In today’s world when leadership is seen as a profession rather than service, when leadership is glorified rather than seen as a sacrifice, when leadership has become pursuit for self-interest rather than self-giving, when leadership is a symbol of power rather than honor, when leadership is defined as a right to claim rather than a duty to perform, the life and death of Mr. Kevilevor Phizo stands tall to challenge and defy such despicable and scandalous conception of leadership. In his death, Naga people have truly lost an exemplary and irreplaceable leader.
One of the signs of true leadership has to do with the discernment of time. It is this discernments to call people for action when it is ripe and to seek peace at the opportune time. It is not for personal glory that a good leader seeks to achieve by putting to unnecessary risk the lives and resources of the people; rather it is for the good and aspiration of the people that a leader chooses to remain low until the storm passes, even at the risk of becoming unpopular.
Mr. Kevilevor was one such leader. He chose to stand still and guard the first fort of our people faithfully, in the tradition and legacy left behind by his own father Mr. A.Z. Phizo, even though many left the old fort in favor of others to fight eventful and popular battles. Mr. Kevilevor chose to define his leadership in terms of principles and ideological beliefs against the celebrated ways of the present time. His approach was focused on looking after the legacies and aspirations left by predecessors and less about attempting great things to prove his worth or caliber as a leader.
His style of leadership may appear questionable in the eye of the fast moving competitive world, but we must remember that it takes no less a sacrifice and a great measure of humility, perseverance and dedication to provide such leadership. Kevilevor epitomizes such leadership: uncelebrated and yet unwaveringly and relentlessly to what he believes was right and true, one that has been passed on to him by earlier generation of patriots and martyrs. To carry out this difficult role, he totally denied himself even the most basic rights, such as right to personal happiness and right to family. He was without children or wife to care for him and to share his life with all through his long national journey, not even the privileged company of brave soldiers and patriots for the most part.
Never in his lifetime did he confuse his personal image with that of national image. He refused to let any define Naga nationalism around his lifestyle or leadership. Naga nationalism was what he served, not serving himself through Naga nationalism. The greatest challenge of a leader is to consistently provide hope and inspiration when traveling through the darkest tunnel, when fellow sojourners are finding other routes to travel. Our leader Kevilevor did just that. He went through a dark tunnel and so remained unknown to many. But for those who knew him, his life and death will serve to remind us that we had in the midst of a true and virtuous leader who didn’t bow to the perceived and real threats of the time. His unrelenting struggle to uphold what we hold dear will never cease to inspire us. He showed us that we must be a people defined by dignity and honor, a people who have respect for self and others, and more importantly we ought to be defined by principles and values worth living and dying for.
Brig (Retd) S Singnya
Kedahge
Federal Government of Nagaland
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