Dr Sunepsungla
Dimapur
The Covid-19 pandemic from just out of nowhere has swooped over entire mankind leaving usClueless, defenseless and panic-stricken as we silently hope against all odds that it will suddenly vanish; Our only Weapon at hand, as on date, ‘TO BREAK THE CHAIN’.
We have persevered for some 50 odd days … since the clarion call of the Honorable Prime Minister of India for a National Lock down. The collateral damage caused by the silent bomb is massive and pervasive. It is time we regroup the scattered forces and chalk out a strategy of defense against the mighty second wave of this onslaught. Back in our home state, we too have our own share of introspections to do and concrete steps to be under taken.
First thing first, the immediate step required is to ensure the safety and security of our brothers and sisters stranded outside the state. The State Government should take an urgent call on whether to bring them back and risk the possible spread of the pandemic or to make them stay wherever they are, while ensuring full logistic/monetary support thereby ‘breaking the Chain’.
OBVIOUS CONCLUSIONS.
Oblivious as we are to reality, we can perhaps, at the risk of repetition, draw some obvious conclusions from this ordeal of Covid-19 pandemic.
Hospitals & Health Care system:
Thank God, Nagaland has or had nil cases of Covid-19 positive till date. It is really un-imaginable, had the situation been otherwise. Are we as a state so pathetic that we cannot even afford to detect the disease, let alone treat them? Is it not time, that as a 56 year old seasoned state, we can boast about at least a few state of the art Hospitals backed up by some well equipped Research centers.
Technical & Higher Education
The scene remains the same for other technical and higher education centers like Engineering colleges, IT institutes. Is it not time that we boast of at least a few indigenously designed and developed infrastructures of public utility at least starting with paved roads with proper drainage systems.
Tourism & Sports
With due apologies to the think tank that conceptualized the Festival of Festivals-‘The Hornbill festival’,- the major tourist attraction event, it is indeed sad that we have not progressed too far ahead. Hornbill festival has become nothing but an empty shell making loud noises. After all these years we have failed to capitalize on the economic potential of building on to the platform. The world is still interested in getting a glimpse of our culture, but do we have the infrastructure to host them. Are we ensuring that our guests receive value for money spent?
Sports as an industry needs no mention in Nagaland because the contribution it has made, and the infrastructure and potential avenues it offers is, sadly, nil.
Universal Basic Education:
Perhaps, the Universal basic Education is one area where we can feel and see a semblance of Governance in our state. Nagaland today can boast of being one of the most Literate states in India. The euphoria, however, is short lived, when we come to think on the quality of education imparted; Mugging up a few lines can in no way match up to the ingrained moral and ethical values applied in real life, the absence of which is very visible. The idea of On-line classes as a stop-gap arrangement is indeed praise worthy, though the ground reality only reflects the decades of apathetic attitude of successive government in term of all round development. The online availability of a live streaming class in the all corners of Nagaland is perhaps too ambitious a project as on date, which may possibly, rather than serving the purpose of educating all, act as a catalyst of increasing the socio-economic disparity between the miniscule well connected (to the capital City with infrastructural proximity) and the major chunk of not so well connected (read as students studying in Nagaland other than Kohima&Dimapur) students.
The Economy:
Basic Economics teaches us that for every credit there has to be a corresponding debit and vice versa, which is why any economic statement is called a ‘Balanced sheet’. Our Balance sheet is however totally unbalanced – be it the Government or the public. While our Government has to literally beg from the central Government to run the Government in terms of payment of salaries, development of infrastructure or any other policies with negligible income source, the same is true of the public balance sheet- whatever salaries/income we receive is directly and immediately remitted to outside Nagaland in the form of purchases. Where then is the reserve. As long as we are complacent with the present situation, we can never expect to save and develop as a state/group. Despite the existence of the state for more than half a century, we are economically where we were just as our ancestors; we still have to depend on the products from outside the state: nay our fore-fathers were more or less self reliant atleast when it came to the staple food like rice and vegetables. Fifty Six years thence nothing has changed except for the erection of tall structures for private use. Meaningful economic activity remains nil, avenues for economic growth non-existant. The vicious cycle will continue unless we do something to ‘break the chain’.
Socio-Political:
From an avowed man and woman of INTEGRITY, we have strayed way too far from where our proud ancestors once stood to the exact opposite of being spineless& cheap hypocrites. We have morally regressed so far that the great oral tradition passed on to us by our fore-fathers, when relayed through our generation will no longer carry the same weight of sanctity. This is evident in the way we conduct our every day affairs of social relations or political affairs. A Vicious cycle of ‘selling of votes– irresponsible behavior of elected representatives-individual aggrandizement – nil social development’ has a cascading effect on our social lives as well. The flow of easy money that oils the cog in the vicious cycle has eroded our morality so low that we have produced so many lazy, pamperedand spoiled Princes and Princesses from a state that survives on begging from the centre. How then do we ‘break the chain’? Perhaps, it is time we introduce Income & Wealth Tax in Nagaland and if only possible a ‘Time Tax’ to drive in the true meaning of value and Value systems: a turn around to hold dear the intrinsic value of Time, money and thereby efficiency in all spheres.
Just as the Lock down has and is playing a very crucial role in ‘breaking the chain’of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, we need a lock down on the way we think, act and live. Our Naga mind set needs a total overhaul from the two opposing but equally dangerous attitudes of easy going ‘hoi-jabo’ and ‘moilagamati, moilagahawa, moilagapani’ syndrome. It is time we embrace and practice Work ethics while ensuring equality in terms of opportunities (without isms). The state can and ought to think in terms of creating opportunities for all, to depart from the archaic thinking of the government spoon feeding the masses to a government facilitating and ensuring equal earning opportunities for all. Perhaps the silver lining of the recent pandemic is the development of a negative vibe against China that has become the manufacturing capital of the world. If only we can capitalize on this opportunity and attract even a miniscule percentage of those Multi-national companies moving out of China with the state Government designing an attractive package to woo investment in our state and ensuring logistic support while we public shed the ‘land owner’ mentality and grant uninterrupted access through long term lease agreements; that would perhaps be the first chink in the chain… our past misdeeds would then be purged:we would then have begun to ‘break the chain’.
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