Niketu Iralu was laid to rest in Sechü-Zubza as mourners remembered his lifelong work for peace.
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KOHIMA — People from all walks of life gathered at Sechü-Zubza in Kohima district on Thursday to pay their final respects to Niketu Iralu, fondly known as ‘Uncle Niketu’, who passed away at a hospital in New Delhi on August 18, following a brief illness. He was 91.
His mortal remains were laid to rest at his home, ‘Kerünyü Ki’, Sechü-Zubza, after the funeral programme held at Shalom Bible Seminary.
At the funeral programme, his loved ones remembered him as a man who loved people, while members of the public remembered him as someone who dedicated his life to building peace, trust, reconciliation and non-violence, and lived by those principles.
Also read: Remembering Niketu Iralu: The peace messenger who helped heal a wounded society
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Speaking on the occasion, his wife, Christine Iralu, noted Niketu’s two traits that stood out for her.
"...I think I fell in love with was his incredible humour and his love for people. He truly loved people and reached out to every person he met wholeheartedly, and he put all his energies into that," she shared.
Despite working in different parts of India and abroad while with Moral Rearmament, now Initiatives of Change (IofC), he never forgot that he was a Naga.
She shared that when they were living in Shillong, she began to get a sense that for whatever years he had left, he was meant to return home to Nagaland.
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"He never once said to me, 'Let's go to Nagaland,' never. But I said he needs to go home. So, when we came, we didn't have anything," she recounted while thanking the "goodness" of many of his Naga friends and the IofC community, through which they were able to build their home, Kerünyü Ki.
She said Niketu's philosophy remained ‘if you will be used by God, if you want nothing for yourself but what is right and best for all... you become an instrument in His hands.'
Christine also shared one of the many things he had said before passing away, which was, 'Nagas must learn to love one another and learn to forgive one another, and then this will open the door to endless possibilities.'
Niketu's son, Kevipulie Iralu, in his eulogy said, "My father was the most special man. But he was a father and grandfather to many people."
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His encounter with the idea of personal change and ideals in Moral Rearmament, or IofC, and his love for his family and the Naga people were factors that made him who he was, Kevipulie noted.
He said that his father felt a sense of guilt while studying at Madras Christian College because he was there, safe in Madras, while his closest friends were dying in the jungles of Nagaland fighting for their aspirations during those times.
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"This struggle was a deep one for him, but as he began to think about it, he realised he needed to live for his people, and that was the best thing he could do," Kevipulie said.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recalled Iralu as one of Nagaland’s finest minds, an intellectual, a mentor and, above all, a person deeply committed to peace and reconciliation.
"Throughout his life, he worked for dialogue, understanding, and justice. He believed in dialogue over confrontation and in building bridges across divides. Through his work and personal example, he touched many lives and left a deep impact on our society," he said.
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Rio said what stood out most about Niketu was his strong commitment to his beliefs. He believed in peace and reconciliation and had the courage to live by those principles.
He further added that he often sought Niketu's advice and perspective, and his words always gave him much to think about.
Rio said he believed that the best way to honour Iralu's memory was to follow the values he lived by--to listen, understand, forgive and work for peace.
Various organisations, friends and family members also paid tributes to Niketu Iralu. Rev. Zhabu Terhüja, President of the Angami Baptist Church Council, administered the funeral.