Dr. Viu Meru
I was shocked to learn about Shurho-o’s departure in the Nagaland Post this morning in a very mysterious circumstance. Shurho was a very special person to me, not merely because we were in the same programme in the Government, but because he was a genuinely good person. He didn’t have a University degree, but he was street smart, very skilful in his work, never backed down on any given assignment, totally reliable, ever ready to help and very humble. For almost a decade we worked together- me as the Nagaland State MCH Officer and he as the Cold Chain Technician and I relied on him completely. Many years before that, he drove me to my first post in Aghunato of Zunheboto Sub-division in Mokokchung district in July 1976 with shovels, spades and daos. He knew that those tools were needed for in many spots along the way, we had to stop and cut away fallen trees & branches and shovelled the mud clear of the narrow road till we reached our destination late in the evening. Since then we made many trips together around the State and those who know him will also know that travelling with him was always a joy, because he had many exciting stories to tell you, beginning from the invasion of his village by the Japanese soldiers during the WWII. Apart from our official works together, I am indebted to him for life because he used to solve many of my mechanical problems at home also. He was my hero at our work place.
But, long before we became official colleagues, when I was still a school boy in Kohima in the 1960s, Shurho-o was my hero in the Football field and continued to be so till he stopped playing in mid 2000s(?) and became a referee. He was a defender, a back and that was where few balls passed. I miss my hero, I miss his voice, I miss his quick and smart movements.
