I. Effect on Religion (Christianity).
Christianity, although undeclared, is the state religion of the Nagas today. Without Christianity the Naga National Movement could have died many years back. The Movement got its strength from Biblical stories and teachings. As this Movement gained strength it helped Christianity to spread its tentacles more widely in the Naga soil. They fed each other well. Because of this connection, the Movement is able to face various difficulties, overcome hurdles and survives for decades. The Movement got the support of the public in the form of ‘Christians’. By and large, non-Christians were assumed to be ‘non-loyalists’ or people who have little or no concern at all for the Nagas’ cause. Majority, if not all, of our Underground Cadres are Christians. Interestingly many of these cadres have brought a good number of non-Christians into Christianity fold.
Once they become Christian, the Nagas called themselves “Second Israel” (God’s elected people or race). Selected Bible chapters and verses were used by many Naga preachers to describe the Nagas as the “Second Israel”, “Chosen People”, “Holy Nation”, “Called out from darkness” and so on. Rainbow – the covenantal symbol between God and the whole creation – was chosen as the emblem of Naga National Flag. Many prophecies speak about the same thing. The biblical stories of the Exodus and the Conquest of Canaan by the Israelites were earnestly interpreted and used by Naga nationalists to promote their ideology and justify killings. These were used not only to justify the killings of enemies (supposedly Indian and Myanmar armies) but even Naga brothers and sisters (by often quoting Achan -an Israelite who was assumed to be responsible of Israel’s defeat in a war against Ai - as an example) The Exodus story of the Israelites was then taken as a valid paradigm for and by the Nagas to assert their right to political freedom from the dominant and oppressive countries.
Unfortunately, the whole presentation of God in the Bible (God of love) was overshadowed by the event of Exodus from Egypt and its subsequent conquest of Canaan by Israel people. God, as understood by the Nagas from this perspective, was the One who helped His people (Israel) to kill enemies mercilessly to the extent of wiping out the whole population and properties in order to achieve the goal of the supposedly God’s ‘elected people’(Israel people). Encouraged by this kind of half-baked understanding of biblical stories, killings go on unabated in Naga’s land. If any one is killed on account of his/her negative attitude towards Naga political problem, it is not considered a sin. Thanksgiving prayers were offered to God whenever our Naga cadres killed Indian armies or cadres from other Naga underground groups. Fasting and prayer programs were observed before attacking or ambushing other groups. Captured arms and ammunitions were sanctified and dedicated to God through special prayer usually offered by a Reverend or Chaplain. Naga Churches are often asked to pray for the Cadres so that no harm would come upon them. Those who perpetrate violence continuously justified themselves or its act by using biblical texts – dragging God’s name unmindfully to suit their action. God of life is hence depicted as God of destroyer and killer.
Will God –who is the author of life-, be really happy with us when we destroy life? Life is a free gift from God. We have no right to take away a person’s life (whether righteous or unrighteous). Life of all people is protected strongly through one of the Ten Commandments which say, “DO NOT KILL”. Jesus came to this world to give life (physical and spiritual) so that we might have life and have it abundantly. The Nagas are very unfortunate because we have turned Christianity - the religion of life into a religion of death, religion of love into a militant and violent religion, religion of forgiveness into a religion of vengeance. If any one or any organization uses the Word of God or God’s name to justify killing, they are doing so in their own risk. God’s vengeance will come upon them.
II. Effect on Economy
Let us presuppose that there are around 5000 able bodied Naga national workers in all the factions of the Nagas who are not in any way involved in labor-intensive work. Also let us take Rs.150 as an average daily wage per person per day. If we multiply 5000 (Naga national workers) by Rs. 150 (a day’s wage of a person) then the net wage is 5000 x Rs. 150 = 7, 50, 000 (Seven lakhs, fifty thousand rupees) per day. If we calculate for one month, it will be Rs. 7, 50, 000 x 30 days = Rs. 22,500,000 (per month). You may calculate for one year and see the answer! The economy of the Naga public is affected badly by this Movement. Frequent confrontations with the Indian Armies and among the Naga different factions resulted to a halt of economic activities such as closure of shops, imposing of curfew, etc. What has happened to Shiroi Villagers (in Ukhrul) is a startling example of this.
Apart from losing this huge amount of money of wage (earnings), the Naga public also pays taxes (house tax, vehicle tax, shop tax, employment tax, etc), to various factions. In addition to collection of tax, we often hear intimidation and extortion of money from Naga public by our national workers. We are also convinced that our national workers are involved in various cases of kidnapping and even murdering to get ransom as Newspapers testifies it many time. The temptation to materialism has put many national workers behind bars as they involve in black-market. In most of the government’s schemes too there is certain deduction of money by Naga national workers. Many contractors cannot get their jobs done without the consent of the Naga nationalists. Many developmental projects in Naga’s land came to a halt for the reason best known to our National workers. How much amount of money is being paid to various factions each month or year by an individual, village, organization or institution is difficult to ascertain. Certainly it will be in term of Crores of Rupees. And how do they spend the huge amount of money collected through various sources? Palatial buildings with modern furnishings, extensive fence around the residence, latest model of vehicles, Television set, mobile phones, and other costly gadgets they possessed may well help us to understand to a great extent apart from the understanding that this money is also being used for Naga National cause.
Few Naga farmers get Rs.100 to Rs.200 per day. Majority of the Nagas will be getting only Rs.50 to Rs. 80 per day in spite of engaging in tough work. This is how the Naga public earns and supports the Naga national movement. Our Naga national workers must think seriously through whose labour they are surviving. They must love the public and think twice before collecting and spending public’s money. Farmers take great care in spending just Rs.10 in a day as they know the value of hard-earned money. Many of our national workers are spendthrift. This could be because that they do not know the value of money as they do not earn money through hard labour in any way.
III. Effect On Societal Life:
Many of our people thought that whatever is done by our national workers is done on behalf of the people and would ultimately lead to freedom. Sadly, it does not work out as desired. The militants (all over the world) invariably become insensitive to human suffering. So often the way they exercised power was through terrorizing the people. We have no freedom to live freely in our own land. Indeed many of the so-called freedom fighters who are supposed to be our protectors become our own oppressors! We are but forced to ask, ‘whose freedom and for what?”
The Movement tends to disturb social cohesiveness of the Naga public. Serving Quit Notices to particular tribe(s), warning Letters to individuals (allegedly for speaking/writing against certain ideology/faction), boycotting certain tribes and individuals, banning certain Organization, selective and secretive killing of certain people belonging to certain tribe(s), self-righteous press statement, etc, shows that the Movement tends to divide people rather than bringing them together. The temptation of meddling in the internal affairs or problem of inter-villages and inter-tribes has earned the Movement a bad name as well. This shows that the Movement needs to be more mature, accommodative and open-minded.
The Movement has orphaned many Naga children, widowed many women and many others have become physically invalid. The Nagas have lost many good, capable and competent leaders during the Movement. A good number of Naga leaders fell to the bullets of the Nagas and not to the enemies’ (Indian and Myanmar armies’) bullets. Those who have been killed by the Nagas were alleged to be those persons who worked in connivance with Indians against Naga’s liberation movement. If that allegation is true, I wonder why these “living righteous leaders” cannot bring solution for the Nagas till today! Killing one another and blaming one another leads to nowhere. Violence begets violence. Dialogue is the best way for any Movement to gain public support, survive and achieve the desired goal.
IV. Psychological effect:
The Movement have caused tremendous psychological trauma to many cadres as well as the public. For the sake of fighting for freedom, they (Cadres) live a very insecure life. Their mind is always pre-occupied with how to kill others and how to protect themselves from being killed by others. Majority of these cadres live deep in the jungle where normal communication and life is snapped. Once they are separated from their loved and dear ones (from parents, close friends, relatives, wife and children, lovers), they unsurprisingly became abnormal in their behaviour. Birds and animals, bees and reptiles cannot give them peace and love. During winter they have to fight against all odds of unpleasant freezing weather. During summer, they are welcomed by leeches, poisonous snakes and other reptiles. The chant of the frogs croak in Choir disturbs their precious time of late night sleep. They do not have proper clothing. They live in a hut roofed with plastic. What a pity!!! Do you love them? Do you want them to live a normal life? Frustration and abnormality of the Cadres’ mentality is expressed in the form of raping and molestation of women, defection to other faction, surrendering to Indian army, drunkenness, drug abuse, etc. etc. This is a big task for the Naga army Chaplains to confront and deal with. Frequent confrontation between the Indian Army and the Naga Army (sometime among the Naga cadres) creates fear psychosis in the mind of the Naga public. Where is the mind without fear in Naga society today?
V. Effect on Political Life:
Our Undergrounds actively participate in every election (State or Centre), through choosing and supporting certain parties or Candidates. Candidates those who get the blessing of Underground have better chance to win in election. Our Underground uses both muscle and gun power. Sometime properties belonging to Candidate other than their favoured ones were destroyed (like burning vehicles, pushing down vehicle to a deep gorge, snatching mobile phones and money, etc). Booth capturing and intimidation against polling officers happens. Voters are threatened with dire consequences if they do not vote for their Candidates. Kidnapping of village leaders are rampant during election time. In the name of national freedom movement, the Nagas have lost individual’s freedom and rights. The politicians, the bureaucrats and many higher-up officers are equally responsible for this mess as they use Underground elements to grab power. How can we expect good governance from people who have been elected against the wishes of the majority?
VI. Effect on Ecosystem:
Majority of our Naga National workers (Underground) are camped and lives in the forests. In order to make it fit for human habitation, large portion of forests are being cut down by the Undergrounds (so often with the help of the villagers) for the purpose of constructing Camps. These Camps are constructed for temporary settlement (except few Head-Quarters). Camps are often shifted from place to place due to security reason. In this process hundreds of trees and thousands of variety of bamboos are cut down. Hundreds of animals and birds (big and small) are being trapped, shot and killed by Underground. Forests being colder than villages and towns, firewood consumption is also very high.
This is a cause of great ecological concern. Forest is the wealth of the tribal people. From it we get almost everything we need for our survival. We get mushroom, flowers, green leaves, fruits, tubers, herbs (eatable and medicinal), birds and animals, bees, firewood, material for construction of fence, houses, etc. etc. Forests also act as a water reservoir. Deforestation has many negative impacts. It leads to ecological imbalances. It destroys water sources. It leads to the lost of life of million flora and fauna. It is the cause of the destruction of birds’ and animals’ habitation. It causes not only flood during raining season but also drains away the top fertile soil. It causes drought during dry season as the capacity to retain water is destroyed. Many forest products are being lost unutilized. We need to search for some kind of arrangement so that hundreds of Underground Camps located in the vast forest of the Nagas could be brought to villages and towns.
Conclusion with an Appeal: The time is fully ripe for the Naga Public to intervene in the Movement. Political solution is not everything. The Movement needs to be corrected and straightened on all fronts. How can we redeem Christianity from being too militant, violent, and aggressive to religion of love, and forgiveness? How can we protect life under Christianity? In what way can we make understand that dialogue is a better option than killing to achieve the desired common goal? In what way can we check against dishonesty and enhance our economy? How can we re-settle the hundreds of Underground Camps put up in the forest so that we can save our forests from destruction and also give better life to our National Workers? All these demand collective wisdom and intervention of the Naga masses.
The sign of the time says that we need to start a Mass Movement based on the “non-violence” method of Jesus and Mahatma Gandhi. People’s power is stronger than guns’ power. The involvement of all Naga civil Hohos from the highest body (Naga Hoho) to the lowest body (Village Council level) is required. The Movement will be sidelined and destroyed if it is left to a few armed cadres. The imbroglio between Naga Army and Indian Army in Shiroi Village should be a wake-up call for the Nagas. The ongoing finish-off operation of Sri Lanka government against LTTE should be a telling signpost to the Nagas that unless the Movement is strengthened by people of grass-root level, it will wither and die.
Lastly, I am of the opinion that Solution of “any type” must come to the Indo-Naga problem at the earliest. Prolonging the Problem may lead to chaos and division among the Naga Public. It may benefit certain section of people (Nagas and Indians), organizations and tribes at the expense of the majority Nagas. It may even break up the hard-earned “emotional integration” of all Naga people. The present Naga public must raise their voice and decide for their future. It is now or never. Why should it be left behind to be solved by the coming generations? We are collectively responsible for the situation we are in today. Let us collectively hold responsibility in shaping a better and brighter world- where Peace, Love, Justice and Harmony reigns. Let’s join hands together and move towards the path of “CHANGE: WE CAN BELIEVE IN”.
The article is intended to create awareness among the Naga public and urged them to involve in the Movement so that Solution to the Indo-Naga problem would be arrived at in a way acceptable to all Nagas at the earliest. If the article hurts the sentiment of any individual or organization, I express deep regret and ask apology for the same.
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