Niketu Iralu was God’s gift to an era—a rare soul whose life was so timely and significant that the impact will continue to be felt for years to come.
Niketu Iralu’s demise has, in many ways, spoken louder than his life, and it continues to do so. Expressions of remembrance from innumerable individuals and organisations are reverberating with a strong and loud message about the person who was never loud. What made him so? Perhaps it was because of listening to the voice of conscience, as the name of his house, “Kerünyü Ki”—the house of listening—suggests.
If we truly admire the path he treaded through life, write certificates of excellence for his 91 years and its content, it is time for us to make a detour from a life of self-admiration and merely advising others what they should do.
We are all trying hard to live our lives to the best, which is like climbing a ladder leaning on the right wall. I believe we do have all the ways and means around us to make progress in that direction. May our endeavours produce more fruits henceforth, so that we can anticipate a brighter era in the days to come.
These are his last words to me on the day before he was shifted to Delhi: “Let us not lose our SOUL and our CONSCIENCE”. What a message! What a voice—humble and soft, yet penetratingly intriguing and poignant.
The news of his demise on 18th August 2026 sounded like a meteoric fall to our ears. I cried more than I did for anyone else in my life. I became weak; my heart is weak. And so, I am reminded all the more of my need for grace and strength from that one hallowed Source alone.
Niketu was God’s gift to an era—a rare soul whose life was so timely and significant that the impact will continue to be felt for years to come. His passing leaves behind a void that will be difficult to fill. God help us now that he is no more.
Adieu, my mentor Niketu.
Dr. Dietho-o
Kohima