In recent years Nagaland is seeing an increase in the number of awards that Nagas are receiving from various agencies and organisations. It is not only the individuals but even the government agencies in the state that have bagged prestigious award for the state. To refresh our memories Nagaland’s highest award would be the UN award for Public Service from Asia and the Pacific region in 2000 for the state’s programme of communitization of Public Institutions and Services. We even gave the world a new word. Over the years we have been witness to many more awards by the state and also by our people. However, not undermining the efforts of all the individuals and the organisations/agencies that have achieved such prestigious awards, at ground zero it is always received by a portion of the population if not the majority with indifference. Awards can be for revolutionary ideas and achievements but in our present world it can also be to generate big expectations, like when Barack Obama was awarded the Noble prize for Peace in 2009. It is now actually considered a failure by many.
In this world driven by materialism, awards have also turned away from its earlier role as a tool for benchmarking and creating excellence to more of collaboration to achieve certain goals. Away from those years when awards were less, its panels more rigid in their selection and the awardees were always put on that awed pedestal. With the changing times the numbers of awards have risen dramatically and there is an award for everything these days. There is an award for the best cook, the best dancer, the best packer, the best barber, the best car, the best singer, the best book, the best this, the best that and the list goes on and on in all the professions and hobbies from a small locality level to the highest in the world. The rise in materialism indeed has also accelerated the rise in instituting so many awards across the world. Not only the world but humans have instituted awards for the universe too; till such time we encounter another life form in our universe.
One positive aspect of it all is that it somehow indicates the desire of us humans and also our constant endeavour to accommodate all sections of the society. It is indeed a derivative of democracy and needs to be celebrated notwithstanding that awards have lost that sheen it had a few decades back. Not to equate the business driven awards with the other more prestigious awards for excellence in various fields of academics, but some awards have reached such levels of ridiculousness. To illustrate, consumers are nowadays bombarded with the best appliance award for two competing brands awarded by two different organisations.
Therefore the indifference shown by the citizens these days is on expected lines as it is sometimes overdone. But still that section of people in that particular field of expertise will surely take it as a joyous moment and for their select group it is an achievement. As believers of democracy we should celebrate the achievement of everybody voluntarilly. But when celebrations are on the lines where it seems forced, when apex organisations direct its constituents to forcefully jubilate, then we still have not understood the true essence of awards in a democracy.