An assessment of Naga Club and NSF celebrations
Niketu Iralu
The venue was Naga Solidarity Park. The date was October 31, 2018.
The theme for the public event was “Celebrating the Legacy – Commemoration of the 100th year of Naga Club.” It was organised by Naga Students’ Federation (NSF).
The Park was packed to its fullest capacity. From the raised dais where the speakers spoke and the invited guests sat those who stood outside the confine of the Park could be seen. The impression made by the orderly, attentive youthful crowd eagerly celebrating “The Legacy” the Naga Club had passed on to them and all future Naga generations was for me one of pride and gratitude. It was evident all were trying to understand the meaning of the legacy.
My Tibetan guest who had attended the event with me said to me as we rode back home “Uncle, it was a beautiful, inspiring celebration. I listened very carefully and I could understand the meaning and significance of the day. Thank you.”
I replied, “You know I can say it’s the best public rally of this kind I have attended in Nagaland.”
All the speakers speaking briefly gave carefully thought-through ideas and convictions. No one harangued the audience gathered from all parts of the Naga homeland.No one trivialised the theme of the day by saying what was not needed at all! And, believe it or not, in the big Naga programme, not a printing mistake, grammatical error or punctuation careless could be found in the programme folder, the invitation or any of the documents distributed! It was clear a standard had been set by the organisers. It was worthy of our educated youth.
I have come to this conclusion – Not a negative word, thought or reckless sloganeering was heard from anyone during the whole programme. It must be because of this that I said what I said to my guest.
During the last days we have all reflected on the debates and robust back and forth assertions and questionings over certain issues concerning the Naga Club. The different positions should be respected as we are searching together how to go forward. I have recalled the Naga Club “Lead-In Celebration” the previous day held in the RCEMPA Auditorium, Jotsoma. It was the older generation starting their programme of celebration of the Naga Club’s formation. Nagas today recall with appreciation the way Naga Club and NSF have defended the Naga story down the past decades as the National Workers have done it the way known to all of us.
There is no room for doubt that as we calmly, objectively review the discussions that have taken place, we will come to see that both celebrations are appropriate and right. Both of them share the same reason, namely, grateful commemoration of the beginning of the beginning of our struggle for our aspirations – the start of our modern history.
The differences over details of dates and interpretations of what happened 100 years ago are understandable and important. They will all be resolved as academic matters through the debates and consultations that will and should continue. We will have plenty of time to get the right thing done. What is needed is to claim a common desire for taking our fragile society forward as the perils of the journey ahead are extremely challenging and treacherous, as we all know.
The wisdom and perspective we need at this juncture was, I believe, given in the words of theologian and philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr quoted by Dr.TuisemShishak in his inspiring speech in Jotsoma: “It is always wise to seek the truth in our opponent’s error, and the error in our own truth”.
