Rakodu Nukhu
Hope is expensive
We pay a heavy price to realise it
Hope of nationhood has cost our people so many lives
As a peoples group nothing is greater than this aspiration
Is it wrong to hope for and seek an identity?
An identity we have carved for ourselves as “Nagas”
If this Naga hope is mutual and established upon right foundations
Guided by faithful hearts, minds, hands, and feet
Could we go wrong?
When we seek to become one people
There lie many people within that dream
You and I will therefore hear many voices concurring and conflicting
From within the family and from without
If opposing the other is to cause injury
How can we relate to each other and flourish as a people?
Propagating a selfish voice without considering other parts of the body
Is insensible, unjust and foolish
Many times we have tried to reason together
But how many of us truly reason with our Maker?
At his feet lies a mysterious power to weave together a fabric
That cannot be woven by human hands
David: Israel’s warrior-king, singer, dancer, poet, servant of the Most High
Loved the Lord and loved his nation
Each time he made a mistake, caused injury and sinned
He would run back into the arms of the Lord weeping on his knees
And the Lord firmly established his leadership and nation
Our fathers and mothers have walked a path
That is lonesome, bitter, and often without popular support
Today’s torch bearers continue to walk this journey
Now, with a more informed, refined, and creative tapestry of a Naga identity
I salute you all
Naysayers, trolls, adversaries are plenty in this journey
But dear fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters
In this day and age of “each man for himself”
My sincere hope is this:
That our leaders will still love the Lord, love the nation, and
Weep for themselves and the people of sins and misgivings
The Lord God is very gracious and who knows?
He might even cause your enemies to become your friends
And the good things that friends can do for each other
Kuknalim and Praise the Lord!
The poem ‘HOPE’ shared during the Worship of Celebration and Commitment held to commemorate the 9th year of signing of the ‘Covenant of Reconciliation’ on June 13, 2018 organized by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation at Dimapur Ao Baptist Church, Duncan Basti, Dimapur.
