
Yes indeed, it was a signature signed in the pages of human history with our blood and our tears. It is a signature signed for love of a country and its history. This signature can now never be erased by any nation on earth. Let us therefore celebrate what we have achieved and not blame one another or kill one another over what we are yet to achieve. To put it in uncle Niketu’s words, “Our Naga cup is still not full yet, but more than half of it is already filled. But tragically, instead of celebrating what we have already achieved, we are instead fighting with one another over the remaining portion that still needs to be filled.”
The story of that “Naga cup filling” began with very humble beginnings and hopelessly inadequate arms to defend our national flag that was hoisted on 14th August 1947. With derelict abandoned Second World War Rifles and mostly machetes, spears and bows, we fought against heavy artilleries, Jet fighters, bombers and light armored tanks amidst our burning villages and fields. In these fierce battles, we were not the aggressors, but we were able to defend our territories-yes, we held the line to the utter amazement of those who sought to invade our lands. In the ensuing long drawn conflict, we have even succeeded in bringing our giant foes to three ceasefires to date. These achievements are perhaps records unsurpassed in human history. And the credit of this record belongs to every Naga warrior from every Naga tribe whether in Western Nagaland or Eastern Nagaland. It is indeed a collective Naga victory and achievement where God has been our constant guide and protector.
But all these overwhelming achievements came to a crushing standstill after 1975. As for the cause of the mayhem that followed, some blamed the Shillong Accord as the cause of all the internal chaos that erupted from within the Naga family. Others blamed the reactionary forces that overtly over reacted against the Shillong Accord with the intention of taking over political power with the barrel of the gun. And from that time on, the “blame game” was born. As this “blame’ child grew into adolescence, it became an uncontrollable young man smashing anybody and everybody who tried to restrain him. And as the Naga general public retreated from fear and kept their mouths shut, Naga blood, shed by Naga guns, began to smear the already blood sodden lands of our beloved country. The madness and the horror that was unleashed will forever tarnish our proud and heroic history. And perhaps, many years after all of us living today are dead and gone, other historians flipping through the pages of our history will fail to comprehend what overtook the minds and hearts of an otherwise proud, fierce but also gentle and hospitable people.
But in order that such historians may not be left with unanswered questions in their minds and writing, we the living of today must give and objectively truthful account of ourselves before the world.
The Naga saga of heroism and love for their lands is today a story known to the world. And I for one deeply feel that we owe our admirers and fans and honest account of what went wrong from within ourselves. Yes, we must confess and apologize to one another and even to the world where selfishness and greed had overtaken our souls and we had acted most cruelly against those who opposed our own personal political ambitions. Here, I dare to believe that readers of our confessions and apologies will understand us, because we, as a nation, have been subjected to 62 years of warfare defending what is rightfully ours. I am sure that our fans will understand that such a long period of national trauma can turn even the gentlest of souls and minds into violent and almost insane man and woman.
Dear fellow Nagas, I think the opportune moment for true reconciliation and forgiveness to take place has finally come, with all our important national leaders now back home in Nagaland at this moment. At such an opportune moment as this, let every Naga with Naga blood flowing in their veins rise to the occasion and help our leaders to sit down together and talk and reconcile with one another. The positive outcome of such a roundtable conference will decide your future, my future and the future of all our posterity.
Kaka D. Iralu