Terror of Northeast
Jagdamba Mall
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HERE are many woman freedom fighters in the country but Rani Ma Gaidinliu is unique in more than one way from childhood to her last days.
Childhood : Born to father Lothonang Kamei and mother Keluatlinliu on 26 January 1915 at Luangkao village in Tamenglang district of present Manipur Gaidinliu from the age of 4,used to go into trances and have visions inherited from Lord Tingkao Raguang. She was a divine girl and commanded spiritual power by birth. Because of this, she had divine healing power and Gaidinliu water was taken for Rs 10 for a bottle in whole of Zeliangrong areas, even in Angami areas as well. She discovered Bhuvan Cave at the age of 13 in Dima Hasao dist. near Silchar beyond Khasi Punjee village and she organised Dharma Yatras to this cave. She did unparallel job for preservation, promotion and protection of eternal religion and culture of Nagas. She showed the path how to promote cultural identity of Nagas.
Gaidinliu - the saint lady- Cherachamdinliu-the daughter of Lord Vishnu invited her to Bhuvan Cave. Gaidinliu reached Bhuvan Cave as guided by Cherachamdinliu. She was blessed by Lord Vishnu in the cave and got enlightenment. On return to Luangkao, she used to go into trances sometimes for more than an hour. After returning from trance, she called villagers and asked them go to so and so trees in nearby forests and find out the leaves where Tingkao Raguang had sent devotional songs for her to teach the people. People would go and find out the leaves with the songs written on them in illegible language which only Gaidinliu could read. More than 300 songs had been collected and published in book form. One of the popular songs is -
Rangang Damtuang Mailung renrai.
Ringpui juktio tanroi mak na tu bam niye.
She later on delivered precepts of Heraka religion which is a reformed religion embeded in eternal religion of Zeliangrong Nagas. She met Haipou Jadonang of Puilon (Kambiron) and both of them organized four Dharma Yatras which strengthened the faith in Nagas’ eternal religion and prevented her people from being converted to an alien religion-Christianity.
Gaidinliu- the Bharatiya Freedom Fighter
The expansion of British rule supported by Christian missionaries was taking place in Zeliangrong areas. The imposition of house tax and forced labor had become unbearable. Gaidinliu and Haipou Jadonang asked Naga people to resist British invasion and forcible conversion to Christianity. The non-cooperation and Quit-India Moverment spearheaded of Mahatma Gandhi emboldened her.
Gaidinliu-the Commander
The British executed Haipou Jadonang on 29 August 1931 in Imphal on fake charges of murder of four persons from Manipur. The people of Puilon (Kambiron) betrayed by speaking against him. The leadership of freedom movement, thereafter, passed on to young Gaidinliu of 16. She re-organised the Zeliangrong army with traditional weapons like dao and spears. There was a tough battle between Gaidinliu army and British sepoys at Hungrum in 1932.The seven British sepoys were done away with while equal number of Rani warriors also achieved martyrdom in this battle. The British declared her “Terror of Northeast” and announced a reward of Rs 200 on her head which was subsequently raised to Rs 500.
The Character Assassination
The British and Church condemned Gaidinliu as a satan worshipper who drank human blood in skull. This brave lady was described as witch who appeared at several places all at a time. This was absolutely false and a heinous crime against Gaidinliu.
The Arrest of Gaidinliu
In 1934, she was hiding in a house in Pulomi (Poilwa) supervising the construction of a wooden fort to accommodate 5000 Zeliangrong Naga army jawans. A prominent Christian convert from this village passed on this information to Kohima EAC Hari Blah-a Khasi person and Kohima Deputy Commissioner J.P.Mills. On 18 October 1934, the British personnel and 100 coolies from Kohima and equal number from Henima (Tening) reached Poilwa and surrounded the village at 0400 am. After a great exercise, Gaidinliu was captured from a house in the late evening. For this valuable service to colonial rule, the Naga spy was awarded Kesari-e-Hind.
Life Imprisonment
On fake charges of murder of same four persons from Manipur in which Haipou Jadonang was hanged, Gaidinliu was also awarded life imprisonment. She was in Kohima jail for 2 months, Imphal jail for 6 months and then to jails at Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl and Tura upto 1947. She was released only when Bharatvarsh got freedom.
Gaidinliu as Rani of Nagas
Nehru visited Shillong jail and met her in 1937. He asked what made her to revolt against the mighty rule of British.To this she replied – “for the freedom of the country and for preservation, protection and promotion of eternal religion and eternal culture of Nagas.” Recognizing the bravery and patriotism of Gaidinliu for Bharatvarsh, Nehru described her as “Rani of Nagas.”
The House Arrest at Yimrup
The 15 August 1947 was the day when whole country was celebrating as Independence Day and freedom fighters were being honored through out the country. But there was something else in the destiny of Gaidinliu. She was, neither, allowed to go to her village and meet her people nor to visit Zeliangrong areas. She was put under house arrest in Yimrup village of today’s Tuensang district in Nagaland.
The Clash With NNC
Taking the chance of absence of Rani Gaidinliu, Naga National Council (NNC) and Church launched a joint conversion crusade of her followers at gun point. She was pained to witness the excesses and violation of human rights, curbing the conscience and curtailing the freedom to practice of one’s own eternal religion and killing of Heraka people on refusing to convert to Christianity. Ranima left Yimrup in 1952 and stayed at Imphal and Tamenglong upto 1958. She reached Luangkao in 1959. She was kidnapped with her two bodyguards from Luangkao by Hulang, a NNC kilonger and taken her to Magulung village where she was brutally tortured. The Nagaland Church was very aggressive and a massive character assassination of Ranima was afoot.To protect her people she took up gun in her hand and went to jungle second time in free Bharatvarsh during 1960 to1966. This time not against any foreign enemy but against her own people in NNC who were after her life, her eternal religion and eternal culture. She claimed repeatedly that she was a Bharatvasi (Indian) citizen and she stood for unity and integrity of Bharatvarsh. That was the reason NNC and Church wanted to finish her and her Heraka. The harvest of Herakas who are embodiment of cultural identity of Nagas, still continues.
The surrender Ceremony
On behalf of Central and State govts. Kohima Deputy Commissioner S.C.Dev contacted her in Laluang camp. After prolonged persuasion and guaranteed assurance both the parties inked an agreement. As a result,she laid her arms along with her warriors. On reaching Kohima she was accorded hero’s welcome by government and public. She was granted freedom fighters’ pension, free accommodation, security guards, a PA of UDA cadre, two lady attendants of her choice, a Mahindra jeep with driver and tour and travel expenditure.
Ranima as the Bridge
Ranima, though a Mahatma (divine lady) and a warrior by birth, drew inspiration from another Mahatma – Gandhiji at a later stage of her revolution. She told her warriors that whole Bharatvarsh was fighting against British and Nagas should also revolt against Whites simultaneously. She did well by leading freedom war in Northeast Bharat. For that patriotism, the Bharatiya nation honors her and her warriors today. In free Bharat, she met second RSS Chief Guru Golwalkarji at Jorhat in a Hindu conference in 1969. Attended 2nd World Hindu Conference on 24.25.26 January 1979 at Prayagraj (Allahabad) and toured whole of the country extensively. She informed the nation that neither all the Nagas were Christian nor all of them were anti-national. She told that majority of Nagas were Hindu (follower of eternal religion and eternal culture) and they wanted to live with Bharatvarsh but their voices were choked at gun point.The country honored her as the representative of patriotic Nagas. She projected the nationalistic and bright image of Nagas. She was successful to a great extent in shunning the terrorist picture of Nagas. She brought Nagas and Hindus closer to each other acting as a bridge over a gulf between both the societies.
The Awards
For her contribution in freedom struggle, her unparallel performance in bringing Nagas and other Bharatiyas closer to each other and her untiring effort in preserving eternal cultural identity of Nagas, the Govt. of Bharavarsh awarded Tamrapatra 1972, Padma Bhushan 1981, Birsa Munda Award 1983, Vivekanand Seva Samman 1987, a Postal Stamp and Stree Shakti Puraskar in her name and many more accolades,
Nation-wide Birth Centenary Celebration
Her contribution in achieving freedom from British, freedom from NNC and Church, and her sacrifices for upliftment of Naga society have been totally ignored by authors of Bharatiya history. The nation is not aware of this one of the greatest warrior women of the country, that too from Naga community. When I first met her in 1975, I was taken aback by seeing this divine woman warrior leading a saintly life. For a moment I could not believe that she was also a Naga because I, too, was having a pre-conceived terrorist image of Nagas as others had at that point of time. With a view to enlighten the nation about her history, a National Committee for Birth Centenary Celebration of Rani Ma Gaidinliu was constituted in October this year and 60 large programs were planned to be organized at 60 places all over the country including Guwahati, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and other prominent places. On over 30 places these programs have already been held. This will continue till January 2015. This committee has requested Prime Minister to install 12ft metal statue of Rani Ma in Parliament, to open a new Rani Ma Gaidinliu Central University in Northeast region, a museum in Kohima and tens more. In liason with this committee, Zeliangrong Heraka Association Northeast region has also chalked out a separate program for this zone.
The Present Controversy in Nagaland
The Birth Centenary Celebration programs are being organized in all the eight states of NE. A befitting program has also been planned to be held at Dimapur in March next year. The name and fame of Rani Ma is reverberating through out the country and abroad as well. But back home in Nagaland, a section of Naga society is busy in disowning her. These are the people who hold Phizo in high esteem but condemn Rani Ma Gaidinlius, Dr. Imkonglibas, Vizols, S.C.Jamirs and any body who profess Bharatiya nationalism. These people want Bharatiya notes but not Bharatvarsh. They want to vivisect the country. This is very unfortunate. By doing this, they are lowering Naga honour at National level. It put those Naga youths at very awkward position who travel in the country for higher study and better job opportunities.
Email – jagdamba123@gmail.com
