Y Vihoto and PY Vihoto
Who is or who are the Registered Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)? The most acceptable and the most honorable answer to the question cannot be concluded conveniently at one’s own disposal by saying that any person living in any part of Nagaland State is the Registered Indigenous Inhabitant of Nagaland, this is because every race and every one has its own indigenous Inhabitant place and he is the indigenous inhabitant of that place whether registered or not because this is by birth and blood.
To cite an example in the case of a Punjabi, the Punjabi is from Punjab state that means his indigenous inhabitant place is from Punjab state whether registered or not because it is by historical account. For an extended explanation, there are some Punjabi’s in Assam, some are doing business while some are running productive firms but they cannot be the indigenous inhabitant of Assam. In the same way there are some Assamese in Punjab in Central Government services but these Assamese are from Assam state and Assam is their indigenous inhabitant state.
For another expositional expression on the descriptive expression, that under a very rare circumstances, some Nagas of Nagaland happen to be living in Manipur state but no sure knowledge that these Nagas of Nagaland can be registered indigenous inhabitant of Manipur to enjoy the privileged of center’s offer to the Manipur also to avail the state’s plan and unplan budgets utilizations in employments, educations, scholarships, entrepreneurships etc along with the Nagas of Manipur also can take part in Elections and some leading role in election campaigns in Tamenlong, Ukhrul and Senapati districts.
It is the human matter that one lives on where he is living presently but he knows well enough where his original place (indigenous place) except the stateless individuals and stateless race and races, these people are different from Nomadic race, who keep stepping on their own territorial soil.
As for the Nagas of Nagaland, they know well that they are living in their won inherited land which comes from their own ancestors; the land and the people where its village had its own form of democracy Government, no Raja Rani, each village had its own independent entity.
It was the Mughal Empire that ruled the entire India, next came the British Empire over the whole India as to the matter of fact India was the most subdued nation by the conqueror kings one after another including the foreign conquerors throughout the ages, there the land and people subjected to the conqueror kings.
Whereas the Nagas of Nagaland as stated by KK Sema that there were no declared wars, defeats and conquest as such that the presence of British Empire in Nagas of Nagaland was the administrativeextension from Assam to Nagaland all by crafty maneuveringsstep by step and bit by bit then came the culmination of the installation of Bora Saha, the Chutu Saha, the Babus/Chaparsi, the Dobashis and so on. If wars were there those wars were the skirmishes between the Britisher’s deputed patrolling troops and the Nagas local/village force.
Then lastly came the historical change; the arrival of India’s Independence led by Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation; it is too good and true to call him the father of nation as far as India is concerned because he was above the political parties, above the Prime Minister, above the President of the nation because the people, the rich and poor, the high and low, the educated or not followed him on en-masse. It so happens for the first time when the non-congress political party came to power, his image has been printed in the country’s paper currency, so far so good given the memory lane is correct.
