As the Naga Students’ Federation prepares to commemorate the 100th Year of Naga Club, to salute the pioneers of the Naga Club and to celebrate the glorious legacy they left to the Naga people, we the undersigned former Presidents of NSF and the two living members of the team that physically reclaimed the Naga Club Building in 1983, would also like to testify our share of the story on how we steadfastly protected, promoted and safeguarded some of the symbolic things they left behind.
That, ever since the then Naga Club became the Naga Hills Tribals Council in 1945 as per record, which in turn became the Naga National Council in 1946, the Naga Club as an institution was dormant for some time. However, by 1948 there were duly appointed Caretakers to look after the Naga Club till 1966. And in 1982, on the 7th of January, a new team of office bearers of the Naga Club was elected at a meeting held at the Kohima Village Panchayat Hall.
This new team then made several attempts to reclaim the Naga Club building which was occupied by the Forest Department without success. By 1983, when Late. Vizolie Sorhie became the President of NSF, with Imkong L. Imchen as his General Secretary amongst others, the office bearers of the Naga Club along with the Naga Elders Conference then approached the Naga Students’ Federation to help them reclaim the Naga Club Building. So NSF too knowing fully well that the Naga Club Building belongs to the Naga people as a whole agreed to help and approached the Forest Department on several occasion to return the building to its rightful owner – the Naga Club. The Department assured that the building would be returned to the Naga Club as soon as they can shift to their own office building.
However, when the Forest Department shifted their office, they kept the Naga Club Building under lock and key and never handed over the keys to the Naga Club. Many more efforts were made to reclaim the Naga Club building in the most appropriate manner, but the Government refused to cooperate.
Therefore, out of no other option, the NSF under the leadership of Late. Vizolie Sorhie in mutual understanding with the Naga Club office bearers decided to take over and occupy the building. So in the month of April 1983, Late. Vizolie Sorhie, President NSF, Late. Mechimvu Ritse, Finance Secretary NSF, Neingulo Krome, Member, Action Committee of NSF and Mr. Kewezu G. Kenye, President, ANCSU, went and broke open the lock of the Government and replaced it with new lock and key. After which, NSF office was shifted to the Naga Club Building, where the Vehicle of Mr. Neivor Rutsa, with Registration No. NLT – 309 was used to transport the NSF office files and furnitures. Later on, rooms were also provided for ANCSU, Naga Elders Conference, and gradually office of the Oking Times, and also the Naga Mother’s Association.
In the meantime, through mutual understanding with the Naga Club, the NSF submitted an application for rent to provide legal evidence that Naga Club is the owner of the building, for which the Naga Club Authority issued an order allotting a part of its building under rental basis. These documents were issued to proof that the Building belong to Naga Club without any doubt which became evidences in some of the litigations and court cases. Ultimately, these documents led to the winning of the case in favour of the Naga Club at the Kohima Deputy Commissioner’s court.
After the occupation of the Naga Club Building by the NSF, the Government of Nagaland issued eviction orders 3 times consecutively, but the NSF stood its ground and responded by issuing a Press Release; “In this regard, NSF with regret cannot honour the order of the Government, since this building (former CCF Office) belongs to the Naga Club and not to the Government and NSF has the order from the Naga Club Authority to occupy the said building. Further, Government is requested to withdraw its order as early as possible, otherwise, NSF will not be held responsible for any consequences which may take place out of this issue”.
It is 35 years now and all of us who have served as Presidents of NSF with our offices at the Naga Club Building in all our respective tenures, had at no point in time ever claimed ownership in any way, but have only been safeguarding the history and legacy the Naga Club has passed on to the Naga people. We are clear without any doubt that the Naga Club Building belongs to all the Naga people, irrespective of geographical areas, overground or underground Nagas, or whoever have passed away in the last 100 years and to all those who will be born to this world of the Nagas for all times to come.
NSF has only been a humble servant and caretaker of the Naga Club Building with its office address clearly written as, “Office of the Naga Students’ Federation, Naga Club Building, Kohima, Nagaland”. And although NSF was formed as a student organization way back in 1947, the circumstances compelled NSF to shoulder the responsibilities of a youth movement alongside the Naga National political movement with some intellectual capacities. This is still true even today although the dynamics have drastically changed. But the undeniable fact is that, when NSF took the responsibility to reclaim and take over the Naga Club Building from the Government, it was in itself a political statement which no other organizations including the Naga National workers were able to do, at that point in time as the situation itself will not allow.
We also admit, that NSF also has gone through its own shares of “Ups and Downs”. It even went defunct a few times in the early years due to the unbearable political turmoil. But it regained itself to lead the Naga people, including the student communities, with much gratitude to those senior selfless previous NSF Presidents and their teams, in the face of all kinds of odds, without a proper place of work, which could be called an “Office” in the real sense.
But after the establishment of the NSF Office at the Naga Club Building, many things changed. And although we had our own limitations on many issues, we have never failed to play our part where the Naga National issue is concerned. Many with accusing fingers may find fault with us, but those are not surprising at all. At the same time, many will not acknowledge half of what we achieved for those are the ways of the world. But what we did for the Nagas as a whole and what we could achieve during the last 35 years from the Naga Club Building, we remain grateful to the Almighty God and the unwavering Naga public, who stood by us in all bad times and who will be the best Judges of things in all times to come.
We therefore, make this most humble and sincere appeal to whosoever may be holding any misgivings against NSF, to kindly understand the facts of history and the contributions made by well meaning people at various points in time and together preserve and protect the correctness of our history. As Naga people struggle to defend our identity, our land and our nation, we have experienced many bitter pains and self-inflicting injuries. Let us learn from our past mistakes and at least preserve and honour the only glory of the past, which is still pure in the form of a golden memory, which sowed the seed of the Naga national consciousness, the one and only collective voice of the Naga people – The Naga Club of 1918.
And the names and signature of the two living members of 1983 team
