MLA Achumbemo Kikon urges students to balance tradition with innovation and unity during the Yimkhiung Students’ Association jubilee.
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DIMAPUR — MLA and Naga People’s Front (NPF) leader Achumbemo Kikon called for greater emphasis on education, unity and adaptability during a conference as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Yimkhiung Students’ Association on Wednesday.
Themed “Bridging traditions and innovations: The Yimkhiung students’ journey", the event was held at Shamator HQ.
Asserting that confidence rooted in learning is key for the Naga community to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world, Kikon noted traditions must be preserved but creatively adapted to modern realities, stated an update.
“We cannot part ways with our traditions, but we must innovate and adapt to changing times,” he said, citing cultural designs reinterpreted in contemporary forms as a practical example.
Stressing education as the foundation of confidence and social acceptance, he urged students to move beyond a “backward mindset” and reject labels of inferiority. “None of us are forward or backward. We are equal and must progress together,” Kikon said, adding that overreliance on mobile phones for knowledge was harming serious learning and reading habits.
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The MLA also appealed for unity and reconciliation within Naga society, warning that prolonged mistrust and “cold wars” between communities yield no benefit. Drawing lessons from history, he said conflicts could not be resolved through force but only through dialogue and negotiation. “No community can finish another by waging war. History has taught us that,” he said.
Referring to local reconciliation efforts, Kikon said such initiatives should be sincere and enduring so that they could serve as a model for wider Naga unity. He also highlighted environmental concerns, urging citizens to plan Shamator as a model township with proper roads, sanitation and waste segregation in view of climate change impacts.
Urging young people to think beyond village and tribal boundaries, he said true progress lay in education, adaptability and collective responsibility, enabling Nagas to stand “no less than any other community” in the wider world.