Thepfulhouvi Solo
“Whether heavens fall and India goes into Pieces
and blood runs red in the country:
whether I am there or anybody comes in,
Nagas will never become Independent”
Mr. IMNAONEN said: “When I was a Student at Jorhat in 1946, there was an Ao Student Union Conference at Chuchuimlang: Mr. Phizo attended the Conference though we did not invite him. And after the meeting, Phizo said in English: ‘Mr. Ao, you should accompany me to Ao villages to talk about Naga Freedom’. I therefore replied: ‘Let me first consult my Parents’”.
“My Mother said: ‘No, No. You should never do any such a thing with such an unknown person like this man. Who knows when and where in midway he will abandon you. You should not go with him’”.
But my father said: ‘Well, that is not a bad thing, if it will be good for our People’, ‘and so I went around with Phizo’”, said IMNAONEN (which means Case between two Villages ended -Ao)
Mr. Imnaonen, -90 now, the last person alive to have heard and saw what Nerhu had said, narrated to me how four of them: he, Echürhomo, Tolhopu and Phizo met Jawaharlal Nerhu with prior arrangement in a Ferry at about 10:30 AM at Silghat Assam in 1954–1955.
Zapu Phizo informed Nerhu about the Naga’s desire to become Independent when Nerhu got furious, clenched his Fist and hit the Table hard and said: “Whether heavens fall and India goes into Pieces and blood runs red in the country: whether I am there or anybody comes in, Nagas will never become Independent”.
“Phizo has a good way of replying others”, said Imnaonen and he told Nehru: “You are inviting War between Us, which we will not, Because even the International Law does not allow”.
The NNC got information that the Konyaks are not willing to join the Naga National Council, which therefore held a Meeting and deputed Imnaonen to go to the Konyaks and discuss with them. By then, 1954, the NNC Workers were actively pursued by the famous Assam Police -AP Battalions and carrying his Clothes himself in a Haversack, Imnaonen reached Tamlu hiding in the jungles.
From Tamlu, he searched for Mr. Thanwang, one of the first Konyaks to study at Impur and explained to him the purpose of Imnaonen’s secret Mission. Mr. Thanwang informed his people and 9 Anghs each with their Escorts, fully armed gathered in the nearby Tanhai-Pungkong Jungle.
“The Anghs did not know Assamese and I do not speak Konyak”, said Imnaonen: “For 4 days I spoke in Assamese, Thanwang translated it into Konyaks. The Anghs listened but remained silent and quiet, never uttering a word and then said they would meet themselves separately. They met and came back, the Angh of Mon spoke on behalf of them all and said in Konyak: “If NNC is Water Animal; We will be Water Animal, If NNC is Land Animal; We will be Land Animal”.
“I asked Thanwang what does that means, and Thanwang said that the Konyaks and the NNC will be just the same Animal. Then I said, let us clap our hand like this and clapped my hands and everybody clapped their hands.”
“They then brought two ceremonial Konyak Daohs, one that has a horn forged out at the back of the Matched and decorated; the One was given to me to hold with the sharp blade turned up and Mon Angh held the other. While I held the daoh such, Mon Angh raised his Daoh, pronounced oracles in Konyak and cut my daoh in the blade with such force that both the Daoh bladess were dented.
Then Mon Angh said, pointing to the dent of his daoh: “Untill the two sides of this dent joins together, the Konyaks and the NNC shall be one” “There was then endless time taking of the measured Konyak dances and thunderous firing of Guns reverberating the whole Jungle: The government Intelligence personnel’s reported I have raised Armed Rebellion against the Government and charged me with Sedition. I fled to Khensa but someone reported, they arrested me and locked me in Jail. I remained in Jail till the Government declared Amnesty”
(Imnaonen is the person who took the Plebiscite in many Sema Villages, the story will follow in days to come)
