunungsang, Professor of Sociology, NEHU in his book called ‘From Phizo to Muivah’ in page 42. He writes, “The Zeliang Movement is one of the historic examples that demonstrated their political aspiration under the leadership of Mr. Jadunang. He was apprehended by the British force and later on hanged at Guwahati, Assam”
Truthfully, Jadonang’s movement was never called a Zeliang movement, nor was Jadonang, a Zeliang biologically. He was born as Rongmei blood in Puilon (Kambiron in Manipuri), Tamenglong in the south western Naga Hills. He was hanged at Nambul River, behind Imphal Jail, Manipur, not Guwahati, Assam, as written. This is grievous mistake! Extensive research is intended. Honestly speaking; history of Zeliangrong is never intended by other Nagas to touch and bring up in the forefront like other history of Naga nationalism. They don’t want to undertake serious research on it. Instead, they want to undermine the history just because the history belongs to Manipur Nagas. But remember, Manipur Naga areas at that point of time were under the inclusive part of un-administered areas of Naga Hills. According to Memorandum submitted to the last Viceroy of India, Lord Luis Mountbatten by Naga people says, “The district (Naga Hills) was carved out arbitrarily for administrative purpose. But the Naga people are spread over & wider area and they are to be found in the Naga Hills District proper, the unadministered area between Assam and Burma, in the small native State of Manipur and in Assam, in the North Cachar hills and even in the contiguous parts of Burma. The area covered by the Naga people will extend to some 30,000 sq miles though the Naga Hills covers 4000 sq mile” (Glimpses of Naga History by Bendangangshi, page 51, under ‘The Land and the People’ ”).This is a literary exercise Zeliangrong people should do. Our history should not be allowed to swallow up by other literati.
Rani Gaidinlu is another Avatar who followed up action unfinished by Haipou Jadonang. It is beyond imagination that just a mere illiterate village damsel in the tender age of 16 would take up such a dare devil challenge to revolt against the British Empire. I am dumfounded to recollect her guts and heroism stored up for such a challenge against the mighty British Empire. Commendably, she fought relentlessly and fearlessly because of which she was arrested by Captain Macdonald from Pulomi village on 17th October 1932, and Mr Higgins, the Political Agent of Manipur sentenced her to life imprisonment in Tura Jail. For such a gallantry act, Jawaharlal Nehru in 1937 gave her a befitting title called “Rani of Nagas” (Indian leaders took Nagas as a whole without discriminating as today). When India declared independence in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru commanded the Premier of Assam to release Gaidinlu immediately from the Tura Jail, and accordingly she was released; and Rani Gaidinlu
came out from jail with her head held high. An illiterate Gaidinlu didn’t go to all mainland areas of India like Delhi, Punjab, Mumbai, Lucknow, Calcutta, Madras etc to meet the leaders of that time like Nehru, Sarda Bhai Patel, Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bal Ganghadar Tilak, Lal Bahadur Sashtri etc to fight together under the same banner of congress, yet wherever she lives and fights against the British, her bravery work was recognised by Nehru in particular and by the Indians in general. Instead of arguing of her territorial coverage, the nature of her revolt wherever she does is the evidential proof of her recognition. Irrespective of territorial coverage, nature of the revolt should be taken into consideration and should be recognised by Nagas today whoever did it and wherever it did. Was there any Naga woman who came out from the comfort zone of home and revolted against the British in forefront? Gaidinlu did it. She didn’t simply resist from home, but came out from home and fought it: Resisting from home is done even by Chicken. Gaidinlu is such a woman that recognised today to the Indian history as well as to the western for her revolt against the British wherever and whatsoever works she did. No doubt, she could be the awardees of Tamrapatra award, the Padmabushan Award, the Vivekananda Seva Award and Birsa Munda Award, for her bravery work from the Naga Hills of un-administered areas. Mohammad Ali Jinnah was once an Indian who fought under the banner of congress, but he is the liberator of Pakistan now. It is intolerance to demean her by religion while constitution grants freedom of religion. I respect it as a Christian. Religion has nothing to do with her recognition of her works. We cannot remove any more of those four awards. Concerning the attack on particular faction of underground long decades ago, one can justify himself on the ground of fratricide committing still among the factions of Naga underground. Could those killers be regarded as nationalists? This is not new thing! The above faction might also have committed the same.
Zeliangrong has lost unrecoverable losses indeed: When 77th Indian national congress plenary session was going on In Kolkata in 1983, Rani Gaidinlu with her P.A. Thonku Rongmei also went to meet Shrimati Indira Gandhi in Guest House before the actual meeting begun to submit a memorandum for Zeliangrong statehood under ZPC. Going through the memorandum, Indira Gandhi shockingly said, “Aunty, Nagas’ statehood was already granted by my father (Jawaharlal Nehru) after the reorganisation Acts of North Eastern states”. She was referring this to the grant of Nagaland Statehood. When Rani Gaidinlu, through her P.A. made her clear that the Zeliangrong area was not included in the present Nagaland statehood, and then Indira Gandhi ruefully replied, “Why didn’t you say then before? It is too late”. Pooh! Clauses of 6 of 9 Point Agreement and 13 of 16-Point Agreement were diverged! While Nagas of abortive state are being fully fed, Nagas of other states are deprived of their lion-share.
Unexplored and un-administered Naga areas where the two Zeliangrong liberators born were left out! Jadonang and Rani Gaidinlu’s sacrificial laurels were lost. Nagas of Nagaland today don’t want to admit the two Zeliangrong Avatars to be the leaders of Naga nationalism and instead talks of territorial politics. This becomes chronic disease now. I still feel inspired to recollect when Late Dr. Hokishe Sema spoke in a national live TV telecast when he was invited to 50 years of Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence in 1997 at New Delhi. He said that Jadonang and Rani Gaidinlu were the initiators of the Naga nationalism. Deputy Commissioner, S.C. Deb, in Preface of the book,” Nagaland” mentions, “Nagas’ history cannot be completed without Jadonang and Rani Gaidinlu”. Yet, Zeliangrong people have lost unrecoverable losses: the dream of “Naga Raj”, the utopian kingdom (sovereignty) and homeland (statehood) except lamenting aspiration for the brighter future.
R.Kamei
