The scenes played out in the previous few days in Nagaland have been reminiscent of the days of the civil rights movement in America or the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, where the suppressed black people demanded their right to be treated as equals in a society of great injustice and inequality. The only difference from the movement then in America and South Africa from the movement of the past few days in Nagaland, led by the student unions of the four advanced tribes is that, there the oppressed and discriminated people (Africans) were protesting against the injustices and discrimination against them, whereas here, the four student unions are protesting to uphold injustice and discrimination.
To see the pictures of students from the four advanced tribes outside the gates of the authorities, shouting and demanding that no help should be given to their poor brethren from the eastern tribes is quite heart breaking. I can just imagine a poor student from the eastern tribes watching from a distance the scenes being played out right in front of his/ her eyes with dismay and great hurt, knowing very well that their eastern student union wouldn’t be able to help them because of the fear of economic blockade by the advanced tribes. It is quite ironical that in neighbouring Manipur, the discriminated poor Naga tribals are the ones blockading the advanced Meiti tribe, demanding their rights, whereas in Nagaland the advanced tribes are implicitly by way of strike, threatening an economic blockade on the poor, discriminated eastern tribes. If this is how things are done in Nagaland, than it is better that we don’t integrate the other naga inhabited areas into Nagaland, least this kind of injustice and oppression be multiplied on a larger scale.
The Naga student unions have been on many occasions highlighting the discriminations of the naga students in Manipur and in Assam, saying that quotas are not being reserved for the nagas with respect to jobs in these two states ruled by the Hindus. Today however, we know that this same kind of discrimination exists among the nagas in Nagaland, a state ruled by Christians. It is painful to be mistreated by outsiders in foreign land, but it is unbearable to be humiliated by your own brothers in your own land.
They maybe backward in comparison to the advanced tribes but it does not mean that they are lesser than anybody, moreover our brotherhood is not bases on political lines but on blood lines. In the midst of all this madness, we can as Christians especially students from the advanced tribes say that hope is not lost, we can indeed redeem ourselves from this sin by taking a pledge not to practice this kind of injustice on our own brothers and sisters from the eastern tribes. If we have the courage we can even go the extra mile like jesus, by siding with the poor, oppressed and discriminated students from the eastern tribes, joining their rallies and by not co-operating with our own student unions in their unjust campaign. Let us by doing so bring tears of joy on the face of a poor mother in the eastern part of our most beloved Nagaland.
To see the pictures of students from the four advanced tribes outside the gates of the authorities, shouting and demanding that no help should be given to their poor brethren from the eastern tribes is quite heart breaking. I can just imagine a poor student from the eastern tribes watching from a distance the scenes being played out right in front of his/ her eyes with dismay and great hurt, knowing very well that their eastern student union wouldn’t be able to help them because of the fear of economic blockade by the advanced tribes. It is quite ironical that in neighbouring Manipur, the discriminated poor Naga tribals are the ones blockading the advanced Meiti tribe, demanding their rights, whereas in Nagaland the advanced tribes are implicitly by way of strike, threatening an economic blockade on the poor, discriminated eastern tribes. If this is how things are done in Nagaland, than it is better that we don’t integrate the other naga inhabited areas into Nagaland, least this kind of injustice and oppression be multiplied on a larger scale.
The Naga student unions have been on many occasions highlighting the discriminations of the naga students in Manipur and in Assam, saying that quotas are not being reserved for the nagas with respect to jobs in these two states ruled by the Hindus. Today however, we know that this same kind of discrimination exists among the nagas in Nagaland, a state ruled by Christians. It is painful to be mistreated by outsiders in foreign land, but it is unbearable to be humiliated by your own brothers in your own land.
They maybe backward in comparison to the advanced tribes but it does not mean that they are lesser than anybody, moreover our brotherhood is not bases on political lines but on blood lines. In the midst of all this madness, we can as Christians especially students from the advanced tribes say that hope is not lost, we can indeed redeem ourselves from this sin by taking a pledge not to practice this kind of injustice on our own brothers and sisters from the eastern tribes. If we have the courage we can even go the extra mile like jesus, by siding with the poor, oppressed and discriminated students from the eastern tribes, joining their rallies and by not co-operating with our own student unions in their unjust campaign. Let us by doing so bring tears of joy on the face of a poor mother in the eastern part of our most beloved Nagaland.
