My Armageddon with Silverstein in the local Papers relating to Naga Political Movement and a few other collateral matters is exhilarating; I presume it would interest quite a few Naga, their Organizations including the Naga National Workers and me.
If I could discuss the Issue with Silverstein in my own Tenyidie (Angami Language) I would have been much more comfortable. Silverstain has a slight edge in English over me. Anyway, I have read his earlier honest Writings, they made me feel he would honestly speak from his heart and head, and that suits me very well.
In my view, the Actions, Happenings, and Principles of the Past have very important effect on the Present. In my view, the present State of Israel would not have possibly come into existence had Hitler not put to death 6 million Jews during his Regime. The 6 million Jews that perished in the Gas Chambers in the 1930s tremendously touched the living for the creation of Jewish State of Israel in 1948.
After 2 millenniums of Diaspora in many Nations of the world, the Jews, at last found they would never get their protection enough from any Nation of their own. They felt the Jews must have an Independent Nation of their own to protect themselves in future. The Parents of the present generation from many Nations gathered and sacrificed for the creation of the State of Israel -the size of Manipur- for the future generations.
After the war of Independence 1948 and some half a dozen wars with their neighbour adversaries, the Jews securely established the State of Israel as a most stabilizing State today in the volatile Middle East in just one generation.
Muivah of the NSCN (IM), in his initial manifesto, claimed, ‘Revolution with the Barrel of the Gun is the only answer to Naga Aspiration’ and this Idea practiced in violent Revolution became the mother of tremendous trouble to Nagaland, even to the Northeast.
Then in 35yrs (1980-2015) of Socialist turmoil, Muivah suddenly and fortunately made a U-turn and now speaks Peaceful Means to solve the Indo-Naga Issue. During the 35 yrs of Socialist burden, I felt and expressed “the Pen is mightier than the Barrel of the Gun”, that attracted death threats and attempts at my abduction.
For one generation, the Socialist Gun so completely dominated and bewitched the Naga and Nagaland that the Naga Society appears Hypnotized and Drowsy. Nagaland appears a bewitched failed State. The fear of the Gun has become a Curse to Naga Society and the desire to lift this Curse from the brow of the people has become a heavy millstone on the Neck of the People.
I do not entirely agree with Silverstein in what he honestly said, “Your fellow Nagas are treating you much worse... than the GoI has ever done”. The Harm some Naga National Groups have done to their own Naga People is indeed very bad, however that is different from the harm of Hindu Treatment on the Dalits.
The Dalit have every right to the dignity of life. That is the main Issue. Their liberation from the slavery of the Hindu Caste System is so subtle and much more heavy, there seems to be no end to it!
Silverstein said he “worked for months on mainland India, in slums and elsewhere, and studied the treatment of Dalits ... and there is no evidence that India is now, or will in future, treat Nagas as they treat Dalits”.
This is a very big Statement and is in my view an over optimism from a person who had worked in India only for months, India has mistreated the Dalits sometimes worst than animals, for 3000 years. The GoI did not do so; but the Hindu Religion did.
The Scheduled Tribes and Dalits are officially put in the same GoI Class, and the majority population in India equates the Schedule Tribes as Dalits and views them as such.
The Constitution of India bans Act of Untouchabilities, there are Laws against its practice, but Dalits do not live with the Law Books or the Constitution Books, they do not live in Prime Minister’s House. The Dalits live in the Hindus Society.
The recent merciless public violence on innocent non-resisting Dalits for removing dead Cow Carcass from the Property is stark evidence Silverstein might have overlooked.
The treatment meted out to Dalit leader Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar –“first Untouchable to receive Ph.D in Economic from Colombia University, New York”, afterwards a Minister in the British India Bombay Presidency, Author of Independent India’s Constitution is a classic story of Caste inequity in the Hindu Society.
In spite of being the Chief in the Ministry, people would not give Ambedkar any House in Rent because of his low Caste. Dishwashers in the Hotel refused to clean his Cup, Peons in his Office would not touch his hand, they would drop the Files on the Table and he was banned from going to the other Rooms.
Ambedkar wrote “The Hindus do not ill-treat lower Castes by reasons that Hindus are worst than other Human Beings. In fact, the Hindus
are as good or bad as any other people on earth. The Hindus practice caste and untouchability because it is part of their religion. Therefore, the only way to annihilate caste is to cease being Hindu. I was born a Hindu, I had no choice. I will not die a Hindu because I have a choice”. In 1956, before his death, Ambedkar took 3,00,000 Dalits in one lot and converted to Buddhism.
Mahatma Gandhi claimed himself a Dalit by personal Choice, but one Hindu high Caste becoming a Dalit by Choice enhances only his or her own Reputation more than a staunch supporter of Caste System in India! Gandhi himself staunchly supported Caste System and said the Untouchables in their Service to the Higher Caste earn Blessings from God. The Naga God and Mahatma Gandhi’s God must be different!
Gandhi went into “Fast to Death” to deprive the Dalits the privilege of electing their own Representatives. The Hindus are no better or worst human beings but their Religion prevents them to love their own People.
Gandhi becoming a Dalit by personal choice does neither harm or help in anyway the Dalit destiny. A Hindu fanatic violently eliminated Gandhi and the RSS the gravitational Centre of the BJP today, is even out to make Nathuram Godse a National Hero.
Long before the Idea of Pakistan came into being and 2 years after Ambedkar publicly burned MANUSMRUTI -Code of Manu- the Brahmins use to propagate Caste System, the Naga in 1929 demanded the Simon Commission to let the Naga live separate life of their own, because of the attitude of the vast Hindu and Muslim majority in India.
‘Dalit Life Matters’ just like “Black Life Matters”, in civilized USA!
The Dalit will not get “Freedom” from India’s Hindu Caste Society because it is not so much the GoI that discriminates the Dalits but the Hindu Society. The only way to liberate the Dalits from the indignities is to come out of the Hindu Circle of life. Yet, sizable number of States of India (Bharat Hindu Nation) prohibits it with Freedom of Religion Law.
On the Issue at hand of the Right to Dignity of Life, the Writer would rather learn from the Dalit’s bitter experiences of 3000 years in India
than Silverstein’s optimistic advice based on his few months experience in some slums of India. The Naga should decide for himself.
When I expressed my view that “the Naga will never accept the Status of the Dalit in India”, I did not mean to preach a violent Revolution against India starting from tomorrow. I may be foolish but not enough to believe the David Naga can defeat nuclear Giant India in a joust of Arms, but the Naga would continue to fight for a separate Naga Life, by means the Naga thinks best.
It is my sincere belief that the millions of Jewish lives lost in the holocaust gave the Jews everywhere in the world the Resolve to create a nation of their own for the security of Jews in the future.
I did not intend to mention of the Dead of the Past for the Future to “set up a false dichotomy to support his (my?) view of reasonableness of dying for those in the future and the souls of those in the past” as Silverstein averse.
On the Issue of Corruption in Nagaland however, my view is nearer that of Silverstein that whether a comfortable State Government Dependant or an ACAUT Dependant (Against Collection of Arbitrary Unauthorized Tax), it is the Responsibility of every Naga to eliminate Corruption in Nagaland.
