My Life Journey and My Calling for the People of the Eastern Konyaks
Ashah V Anok,
Finance Secretary, Eastern Konyak Union (EKU), Vice President, Ganglei Area Students Union (GASU)
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ near and far.
There are some moments in life that we cannot fully explain, yet they leave us with no doubt that God was there. My journey has been filled with moments of joy and sorrow, hope and uncertainty, weakness and strength. But through it all, one truth has become clearer to me: God has never failed me, and He has never left me.
Today, I share not just my thoughts but a dream that could one day become a reality, if not during my lifetime then for the generations to come. Listening to the story of the place where I was born and having experienced the same during my journey of life, I ask: should our people, the Eastern Konyaks, continue to live the same life they lived hundreds of years ago while the world has advanced to what is called the information age? Who is to be blamed? Is it the government? Is it the people or the community? I believe ordinary people create extraordinary things. I write this message not because my journey has been perfect, but because God's grace has been greater than my failures, His faithfulness greater than my fears, and His love greater than anything I could have imagined.
Here, I am not telling a success story but sharing a heart with a weeping soul for yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
With this heavy heart, let me take this opportunity to pen down my dream which was born on the hill.
My name is Ashah V Anok. I come from the hills of Eastern Konyak consisting of 23 villages under two major sub-areas, namely Chen and Ganglei, with beautiful rivers, valleys, and mountains — Veda mountain hilltop in Chen area and Ganglei mountain hilltop in Ganglei area.
I come from a place where life is simple, where the mountains are part of our daily landscape, where people know one another, where traditions are carried from one generation to another, and where dreams are often born quietly in circumstances that the wider world may never see.
My dream was born there — on the hill.
It was not born in a place of wealth or privilege. It was born from the life I experienced, from the people I grew up among, from the challenges I witnessed, and from the faith that gradually shaped the direction of my life.
Today, when I look back at my journey, I realize that many of the things I once considered ordinary were actually preparing me for a greater responsibility.
My identity is deeply rooted in our land, our villages, our people, our culture, and our Christian faith. Growing up in this environment allowed me to understand both the beauty and the struggles of our society.
These realities remained somewhere in my heart.
But slowly, a question began to grow within me:
“Can our people have a better future?”
That question has stayed with me throughout my journey.
Education Changed the World
My own educational journey was not simply a process of obtaining certificates. It became a process of discovering responsibility.
I completed my matriculation and later pursued theological education, earning my Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) from Kohima Bible College (KBC), Kohima, Nagaland, India, and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from All Nations Theological Seminary (ANTS), Thanlyin, Yangon, Myanmar.
Theological education changed my understanding of leadership and service.
My Christian faith became increasingly connected with my concern for my people.
Through church and mission work, I learned that leadership is not about position. It is about responsibility.
My concern for Eastern Konyak gradually became something deeper.
It became a calling.
I began thinking seriously about the future of our people.
What will happen if our children do not receive quality education?
What will happen if our young people continue to leave their villages because there are no opportunities at home?
What will happen if our traditional skills and cultural identity disappear with the passing of generations?
What if our geographical location, instead of becoming an advantage, continues to remain a barrier?
I knew that I could not solve every problem.
I knew I could not transform an entire region by myself.
But I also realized that I could not simply complain about the problems without trying to contribute to the solution.
My Dream for Eastern Konyak
I dream of an Eastern Konyak that is peaceful, educated, connected, economically self-reliant, and culturally strong.
This is not merely a political or economic vision for me.
It is personal.
I want to see our children receive quality education.
I want to see our young people equipped with knowledge, skills, and confidence.
I want to see our villages connected through better roads, communication, technology, and institutions.
I want to see our people develop sustainable livelihoods through agriculture, horticulture, livestock, handicrafts, small businesses, and entrepreneurship.
I want to see young people become not only job seekers but also job creators.
And I want to see our people on both sides of the India–Myanmar border maintain relationships of peace, friendship, and cooperation.
Education: The Foundation of My Dream
If I had to choose one foundation for the transformation of Eastern Konyak, I would choose education.
I believe education can change the destiny of a family.
An educated child can change the future of a village and an entire community.
A child growing up in a remote village should not have a smaller dream simply because he or she was born far from a town.
Geography should never determine the size of a person's dream.
I dream of an Eastern Konyak where young people can build businesses in their own communities.
I dream of local entrepreneurs who can create employment.
I dream of women and young people developing skills that generate sustainable income.
Development should not mean that everyone has to leave the village.
Development should also mean creating a future worth staying for.
Our Unique Position Between Two Nations
One of the things I have come to understand more deeply is the unique position of the Eastern Konyak people.
Our people live across the India–Myanmar border, but our shared history, relationships, and cultural connections go much deeper than a political boundary.
I believe this unique position can become an opportunity.
Instead of seeing the border only as a dividing line, I want to see our people become a bridge for peace, friendship, legitimate trade, cultural exchange, and people-to-people understanding between India and Myanmar.
My Greatest Hope Is the Young Generation
We must encourage them to think beyond government employment.
We must introduce them to entrepreneurship, technology, research, skilled professions, and new forms of economic activity.
I want our young people to become educated and responsible,
ambitious and humble,
modern and rooted,
confident and compassionate.
I Am Still on the Journey
I do not write this as a man who has already reached the destination.
I am still walking.
I am still learning.
I am still making mistakes.
I am still discovering what God wants me to do.
My life has not been perfect, and my service has not been without limitations.
And our communities must rediscover the power of unity.
The future we desire will not be created by speeches alone.
It will be built by people who are willing to work.
Whether in the church, mission work, student organisations, community organisations, or broader Eastern Konyak initiatives, I want to carry the same principle:
I am here to serve, not simply to be seen.
I want to see our villages connected.
I want to see our economy strengthened.
I want to see our culture preserved.
I want to see our people united.
I want to see peace across our communities.
And I want to see the Eastern Konyak people become a community that is respected not because of its power, but because of its character, unity, knowledge, resilience, and contribution to society.
The Dream Continues
I began with a dream born on a hill.
Today, that dream has become a calling.
Tomorrow, I hope it becomes a movement — not a movement built around one person, but a movement carried by an entire generation.
I do not know how far this journey will take me.
I do not know how many of the things I dream about I will personally see.
But I am convinced that the work is worth doing.
If I can help one child receive an education, that is worthwhile.
If I can encourage one young person to believe in his or her potential, that is worthwhile.
If my life can leave behind even a small foundation upon which the next generation can build, then I will consider my journey meaningful.
Because ultimately, my dream is not about me. It is about us.
It is about the people who raised me.
It is about the villages that shaped and moulded me.
It is about the young people who will inherit this land.
And it is about the responsibility I believe God has placed upon my heart.
So I continue to walk.
From the hill where the dream was born,
toward the horizon where the dream may one day become reality.
This is my journey.
This is my testimony.
This is my calling.
And this is my dream for the people of Eastern Konyak.
May God continue to bless all the readers.
