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Temjen Imna Along speaks during the inauguration of a hostel in Kohima, on December 11.[/caption]
Dimapur, Dec. 11 (EMN): The Naga people have a romantic image of being ‘courageous’ and that their way of life was “known for sacrifice and bravery,” but it just might be a myth as a minister has put it, ‘we are not doing it in action.’
The owner of that statement, minister for Higher & Technical Education, Temjen Imna Along inaugurated a 100-bed hostel called ‘Goodwill Boys' Hostel,’ on Dec. 11 at Kohima College in Kohima district. The director of Higher Education, Anungla Aier and members of Kohima College were also at the programme, the government bulletin DIPR stated in its Tuesday update.
Kohima College is one of the biggest government colleges in Nagaland with an enrolment of about 1600 students and 60 faculty members. The college has been educating students from across the state for the past 50 years.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Along expressed delight to be part of the programme. On the occasion, he thanked the Almighty God for the goodwill and good things happening in the department ‘ever since he took over the department of Higher & Technical Education.’ Nagaland is in a state of threshold ‘where change is truly possible and where all of us are not only dreaming about it but also walking through it,’ the DIPR quoted the minister as having stated.
According to the DIPR, the minister said ‘it is high time for the Nagas to believe and work in unison.’ He was said to have described the Naga people to be ‘courageous’ and that their way of life was “known for sacrifice and bravery; for that we are always proud of it.” But in reality, the minister said, ‘We are not doing it in action.’ ‘There is so much of modernity with the coming of 22nd century where we need to be concerned for everything we are into,’ he said.
Also noting the festive occasion, Along conveyed Christmas greetings and asked the gathering to do something good for other people particularly those who are in need, ‘in order to have a blessed Christmas.’
"Being a Christian is not the tag we have but being a Christian is the Christ in us", he said. During this Christmas, he said in challenged to the people, the people should reduce their ‘wants’ and look after the welfare of others. Without choosing to love one will not have a good Christmas, he said. He was of the opinion that ‘we are multiplying our wants and forgetting our needs. Let us look after the needs of others during this festive season leaving aside our weaknesses and prejudices.’
As for the hostel, the minister told the students and the authority to maintain it, keep it clean, good and decent and ‘not as a centre of naughtiness and littering,’ in the words of the DIPR.
An executive engineer of School Education, Kelechütuo Pienyü presented the ‘technical report.’ He stated that work on the 100-bed hostel began in 2013 by M/s Eastern Associates with an estimated budget of 480 lakh. The building comprises two top floors, which was funded by University Grants Commission and Hudco, he said.
The principal of Kohima College, Dr. Watijungshi said in his welcome address that the college has also a 50-bed hostel for girls, which will be extended by 50 more in the future. He also said that from January 2019, 50 students will start occupying the newly inaugurated Goodwill Boys hostel.
