NU PGSU holds 14th Annual Literary Day
Morung Express News
Kohima | May 9
With the theme ‘Confronting Realities’, the Nagaland University (NU) Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) Meriema Campus held its Literary Day on May 9 at State Academy Hall. The inaugural was graced by renowned Naga Poetess Nini Lungalang, Vice Principal, Northfield as the guest of honour and Mmhonlumo Kikon, Parliamentary Secretary, Labour, Employment & Skill Development & Border Affairs as the chief guest.
Lungalang shared the confronting realities that young Nagas today face where many are trying to imitate what they are not. “You are the hope of the future. Unless you are yourself and realize yourself, you can never realize your potentials. Why don’t we love ourselves?” remarked Lungalang further asserting the need for the young to respect their bodies and minds and learning.
“We treat ourselves so badly. We just sit back and expect everything from our government. We have to start waking up and confront reality. Be competent. Don’t try to be competitive. Instead of competing with individuals, why don’t you compete with yourself?” asserted Lungalang who also noted that the way to confronting realities is to have discipline which simply means to make an attempt to do the right thing.
One crucial example cited by Lungalang was how the young today are not interested in studies any more. Students are ashamed to admit that they study. That’s a kind of inverted snobbery, pointed out Lungalang who further urged the students to discipline themselves and not to wait or depend on someone else to discipline. Lungalang ended her speech with Shakespeare’s famous lines, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any men.”
Expressing apprehensions whether the educational training or curriculum of the students is suited for employability of the students, Mmhonlumo Kikon appealed the students to share responsibility of the unemployment problem in the State. “Our idea of success is not based on our reality,” critiqued Kikon, adding that unless the students aspire to be the best, and change the attitude of depending on one’s parents and the government, Nagaland will continue to be mired in the same crisis for a long time.
Citing the initiatives of the government of Nagaland where the government is currently training uneducated unemployed youth on basic skills of construction works for two months after which they are employed with the local contractors, Kikon also urged the students to support any activity which aims to promote employment in Nagaland whether big or small. Kikon also emphasized on the need of changing one’s concept of employment and to begin small changes.
Also speaking on the debate theme, ‘Clean election in Nagaland is possible through Naga youths’ Kikon encouraged the students to take actions, question authority and change in their own homes and communities.
“Once we start changing for what we can change, the State will change. We will have leaders we deserve,” concluded Kikon.
The literary day was celebrated highlighted competitions in debates, extempore speech, aphoristic statement, art, creative short story, photography, poetry and duets and choirs. The topic for the literary debate was ‘Clean election in Nagaland is possible through Naga youths.’
