During the Old Testament times, the prophet Daniel had prophesied that the Roman Empire would be the greatest empire in history. And it was further prophesied that the Roman Empire would never be conquered from outside but that it would disintegrate from within. This is one of the greatest prophecies ever known to mankind. True to this prophecy, no power could ever conquer the Roman Empire. But, as prophesied, with the passage of time, the Roman Empire began to disintegrate from within and all the former provinces asserted their own independence and in due course of time, became independent sovereign nations. The countries of today’s Europe are nothing but remnants (former provinces) of the Roman Empire which gradually disintegrated from the former Empire as prophesied in the Bible.
Today, the Nagas also make some tall claims and assertions. We claim that we have never been conquered by any outside force be it the British or India. We also claim that our village community life was a self-sustaining one and that we survived independently without assistance or imports from outside. We also claim that, though we knew nothing about Democracy in the past, our village community life exhibited the purest form of democracy ever imaginable. We also claim that we are neither Indians nor Burmese or Chinese and that was why we were placed under “excluded area” by the British colonial power. We also claim that our history is unique and our political rights and aspirations are inalienable and unalterable.
But as I recall the great prophecy and look at our society, I can’t help but wonder whether the Naga story is headed towards becoming a replica of this great biblical prophecy. Though Nagas may not be on the brink of an immediate extinction or annihilation due to some external foreign forces, there are so many internal bickering and issues simmering in our land which have the potential to disintegrate and annihilate our social fabric in the long run. Many of these are already rocking our boat from within.
Firstly, our lands do not have any rich oil reserves or rich natural resources like diamond or gold. Therefore, the chances of any foreign country having an interest in our land with a view to exploit such natural resources do not arise.
Secondly, our land is land-locked. In other words, our land does not touch any sea or ocean. Therefore, our land does not have much potential to flourish or thrive as a trading centre also.
Thirdly, our land is neither situated in any international route nor has much potential to become a passage or pathway for international trade or commerce.
These three facts have practically ruled out our land to be a subject of envy or jealousy for outsiders. And thus we are very unlikely to be physically attacked.
But if the Nagas are to ever perish or disintegrate, it will be due to the many seemingly subtle internal forces at work in our land. As is rightly said in the scriptures, “it is the little foxes that spoil the vineyard”.
We are today not in an actual state of war with any outsiders. But just because we do not need to pick up guns and fight, it does not mean that we are safe and secure from all quarters.
Today our land has become a hotbed of employment opportunities for many outsiders. This is primarily because of our disgust and hesitancy for manual works. We Nagas dream and want only the so-called white-collared jobs. Therefore we cannot see the multiple job opportunities all around us and this has left our land and resources wide open for outsiders to come and exploit. In fact, many outsiders are not just surviving but thriving in our lands because of the job avenues that we offer subconsciously.
Many misconceptions and prejudices are simmering and brewing in many nooks and corners of our land. Everything starts in the human mind and so unless these misconceptions and prejudices are handled and tackled properly, these have the potential to become our greatest undoing in the long run. For example, it is misconception to think that we cannot survive without assistance from outside. Likewise it is prejudice to think we are better-off because we don’t do manual works.
The impact and influence of alien culture is also obvious to one and all. In this age of information technology, we are not lacking behind anybody and this has its share of both positivity and negativity. And just like anything that comes from outside is usually considered better than the things blooming inside, our youths are ever ready to embrace these alien cultures and ways of life even at the cost of their own values and ethics.
Every now and then, tribalism still rears its ugly head in our land. This happens because the Naga society is fundamentally a tribal society. The word ‘tribal’ may be allergic or an insult to some.But it is true that many in our land still see things only through the prism of tribalism.
The word “corruption” seems to be hanging on everybody’s lips these day and rightly so because corruption has unfortunately become a way of life for many especially those who are at the helms of affairs.It is sad to see that many are forgoing the greater and more permanent things and benefits and pursuing temporary satisfaction and aggrandizements. This is why many have become experts in cutting corners and dishonest dealings. In fact, many are not even actual parties in transactions and dealings but have become middlemen.And they are ready to sell away any resources unmindful of the eventual consequences as long as they get their hefty commissions.
And it would not be an exaggeration to say that, in our land, corruption begins and ends with the state government. Whether we like it or not, this is a sad reality. This can be proven from the fact that many private institutions in our land still exhibit the work culture and ethics of our forefathers. For example, those who work in the private sector are still hardworking, punctual, honest and transparent. But we cannot say the same thing about the ones working in the govt. sector. Govt. servants do not labor and are not punctual, honest and transparent in their dealings because they know they will get their salary at the end of the month whether they work or not.
Most of the people whom we address as honorable and esteemed have become like vultures ever ready to devour anyone or anything that comes their way. Most of them are referred to as public servants or people’s representatives but for most of them, their motto seems to be “me first and the public next”. And they want to be in a position where they can lay their hands and get the lion’s share of everything that comes down from Delhi. The result of all these is that only scraps ultimately reach the public.
We call ourselves a democratic society. But it is a sad reality that only crorepatis can contest elections in our lands because it is all about money.So the truth is that there is no room in our democratic set-up for intellectuals, thinkers, revolutionaries or social workers who may have a genuine desire to bring about real and lasting transformation. This is because one cannot contest elections if his pocket is empty and dry. This is the saddest reality of our democratic story.
Earlier, we were known for our honesty and belief in the principle of “dignity of labor.” We were hard-workers and we sustained ourselves without any outside assistance. But the crave for easy money and an easy life has corroded our mindset to such an extent that we no longer find any beauty and worth in these cultures.
But all hopes may not be lost yet. Since most of the issues confronting our society today are internal in nature, the solution should also be found from within and not from outside. Human nature is such that most of the time we try to search for solution and deliverance from outside. But the solution and deliverance may come only from within us.
So like the Roman Empire, our Naga society may not be in danger of being annihilated or wiped out by any immediate external forces. But just like the Roman Empire slowly disintegrated and rot away from within in due course of time, our Naga society also has all the needed ingredients and potentials to slowly corrode away and disintegrate from within. So I guess it’s high time to take a serious look at all these internal bickering and rusts already infecting our society and rocking our boat lest we leave behind only remnants of corruption, remnants of tribalism, remnants of greed,remnants of apathy and remnants of prejudices and misconceptions for our posterity.
