Eastern Mirror Desk
Bhandari, May 9: The Naga Students Federation (NSF) as an apex students’ body has, over the decades, championed various causes becoming one of the most important custodians of Naga history. This was an observation from the ‘theme speaker’ of the 28th NSF general conference, Rev. Dr. Ellen Jamir, an associate professor of Oriental Theological Seminary Dimapur, on Thursday evening at Bhandari town.
Jamir was speaking on the theme, "For a just future.” She was of the belief that the NSF has chosen the theme to bring to focus “our present reality and to imagine a just future that is, if you will, healthier, better, virtuous, principled, truthful, and reasonable.”
Referring to an earlier 'press statement by the NSF' in which the latter had reportedly asserted that ‘our present context is one that comprises of political conflict, division of the Naga people, intra-conflict, nepotism and favouritism, corruption, structural violence and so on', Jamir remarked 'our journey thus far as a nation is rough.’
“Despite the significant progress made here and there in different sectors, our struggles are still real – from individuals to the nation as a whole. Wherever we are in the world, humanity is faced with choices—to make our world a better place or to succumb to our sufferings. Each generation will face their own unique challenges as well as make unique contributions.”
A powerful agent
“The NSF as a body came into existence to respond to the needs of the young people and the Nagas as a whole, to form a common platform to address the aspiration of our people for solidarity and unity. Over the years, despite setbacks every now and then, the NSF has made and continues to make some remarkable contributions in many areas of our lives—dealing with anything from school and colleges affairs to illegal immigrant issues and tackling our political issues. While making significant efforts, we cannot help but take note of some of the underlying factors that make change difficult in our society,” she said.
Jamir expressed shock at learning that the state’s Education department was “the most corrupt after Health and Rural departments.”
“We should name the issues and work with other civil societies to take various issues to legal or other ends. As one friend pointed out, NSF is the only body that can bridge the huge gap between the different Naga areas and issues, and they have the responsibility to bring the nation together.
"We need to listen to each other more. We need to provide safe spaces for us to have dialogue. We have many compelling stories that are interconnected and woven together. We cannot help but admit our complexities. Our journey is complex; however, it is our responsibility to unravel these layers of complexities. We need to connect with one another in truth and compassion,” he shared.
