Global Shapers holds ‘Story night’ event

Kohima, March 4: Global Shapers Kohima Hub organised an event called ‘Story Nights: Reviving our age-old oral tradition’, a conversation with noted peace activist Niketu Iralu, at D’café in Jail Colony Kohima Saturday evening.

Speaking at the event, Iralu underscored that the Naga society is in need of reshaping. He spoke about his own experiments with listening and how ‘to start listening with the small voice in your heart and conscious your soul and then learning to follow it’.

On Naga history, he commented that the present day’s generation mostly have two questions for the pioneers – if “our grandparents” did the right thing and if the Nagas achieved anything yet.

The activist spoke about how Nagas showed courage during the British rule and how they believed in themselves to declare their identity when the British left. Citing examples from his northeast friends, he says, “With such courage, it has forced Delhi to look at Northeast”.

Iralu, however, lamented that situation in Naga society today has come to a point where the people do not need anybody to destroy them but that they can destroy themselves. Calling on the young Global Shapers, he said, “You are the people who are starting to build the institution.”

Stating that the old institution had served its purpose in the past, Iralu said, “We are discovering that we have to learn to do things in a different way. We are responding to the changes very badly because our perspectives are different.”

He also underscored that Nagas need to help one another to do the right thing to learn from other people and being open to acknowledge people who are doing better.

“Nothing is possible without people,” he said.

In his concluding remark, Iralu said without institution, the future cannot be built and that nothing is permanent with education. “Let’s start listening to our small voice or else the journey will disappear,” Iralu said.

The Global Shapers is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. The Global Shapers Kohima Hub currently comprises of 10 Global Shapers from diverse sectors, who have already worked on different social causes in their personal careers, contributing to serving society at large, ready to deeply engage in the community, reinforcing the World Economic Forum’s mission and objectives and supporting fellow shapers in their individual and professional development.