Reflections on Trivial Matters:

Nagaland- the land of celebrations and festivities, since its inception, has come a long way- this very far!!! In the process of its development and progress, Government of India (GoI) has always been the greatest benefactor and supporter of the state; thanks to the special schemes, grant-in-aids, mammoth budget allotment and miscellaneous financial assistances it provides us. Oops, the great GoI- supporter and benefactor has been so benevolent, acted as the father and mother of our state, our all-provider; Nagaland has become so indolent. Don’t dare blame the GoI.

So indolent has Nagaland become, the Nagas, woe us! We are so lethargic and apathetic. Regretful in saying that but how have we become so? Our fore parents worked hard and earned their livelihood. If they didn’t work, there was no grain. Just wait… they were naturally industrious; languor never found rooms in them. They were natural fighters and fought all through their way. Do we fight today? If at all, to what degree? And for what reasons? Lots and lots of lacunae and loopholes have found easy tread on the soil of Nagaland. It will not be a time fritter to succinctly scan them.

Indolence: It is so important that we stay active and fit. There can be no achievements by a lazy buffoon. There seems to be a strongly-in-built system that we the Nagas are non-workers; naturally positioned to do no work ourselves. So, the Mias and other outsiders occupy our farms, gardens, bathrooms, our streets, our compounds and even the laundry in our bedrooms. If they aren’t there, heaps of jobs are undone, especially the manuals. The work culture in our society is a history now. The highly enthusing maxim ‘dignity of labour’ doesn’t find a place here. Labour, of course, is of various kinds and nature. We are conscientious in none of them; visibly seen through the results our state produces in diverse arenas. We have enslaved ourselves to this viral fever of indolence and can no longer break from its clutch. This clutch is getting tighter and tighter, a day will come when we have to tap out like an MMA fighter does in the gruesome cage. 

Complacency: This is another crazy malady which is tenderly and bit by bit walloping our people. If I get Div I in my HSLC examination, I am most satisfied and even if I get simple pass,  I am as happy and satisfied as the one who got Div I.  The guy who got Div I in fact, doesn’t think that one or at least half was a grace mark and he got Div I with exact 60%. The kind gesture of the examiner cannot hold twice, the guy continued his further studies with the same happiness and satisfaction. So, he/s becomes a second class but not unhappy. In the long run, he/s becomes a total third class certificate holder; still satisfied to the very end. It is palpable that our complacency is the outgrowth of our beloved indolence. In the first place, we’ve been slothful and sluggish for any dynamism. So, come what may, we are most satisfied with our situational downfall and ends. 

Lack of Competition: If one can steal a moment to stand beside, ask the students coming out from examination halls on how they did, the most common answer is,”Pass Mark”. Just as complacent as we are the urge and the spirit to be competitive hardly finds a scale in us. The aspiration to do things better is far flung. Except in profligate things like SUV cars and other grandiose possessions, we don’t seriously have a positive competition. If my friend scores 80% in exams, I don’t say to myself that I will score more than 80%.  In this way, my friend never gets a chance to score more than he’s ever scored. He doesn’t really get a challenging competition- nobody scares him fairly. So, even that friend never improves him/herself in the end. This made the thing called ‘excel soar’ rare to find a consignment amongst the Nagas. 

In-combatibility (combat + ability): When the state is populated by the indolent, complacent and who lacked the spirit of positive competition, it will surely be a dudgeon state which will never beat any other states in any fields. Poor me! That is exactly our state. We can never beat our immediate sister Manipur in any sports. We are just so proud that we the Nagas are singers by nature. Have we beaten the Mizos or the Khasis- our brethrens, in singing? Likewise, we are never at the top in anything. Our sense of fight and the ability to fight seem an absolute hollowed catacomb. A tomb where even a cadaver has not been laid, what is it good for? What is the worth? Futile indeed and Nagaland is just that… A state with no inhabitants to fight for anything worthwhile, a mere state of in-combatable hoaxers. What a true pity! what a shame!

Well, time is right here for us to take a ride into our own hearts, do a serious meditation like the mendicants do in pagodas of the Buddhist sect and drive some way through to make our state a healthier entity. It is Nobody’s business to earnestly embark on thinking of ushering Nagaland to the stead of pinnacles. Oops… I mean it is Mr. Nobody’s; you and I- we are all Mr. Nobodies. Now, time to cease thinking but to launch the combats.

Apropos the exceptional Nagas, apology tendered.