Renponi Naga
An elder once told me, “Youths are like Bamboos, you young folks without any thoughts would act with full passion and vigour but you guys burn out as fast as you burn easily." So I replied, “Yes Uncle! We are like the bamboo that burns easily and burn out faster without leaving any coal behind but even if the elders who are like the big strong trees, cannot burn easily unless you start with small bamboos like us to burn the big fire woods." We Young people may be the bamboo plants with vigour and passion while the elders may be like the strong and steady woods but without each other nothing works easily nor last longer hence , the energy of the youths combined with the wisdom of the elders must come together at this juncture when Nagaland is in ICU right now .
The first generation of the Nagas who converted into Christianity from Head Hunting were simple, patriotic and were truly Nagas at heart and spirit but later on over some decades, we had a generation in Nagaland where those days many youths felled victims of drug abuse and we lost many precious Young Nagas , there was also a generation of alcoholic and Lazy youths most of whom are parents now. But now, we have a generation where the youths are the ones who:-
1. Comes out in the street braving the sun and rain crying to the elders to give them a chance to compete in a free and fair Competitive examination and not buy jobs or promote back door appointments.
2 .We have youths now who are crying for Clean Election and are pleading to stop this culture of draining Crores of rupees during election which was made a festive Culture by the elders.
3 .We have a generation of youths now who are totally fed up of the state of affair in Nagaland and is so scared to even look at 2018 -19 with all the state deficit, political instability musical chair game going on since this whole 4 years, Solution of Naga Political Movement Framework Agreement going on without the youths knowing what is in the gift wrapped for us .
4. We now have youths who are walking the prayers on the street dying to bring the virtues of Christianity of justice, love ,humanity ,fairness and unity in practical and not like the elders who thinks praying aloud inside the Church alone will bring solution directly handmade and ready made from Jesus Himself in Person. The Youths are now skeptical of even the Churches praying with lip services only.
When the youths were in action crying for the above 5 points in particular apart from the unmentioned more here, I wonder:
1. What were the elders who buy jobs for their children thinking and what were the elders who sell jobs to other parents, via their backdoor job - selling market thinking? Did you not have an inch of guilt and shame even once despite the thick skinned mask of corruption that is worn?
2. Those elders who drive around Election vehicles , live in Buildings from Election money , got appointed through sale of sack full of votes ,got transferred in choicest location ever feel guilty of enjoying life by strangling the lakhs of other Citizens breathless together?
3. Whose state Nagaland will be when you elders retire from life and go back to the soil? Your Children, the Naga children isn't it? What profit will palatial buildings, fat individual bank balance and luxury cars of yours alone will benefit you when you will also have to drive around the same pothole roads, drive on unpredictable bridges, avail no or less facility as compared to the quality and standard of private hospitals and schools/colleges etc. What benefit you will get alone when your race as a Naga will together become slaves in all aspect. A king you may be individually but when you become a slave race you will also remain a slave in the eyes of other races.
4. Why were you elders so lazy to work and had so much disunity and arrogance, look! For your carelessness, we younger generation cannot even walk down the main markets of our economy with the feeling that it is our own Naga Market .Where do we work now? Avail another backdoor jobs again to feed ourselves as made a culture by you all?
Nagaland has now become such a pathetic state with absolutely nothing to be proud of, the ranks where we stand top 10 among the states of India isn't for the good reasons but for all the wrong reasons like tobaccos, bad roads, deficit, HIV ,corruption ,unemployment and school drop outs etc. Isn't it high time that we had Enough of the madness and selfishness displayed over all these decades and for once we all come together as Nagas in our true heart and spirit? Its high time the 60 Legislators respect the people's mandate and work together for Nagaland and not irritate the public by the infamous Musical Chair game being played for all these years. Nagaland Legislative Assembly ends in 15 minutes inside the hall while the trauma goes on these whole 4 years as though the state is fine and healthy. It’s high time the people's mandate of good governance and stable Nagaland be respected otherwise, the elders may retire from politics, bureaucracy and Organizations if the wisdom of the elders has cease to exist and instead, leave it to the youths to rebuild our own Nagaland by ourselves without disturbance.
Why this division amongst the Nagas everywhere? So many NGOs, so many factions, so many people with vested interest. So many voices yet the cries of the youths still goes on deaf ears having made to be represented by the dumb voices of wrong elders .
Let us for Heaven sake leave this madness and unite with prayers .Just because we are not dying shedding our blood daily doesn't mean we are alive, we are been drained of our blood and soul from all aspects invisibly, we are alive yet so dead as a Naga. We have become a race of cowards, liars, lazy people and spiteful people who are literally slaves from the race of Head hunters who we so proudly declare of as our ancestors.
The few handful elders those who are genuinely burning the fire alive for the Younger Generation in spirit and prayers, we are grateful to you beyond words for still guiding us and nurturing as with the true love of a Naga, it is because of your wisdom and prayer that the youths who are awakened now are walking in the light shown by you all. As the story of Abraham that sought Mercy from God for Sodom Gomorrah and pleaded to God not to destroy the city if there were even 50 Righteous and God Fearing People, perhaps it is your prayers and virtues that is saving Nagaland still and are the 'Naga's Abraham' for this generation but woe to those elders who are still stone hearted for,' I would rather be an orphan than have you elders as parents if you still do not open your eyes and mends your heart from the stiffness of tribalism, political affiliation and power hungry spirit lest your curse befalls on us as your Naga children.
