In the olden times the daily and yearly activities of our forefathers revolved around the paddy fields. Every morning they would get up and walk on foot to the paddy fields from their homes. The distance between their homes and their paddy fields may be a few kilometers or even more but it did not deter them because walking over these distances had become their daily routine. Besides walking considerable distances, they would also toil the whole day whether rain or shine primarily to ensure a good harvest and keep food plentiful on the table for the family throughout the year. Despite the hardships involved, they had become so accustomed to it that they did not see it as toiling or hard labor because this was all that they had ever known. Being confined to such a limited environment where they monotonously carried out their daily routine throughout the whole year without any sort of contact with outsiders or the outside world, their outlook and mental horizon remained narrow and unexplored. During such times, whenever a stranger or an outsider was spotted in their area, it would create quite a stir in the community and would become the hottest topic in the village. For centuries our forefathers lived as though they would carry on like this forever because though they lived in a limited environment doing simple and ordinary things, they were all satisfied and never felt that their lives could be much more better and they never thought that one day the world would find them out and turned their lives and their society upside down. But oblivious to our forefathers, drastic changes on all fronts were taking place all around them and these changes finally came closing in on the Nagas and ultimately reached them and left them bewildered and disoriented as they were not prepared for it. Before the invasion by these outside forces, all that the Nagas ever knew to communicate with was their tribal languages. But when the outside world came closing in on them, they realized that their tribal language could no longer carry them through. Similarly they also slowly came to realize their paddy fields alone could not sustain them anymore. On the spiritual front, our forefathers were also confronted with a totally new message from across the sea. And as this new message of love and peace began to take roots in the hearts of some, it created further confusion and division in our village community. For some this new message was the most unbelievably touching message they had ever heard and thought it was a revelation worth living for. But for some others they considered it to be a direct invasion and challenge on their beliefs, ideas and social fabrics. And as if these changes and contacts were not enough, oblivious to many Nagas, ground breaking changes were taking place in the political scenario of the entire South East Asia. After centuries of ruling and exploiting people and resources in the area, the European powers finally decided to transfer power to the inhabitants and go back to their own countries. And with this the political map of South East Asia was about to be redrawn. And upon becoming independent, some of the neighbors of the Nagas tried to take advantage and make their territories larger than it actually was by usurping their neighbor’s lands. And the Nagas being a small population surrounded by some of the most populous nations of the world who had just become independent, the possibility of the Nagas being swallowed into these new alien nations became a very high possibility. But thanks to some of our far-sighted leaders, our identity still continues to this day even though we are still overpowered in many areas. These were the events which set the foot of our once tribal and native village communities on the path of evolution into a cosmopolitan society. Though we may not have liked all that took place, in a way it was inevitable. When new ideas had penetrated into our society and had begun to take roots in our hearts and minds and when the whole scenario around us had changed, how could the Nagas remain aloof and unaffected for long. We were satisfied in our limited environment and we did not search for change but change found us. We were unprepared in a sense when the world and our neighbors found us in our slumber. But we were found and the time to confront our neighbors and the world had come. And as the virginity of our once tribal communities was lost, our journey towards a cosmopolitan society began and with it came tumbling down on us many seemingly insurmountable challenges. First our struggle for identity still continues. Though we are a definitely separate race and people from the mainland people of India, we are still included in the main-fold as Indians though there is nothing Indian about us. Our ancestral lands where our forefathers lived for centuries still lie in different fragments creating division and strife amongst us and our neighbors. Nagamese is the language we all love to hate. Some even say that Nagamese is a bastard language and should be done away with. Others say that it is a bazaar language which was born when different communities came and transact business in the market place and as such it has no dignity and honour. But in this multi lingual society of the Nagas, Nagamese is flourishing and will continue to flourish and there is nothing we can do about it. In fact, Nagamese is still our saviour when it comes to communicating with people from other tribes. Despite our disdain for it, Nagamese will not leave the Nagas so easily. We say that we should speak English rather than Nagamese but English does not enjoy mass appeal like Nagamese and it has clear limitations when it comes to having a meaningful satisfactory communications even amongst ourselves. So let us just accept the fact that Nagamese is here to stay. Today we live in a society where we may not know the name of our neighbor but we recognize the car which he drives. This is what our society has become. We are counting everything in terms of money and material possession. Virtues which were once the hallmark of our forefathers are slowly taking a backseat as our society become more and more cosmopolitan with the pursuit of money as our main agenda. If we Nagas are to mingle amongst ourselves and become a cosmopolitan society, the outcome may not be that undesirable and unpleasant. But in our society today many outside forces are at play and that is where the danger lies. Because of our disdain for manual works and our false sense of pride, many from mainland India and even beyond are pouring into our lands at alarming rates as job opportunities are aplenty here. Today we depend on these outsiders to build our houses, to cut our hairs, to mend our shoes, to drive our cars, to watch over our shops etc. And sure enough these outsiders are adding more colour to our cosmopolitan society. As for today they may be quiet but one day they may speak up and ask for their share. Today they do not vote but one day they may become the biggest vote-bank. Today they consider themselves outsiders here but one day when they outnumber us they may ask for permanent domicile here. As our society takes on a more cosmopolitan colour, we can no longer remain aloof from the ways, habits and culture of the other Naga tribes. Inter-tribal marriages amongst the Nagas are ever on the increase and it no longer raises eyebrows like in the past. In fact I have heard many routing for it. But what about inter-racial marriages! Cases of Naga girls marrying or eloping with Non Nagas belonging to other races may be rarity today but it can easily become a norm in the future. In such cases, complications arise because we simply cannot cut off the tie just like that as they are still our sisters and daughters and we will always have a soft corner for them in our hearts. And what about the children born out of such wedlock or unions? Surely we cannot disown them as they also carry our bloods and DNA. And so, what if one day, taking advantage of these bloodlines, these outsiders try to gain a foothold in our society and amongst our people? If such a thing happens how do we counter them? Of course every people, whether Naga or non-Naga, are created in the image of God and as such we need to give them the due respect, honour and reverence. But as things stand now, we Nagas have many things to ponder about when it comes to building a safe, vibrant and well-knit community for ourselves. Some of these issues I highlight here for public consumption. We cannot fight against our society assuming a more and more cosmopolitan colour and this article is also not against cosmopolitan societies as societies becoming cosmopolitan are a worldwide phenomenon. But the things to ponder about are we are a small people surrounded by some of the most populous nations of the world. We were not at all prepared when we first came into contact with the outside world. Our neighbors have tried to manipulate and distort our history in the past and they will continue to do so in future. So, though we speak in different tribal languages, our message to the outside world should always be what our forefathers had said time and again in the past ”leave us alone and do not interfere in our matters without our consent”. So, we cannot prevent our society from assuming a cosmopolitan outlook in the flow of time. But I think the best way to do it would be to become cosmopolitan amongst ourselves rather than becoming cosmopolitan with outsiders who have no affinity whatsoever with us either historically, socially, racially, culturally or religiously…
