We the Filthy Nagas

I was passing through the New Market Road Kohima some weeks before New Year and just peeped at an ATM booth unintentionally. Off course I had often passed through that road but that day a curiosity suddenly whelmed me. On the wall of the teller machine was a notice “Do Not Spit on the Wall”. But in the corner I saw paan/ bettlenut/ gutka spits. Such kind of scene is nothing new in our society and that ATM booth was not the first one I had observed.

I too had often been chided by my siblings or friends for making every space my spittoons, a habit I am yet to overcome. I hope I won’t be branded the ‘biblical blind man preaching the blind’. Often we have seen newly paved painted steps or of public spaces (see foot paths/walls and government offices) suddenly smeared by our spiteful red mucus or spit. We don’t care as long as it isn’t our private property. But that’s part of our way of life, and it may take some times for us to act a little more like refined people.

One thing always wonders me, and I often feel repugnant by our very unhygienic filthy behaviour in public spaces. Go to a public toilets or latrine I used to wonder as to how our people takes pleasure in drinking in a public toilets; alcohol or cough syrup or even smoking. Just imagine the smells and smears of mucus, faeces and urine, and if possible some will defecate there too. You will see finished bottles and cigarettes buds thrown there or on beams. It’s done most often by the youths who are supposed to be the harbinger of change in our society. Our people seem ready to defecate and fornicate in public spaces too, just look around (off course I am asking no one to go scouting for it) our town and cities. Coming back to the public spaces, in our urban areas, after encroaching all the little free spaces, our drainages seems to be only empty space where our water pipes can pass through, it’s the areas where all our human waste are thrown and we drink water from those pipes, we are civilised indeed!

The hornbill festival site is supposed to be our heritage show case to the world. It should have been well kept when people around the world comes. I once went there one evening few years ago and saw at the top in one building where they were selling liquor and I wouldn’t have mind taking a peck or two out there but there was no toilet facilities. People are throwing their human waste everywhere possible on the unpaved areas of the building, with defecation and urine. I still wonder how people could have fun in buildings and areas with those filthy sights. Nothing new, but where is our dignity?

Only in recent years the government too is waking up and started constructing proper public toilets and latrines. We want our state to attract tourists; we too want all modern amenities. When we want tourist to visit our land and we want to live fashionable life, it’s high time we live according to the standard that comes with the fashion. The government should establish more public facilities in every possible nook and corner of public areas and our people must start having civic and hygienic sense to utilise those facilities. I am not writing this article as a self-styled conscience keeper. But I feel somebody should write this. It is high time we respect ourselves, our public spaces and live with dignity.