Limalenden Longkumer
Arkong Ward, Mokokchung
At the outset, let me congratulate the MDACC for conceiving the idea of organizing the ambitious Naga Idol 2006 and the aspiring contestants who have come forward for participation.
Here, as a youth and I being a Naga myself, it won’t be fair on my part if I simply remain numb without giving an opinion despite having one. When I first read about the said event in the papers, I was like, “What? Naga Idol? Why do we always have to copy?” Sigh! That Nagas are copycats, like Al Ngullie puts it, is a cliché. Now, the question is, shall we simply let a cliché be a cliché, or shall we do something about it? That’s something for every Naga to ponder about.
As far as my opinion on Naga Idol is concerned, I should say we are only endorsing the cliché that we are copycats by organizing the event. The very title “Naga Idol” is brilliant but ridiculous. Yes, no one came about with an alternative suggestion for the title but I guess no one was encouraged to come forward with an alternative suggestion either. Nonetheless, I appreciate the organizers who are reported to have adopted a format for the competition that’s contextual to us, given our limited economic and infrastructural resources. But my question is, why did only a handful turn up for auditions whilst every Naga can sing? Does it mean we don’t have the guts or something?
The event is scheduled to be held in Mokokchung. Are the townies ready for the showdown? Well, it was the wee hours of 9th July 2006, the FIFA World Cup final match. The folks were on the town, watching the match live on a giant screen at downtown Mokokchung. During the match’s half-time break, a moderator came out loud over the sound system with some questions. First, he asked, “Do you want Rupees One Lac?” and the answer was a roar of “Yes”. Then he continued, “Do you want to go to Bangkok?” and there was another roar of “Yes”. Third, he asked, “Do you want to be Naga Idol?” the answer to which was a mighty roar of “No”. Now, that’s something for a vox populi. What more, the crowd were booing and chanting, “We came here to watch football” when they screened some Naga Idol ad.
Anyway, that was football fever. When it comes to professional music, we know we are lagging behind despite having so much talented singers in our midst who’s got what it takes to make it big. It is for this reason, I believe, that the MDACC is organizing the Naga Idol today. That’s laudable. But we can never achieve what we believe we can, unless we do something extra-ordinary, particularly in the field of professional music. We need to bring out and present something new. The world is not going to buy our cover music of the west. Every second Naga can sing or play one or the other musical instrument. The idea to promote song writers, not necessarily singers which we have in superfluous abundance, should have been a wee bit better, at least for now. Instead of identifying and promoting one single individual as an idol, the idea to promote local song writers and composers and bringing forth an album or two out of it could have been more meaningful at this stage. Or so I believe.
The over all socio-politico-economic implication should be taken into consideration when we organize acme events such as the “Naga Idol”. It will directly or indirectly but definitely affect the perception of the outsiders in viewing the Nagas as a people. We don’t want to be perceived as copied, nay miscopied, samples of superficial Hollywood or MTV motifs, do we? Copying and imitating others is not too good because that portrays our lack of creativity and talent at best and our inferior mentality at worst. It is good to learn (not copy) the good from others. “Is it bad to copy good things too?” I should say it depends on what you are copying. A good thing for one may not be so for another. A show business that’s good for the braggart American may not be so for the bucolic Naga. Moreover, Nagas are not hero-worshippers and as such, Naga Idol may not, I said may not, yield much positive response like it deserves or is expected from the masses like it happens in India and elsewhere.
Every Naga, particularly the youths, should be cognizant of the state of affairs that’s happening in our land. Some fortunate souls might have made it big in the field of professional entertainment industry but the great mass of the people are in dire socio-economic straits. Governmental agencies may play more significant and realistic roles than squandering their energy by directly organizing festivals, but that’s another subject and another malady plaguing our land. Anyway, if there are interested organizers and sponsors, and if we have the required time, resource and energy at our disposal for such extravaganzas like the proposed M Fest, then it’s well and good. But we know we’ve been squandering so much over the years organizing these kinds of gigs and pageants without much tangible and proportionate positive impact.
I convey all my best wishes to the organizers and the participants. You ought to succeed after all these hard works and endeavour. But I surely don’t want a stooge idol. I am a Naga and I need a “Naga Idol” who can do much more than merely copy and sing some good western music like a teenybopper copycat.
Let us be judicious in our outlook and constantly remind ourselves that we should not be blinded by these entertainment whirligigs from the reality. We are a struggling people, fighting for our rightful place as a distinct race. Every Naga can be an idol should we uphold our identity. If you can sing, sing. Sing also the songs of freedom, but.
Getting back on track, I once again convey my best wishes to the organizers and the aspiring candidates vying for Naga Idol. The first of its kind, this event is a mammoth task and every one is looking forward to it. I admire the brain behind this event. The man with a new idea is a crank, until the idea succeeds. It’s just that I pray this new plagiarized idea borrowed from America succeed for good.
