Dr Asangba Tzudir
Nagaland Minister for Higher Education and Tribal Affairs, Temjen Imna Along while speaking during the 4th Central Nagaland Tribes Association general Conference underscored that the “crux of Nagaland today is the division created among the people”, and that there is a need for drawing “a better narrative for our people.”
Within the so many forms of division on various sinister lines comes the call for a better narrative. ‘Breakaways’ and division is happening on a daily basis. And to put it bluntly, selfishness, discontentment and developmental politics, besides differing visions of the ‘good’ seems to have created the divisions in Naga Society today.
While it has become a very difficult proposition to even talk about unity, which is an overused term starting from the motto of various unions/organizations, to have a real situation of unity seems like a distant dream.
However, a new narrative cannot be envisioned or birthed within the crux of so many divisions and nation building agendas. As such, the envisioning of a new Naga narrative has to be built on the ideals of unity itself. This begins not by simply preaching about unity in diversity but by identifying the commonness that binds Naga people and society as a whole.
To identify this commonness needs a soulful revising of the ‘diversity in unity’ in order to identify a commonness. Above everything else, we are humans first, and within this premise and understanding each and everyone is an equal. This places no one above the other irrespective of the so called social standing, and that it does not give any right to any individual or group to create the ‘other.’
On the larger whole, the Naga political Issue that is of paramount importance among the so many equally important issues is also in wait for such ‘commonness’ where every Naga can relate and enjoy the ‘commonness.’ Taking a cue from what the Minister said about talking boldly in relation to Naga tribes unity, it is also time for the Naga Political narrative to string a commonness. As such, the Naga political narrative is in wait of an honest and bold dialogue in finding the common truth. The unique and common history that is being acknowledged needs to go beyond what is written by finding the commonness. The lack of commonness seems to have failed the unique and common history. Nonetheless, Unique history is now the established premise and therefore the search for the commonness also need to begin from this aspect of unique Naga history.
About the so many differences today, it is also partly because of the selfishness on which Naga society is being built. As such, the new narrative also needs to be premised on the communitarian ideal, and most importantly to really struggle for the common good. If the model of Naga society building is not reversed to community as a whole from the interest of the individual, the new Naga narrative will continue to stay frozen in time.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
