Dr. Tsuktimeren Ao
It seems the Nagaland University has already started a Tribal Research studies under the department of sociology. This is really an eye opener which would pave the way to many local scholar, academicians to do their research on tribal culture, religion, social, political and economic etc. and contribute their ideas, views for the tribal people in different parts of the country. S.K. Ghosh’s book: India’s North-East Frontier: Fifty turbulent years sums up how the region appears to academicians and government officials, and indeed, to the majority of the people in mainland India. A boiling cauldron of insurgency and terrorism is also another way in which the author describes the region. The same sentiments are expressed when the Northeasterner meets others of the mainland fellow Indians outside of the region. Why are your people so violent? Why do they continue killing each other? Hence, in the minds of many the Northeast is bundle of problems like insurgency, militancy, ethnic conflicts etc. According to B.K. Roy Burman, a noted Anthropologist, in their heydays the insurgents are not anti-social. In their subjective-objective concourse they are pilgrims in the turbulent journey towards what they think to be just society, good society, and liberated humanity. Thus, this is also an attempt to look at the turbulent Northeast from the perspective of the pilgrimage of peoples in search of a better future. Legitimate and genuine aspirations and hopes may lie below the turbulent surface. A good number of people’s movements are operating in this region. Significantly, the common denominator in all these movements is the term national. Hence, it seems to be clear that, these groups, whether big or small in number consider themselves to be separate nationalities with their own unique culture, customs and traditions.
It seems to me, is a quest for recognition, acceptance and the preservation of their self identities. If xenophobic voices are heard among the tribal of the region, it is a corollary to the above quest. It is because of the fear of being swamped by outsiders of lifestyles and histories being destroyed. Like in Tripura where the indigenous people become a minority and their home land and the real threat and possibility of this being repeated in other parts of the region is what makes the locals jittery and often resort to violent ways to drive away the outsiders. There are xenophobic elements in many parts of the country, even where there is no danger of the outsiders becoming the majority. If that is the case, how much more will it be in parts of Northeast where the locals can easily become a minority. The introduction of Innerline Permit to Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal are means of protecting the locals from being swamped by the outsiders. Hence, it is done for the preservation of distinctive identity of the people and the protection of their resources. Thus, the various people movements in the region have all to do with identity. It is for the preservation and in fact for the survival of the various ethnic groups. The survival instinct being the strongest and most basic, any perception of its being threatened can result in violent responses. This is not an attempt to explain away the violence but to attempt to have a better understanding of the violent nature of these movements.
Often the Delhi Government demands the shunning of violence as a pre-condition talk with these movements or they are just banned as enemies of the societies. However, more often than not, the authorities in the government are responsible for making these movements take to violence and terrorism in the first place. These movements are essentially manifestations of extreme frustration. As for instance, the origin of the Naga movement can be traced back to the experience of extreme frustration felt by Phizo and his colleagues. The Naga leaders met Nehru three times between 1952 and 1953, but unfortunately Nehru refused to listen to them and have said that, ‘even if the heavens fell or India went to pieces, Nagaland will not become independent. Even if he was not willing to accede to the full demand of the Nagas, a sincere show of willingness to dialogue with them might have changed the course of history in Nagaland. A man who had fought so long for independence from foreign yoke was expected to have a more sympathetic ear for the Naga cause. But for him the tribal seemed not worth listening to seriously. Even today, if the mighty ruler in Delhi is having the same mindset, understanding towards these people, then it is very rare chance to expect any positive and tangible result on the ongoing dialogue. On the other hand interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi was ready to listen to the Nagas. In fact, the Nagas had high hopes of him. Phizo, the late Naga leader, is quoted to have said that Gandhiji assured him that the Naga demand would be considered sympathetically and also advised the Nagas to shun the path of violence. This chapter however, ended with the death of Gandhi. Had he lived longer, probably there might not have been more than fifty years Naga insurgency.
The argument of the Naga is: if you recognize our distinctive identity you must allow us to have a say in our own affairs, shape our own destiny. But unfortunately, the authorities in New Delhi never realize and try to use their wisdom and courage to recognize the distinctiveness of the Nagas, rather impose more military forces to control and annihilate even their birth’s rights. In fact, the Nagas threw their lot with the emerging young India full of expectations. But the past fifty years have been by and large disappointing to them. They have never been treated equally with the rest of India, rather getting step-motherly treatment from the mighty Indians for all those years. The sad thing is the government has used the opportunity to induct more forces and sustain such draconian laws as the Armed Forces Special Power and the Disturbed Area Acts. But there is hardly any conciliation move. The feeling of estrangement and unequal treatment felt by the people is summed up in what one of them has to say in his recent travel to mainland India when he said: History and Geography of the Northeast appears to have been blanked out like the computer’s virus wiping out all info-data stored in the computer. However, he goes on to say: yet when we make a noise, military, Para- military forces are brought at once to silence the cries for equal treatment and justice. We wonder are we a part of India or only a colonial outpost? It is quite natural for a people so insignificant in the eyes of the rest of India to want to be independent from that country. It is nothing but a quest for dignity, self-respect and preserves their self identities.
The future is not so bright for the Nagas even on the eve of the new millennium and after the celebrations of 50 years of India’s independence. So this is the high time for any local scholars, academicians and educated section to express their views openly and redeem the society. No time to play hide and seek game anymore. Take the opportunity and save your mother- land before all your birth’s rights are snatched away by the aliens. This is your land and your inheritance. Stop killing and bloodshed, turn away from silly politics, stand firm and take the right decision to redeem your land and its people.
