Kos Zhasa
The most urgent need of the hour is to form a women’s group together for purely economic development. The plight of naga women have not improved in this 21st century even though officially women are supposed to enjoy equal status with men. Naga women are smart, educated, hard working but lack focus and ambition due to lack of opportunities. Whereas the naga men are lazy with no ambition and vision, permanently living and dying as parasites off the families’ wealth. They have become a great source of burden and danger to the society at large. In this scenario women have no other option but to come out and show the way for survival. Calling all women of Nagaland from age 20yrs to 80yrs to come and save the nation from extinction. The need of the hour is to form a women’s group for preservation of identity, culture, economic growth and self reliance.
Women’s group founding members will be scrutinized and selected from each district with its headquarters in Kohima. Each district will have representatives from all villages. Each village will be identified on the basis of what can be produced and marketed. Each village will have SHGs (Self Help Groups)The products these SHGs produce will be supplied to Women’s Group which in turn will supply to buying agencies across India and Abroad. The different buying agencies ready to buy are TRIFED (Tribal Federation of India) ARTFED (All Assam Weavers Federation) AGMC (Assam Govt. Marketing Agency) Central Cottage Emporium, Delhi, Departmental Stores, Specialty Stores, Star Hotels etc. The items of Nagaland in demand are, Naga shawls, Soft Furnishings, Bags, Souvenirs, Handicrafts, Dried Fruits, Flowers, Herbal Medicines, Organic Foods, Naga jewellery, Naga Food etc. All these items will be produced in bulk and supplied on demand. The rest will be marketed through exhibitions all over India and Abroad. Women’s group other activities will include workshops, seminars on branding, visual merchandising, effective communication, visual identity, product development, design and quality, supply chain management, coaching sessions, knowledge rooms, sofa sessions and other events which will help the artisan to enhance his/her knowledge and exposure considerably besides providing them with a platform to sell their products and get lucrative markets.
This organization has become mandatory as all Govt. Agencies, NGOs and other registered Societies have failed to uplift the people of the state. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is becoming wider by the day in so called Christian state of Nagaland. The economy of Nagaland is controlled by outsiders (non nagas) in the not so distant future , this economy will be taken over by foreigners (Bangladeshis) due to cheap labour. Our children will have no future once this happens. Nagaland will become a mini Bangladesh. Dimapur has already been taken over. What are nagas sitting and staring at? Nagaland is the only place we can call home. Nagas cannot survive anywhere in India or elsewhere, as we are not qualified to do any job. Where shall we go once these Bangladeshis spread like wildfire? Shall we still say this is the will of God? We are blessed with a beautiful state, good climate, fertile soil, rich culture etc. What else do we want. Manna from Heaven? If only we can promote what we have through Tourism, Nagaland will be paradise on earth. Look at Rajasthan, a desert land which has done so well economically through Tourism.
Wake up now, Generation next. Come and participate in nation building, for we will together build Nagaland, a paradise on earth. All civilized human beings need to give back to the land which has given so much. The very duty of men in this world is to give back to society for the betterment of the next generation. In Gods land of plant, why are some people deprived? Because of the greed of our so called leaders and the privilege few, the Women Group will distribute the wealth that is earned with sweat to all corners of Nagaland. Let me conclude by giving an example of Young Mizo Association (YMA)It is a voluntary organization consisting of young school and college students who maintains the cleanliness of the state, check Fair Price shops, manages birth, marriage, deaths and also puts up the right candidates during elections. The time has come to act on these lines.
