Dear,
Mr. Silverstein or Mr. Bob, in response to your article “A small Biblical correction to Imchen’s article”, I have nothing but respect for you for pointing out the atrocities of the fellow Nagas inflicting wounds on the Naga society, time and time again. As one of the many concerned educated Naga with broader perspective about the ways of the world and the meaning of life, I do admit that the system governing our society is rather much primitive than rational.
I feel sorry for your aforementioned friend who didn’t realize the gravity of the inhuman treatment the Jews had to deal with under the Nazi regime but the atrocities committed by the allied forces like the carpet bombing or as it is rightly termed as terror bombing on various German cities and the massive raping of women and young girls, mass execution of the surrendered officers during the close of and after the 2nd world war upon the Germans cannot be justified either as something they deserved for the sake of the Nazis.
Before coming to any conclusions about the conscience and mental development of the Nagas I think that it is important for anyone to first analyze that the Naga society is divided into two sets of perspectives in today’s time. One is the primitive and traditional minded people who refuses to acknowledge that the world outside is moving at a fast pace and the other is, those rational ones particularly the educated adults and the young generation of Nagas. Sadly the ones governing and controlling the system are the first set of people.
The other thing is that the opinions of the egotistical leaders are not the real perspective of the general people. We don’t have the luxury of liberty in our society. I admire the phrase in the western world, “innocent until proven guilty by a court of law” whereas in Nagaland whenever a concerned citizen tries to raise a voice to fight the irrational system, the law enforcement authorities beat us to pulp whenever they feel offended thanks to their own egotistical imagination. Then there are the factions who whenever feels threatened about their ideals and views hesitates not, to take us to their camps and give us a thrashing for life.
For any educated fellow from western world it is not hard for them to say that the system of governance in our state and the leaders who are leading us to a future of their vision is rather absurd and irrational but such system compels even the concerned educated people to but only keep quiet. I do hope that all the NPGs and the state government as well do accept that freedom of speech and expression is a natural civil right of any human being and be more tolerant and open to the views of the concerned educated people who only hope for the best interest of the Naga society after all there is a thing called ‘constructive criticism’.
Kito Chishi,
Email- ihcischishi@gmail.com
