Atsei Neikha
Nagas over the years have been inflicted with atrocities from the Indian army. There have been wanton violence and destruction in the peace-loving state of Nagaland. The only thing that gives us solace at such a trying time is the fact that God loves Nagaland and its people.
It was the year 1958, Eno Laokaining Phaomei an evangelist from Lonrang village was arrested by the Indian police during the Naga national movement on suspicion of being an informant for the Naga army. He was imprisoned in the Indian jail at Imphal. While serving his sentence there, God spoke to him saying that ‘Nagaland is a sovereign and independent country and the Nagas should have their own script’.
Thus the Naga script came into being. God revealed the script to him through visions. God instructed him to break open an egg daily and whatever sound the chick produced was to be the rhythm of the alphabet. He mastered the script gradually by working meticulously on it.
Upon his release from the jail, he confided about his visions to the missionaries and reverends. But sadly they rubbed his visions aside. Maybe they thought it was a little too far fetched. The purpose of creating the Naga script was to create an awareness of unity and a sense of belonging to one common state. The script consists of alphabets, vowels, signs and numbers.
The whole idea of owning something that is totally a concept of the Naga people looks intimidating. Why? Because since time immemorial we have emulated everything western, ranging from clothes, lifestyle to even our behaviour pattern. But to adapt to something totally new may generate a lot of opposition from the public as well as compel them to go into a state of utter perplexity. But only time will play the deciding factor.
