Thannganing Hungyo
Raj Bhavan | January 25
Before he takes his final steps out of ‘Ura Bhavan’ as Governor, Shyamal Datta passes on pearls of wisdom he collected from the sixty-six winters he has braved. His 16 years of association with Nagaland has, perhaps, crafted an instinct which identifies the Naga mindset better than most Nagas. In an exclusive interview with The Morung Express, the Governor shares his insights.
As people, and as individuals, Nagas are ‘wonderful,’ he says. But the need of the hour: “We need more of collective identities instead of individual identity.” Datta attributes this to the contact cut-off in earlier days. The divide between hills and plains and the split between tribe and tribe is because of communication failures in the past, he explains.
The Governor hopes Nagaland’s copious natural and mineral resources are tapped and channeled to improve quality of living. For this to happen, the youth have to play a proactive role. Sadly, not enough interest is generated by the generation in question. Ways need to be explored to excite youngsters on prospects of agriculture, Datta recommends.
Though his most memorable experiences have been interactions with the younger generation, the Governor is not all too pleased with the present trends of the youth, especially of those above Class VIII. And what is his mantra for correcting this? Collective responsibility and a change in the institutional mindset which professes that the young are “not supposed to talk.” Says Datta, “Unfortunately, their minds need direction.”
A conversation etched in his memory is one he had with a young lad. More or less, it runs in this manner.
Datta: How many hours do you study in a day?
Schoolboy: One
Datta: Is only one hour enough?
Schoolboy: How do you expect a Naga to sit down for more than an hour?
Datta and Women
Don’t get it wrong. The only woman in the Governor’s life is Ishani, his wife. What Datta actually wants is female representation in the Legislative Assembly. His dream is to see two from the fairer sex getting elected as MLAs in Nagaland, though it’s difficult to say when this will actually happen. The pitting of two women against formidable heavyweights in the last elections is ‘hypocrisy’, according to the term adopted by Datta.
But he is happy that in recent years women are coming to the forefront. Examples are the institution of a Women Commission, the inclusion of a lady member in the NPSC and the reservation of seats for women in municipalities and town councils.
Morung Express News
