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Author: Tasile N. Zeliang
Publication: Kangla Online.com
Date: May 2007
URL: http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=kshow&kid=813
"Invasion of foreign religion and foreign
culture will pose danger to Naga identity. Beware of this danger."--
Padma Bhushan Rani Gaidinliu
The day of 26 January is of national significance because it is the Republic
day of our country. This day has an additional importance for Naga society
because this is also the birth day of legendary Naga lady-Padma Bhushan Rani
Gaidinliu. Rani Gaidinliu popularly known as Rani Ma, is the highly revered
Naga lady for her selfless service to Naga society and fight for the freedom
of India. She was a committed lady for the preservation, protection and promotion
of forefather's religion, eternal culture, customary laws and traditional
village institutions. She organised Naga army and challenged British empire.
British Government declared her as "terror of north east" and awarded
life imprisonment. When Pt. Nehru approached British Govt. to free her, they
refused to oblige on the plea that if Gaidinliu was freed, the revolt against
British empire would spread like wild-fire. She came out of Shillong prison
when our country got Independence on 15 August 1947. But the travesty is that
she was not allowed to visit her people for whose freedom, religion and culture
she sacrificed her prime of youth. Same reason was given that if she was allowed
to return to her Heraka people, the movement for preservation, protection
and promotion of forefather's religion and eternal culture would catch-up
momentum. A section of our own Naga Society who were under deep influence
of Church, were opposed to Heraka movement and Rani Gaidinliu. Rani Ma was
kept in Yimrup village of Tuensang district nearly 300 Km. away from her people.
See the fate that our own Zeliangrong person who had been converted to Christianity
spied against her and helped British army to arrest her from Poilwa village
near Khonoma. They hatched a plan to kill her. Several of her Naga army sepoy
were killed in the fierce battle. What was the guilt of Rani Ma? The only
"crime" Rani Ma did was that she pioneered forefathers' religion,
eternal culture, customary lawas and traditional village institutions. She
advocated in no uncertain terms that the fate of Nagas lied with India. She
demanded the integration of all Zeliangrong areas in one administrative unit
on the plea that this integration would accelerate the economic development
of Zeliangrong people and fulfil their political aspiration. The files in
Union Home Ministry started moving in favour of integration of whole Zeliangrong
areas with Nagaland. Rani Ma, Pou N.C. Zeliang and Prof. Gangmumei Kamei of
Imphal were toiling hard to ensure that aspiration of Zeliangrong Nagas for
integration was fulfilled. But this success was turned into failure by our
own people on the plea that neither Rani Ma nor Pou N.C. Zeliang nor Prof.
Gangmumei Kamei was Christian and the credit of achieving this integration
should not and must not go to any person other than a Christian. And it should
never, never go to a person like Rani Gaidinliu who had promoted forefathers'
religion and culture and who had preached to follow the values setforth by
our forefathers. She clearly and fearlessly preached among her people that
a society whose forefather's religion, culture, tradition, village institutions
and customary laws are destroyed, becomes weak and vigourless. In due course
of time, indiscipline and chaotic situation prevail in that society. Rani
Ma told and Pou N.C. Zeliang reverberated this doctrine repeatedly. Unfortunately,
Nagar leaders-political, social or Church, preferred to ignore. Today, the
reverie of reveur and reveuse Naga leaders has flown away.
The Naga society has been led on wrong path. As a result, we are killing each other. The killer is a Christian and the killed is a Christian. This killing is justified in the name of "Nagaland for Christ."
I, once, read an article written by an ISKCON Sanyasin of American origin. The title of article was - "How I was saved from being saved. "He had narrated in that article how he protected himself from being converted to Christianity by saviours of the soul. "I pray Lord Tingwang," O Lord Tingwang! Please save our Nagaland from Saviours of Nagaland."
The volcanic situation created by our own Christian brothers in the early sixties against followers of forefather's religion and culture in Zeliangrong areas compelled Rani Gaidinliu to hold gun again in her hands and adopt the jungle path to protect her people from forcible conversion at gun point. The second resumption of guerilla war-fare was not directly against foreign forces but against those who were destroying Naga religion, forefather's culture, traditional village institutions and customary laws and also against those who were preventing Naga youths from following the values set-forth by our forefathers and who were breaking the traditional control of village elders over village community particularly youths.
The image of Naga society in length and breadth of the country was (i) that cent-per-cent Nagas have converted to Christianity (ii) that all Nagas were anti-Hindu and anti-India and (iii) that all Nagas were wild, savage and raw-meat enters. In America, Britain and other Christian countries, Nagas were described as wild, savage, naked, head-hunters and with no religion. I have visited several mega cities in the country. I have visited several villages in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and other states, I have lived in several Hindu families. When Hindu hosts knew that I was a Naga girl, they whispered. They could not believe that a Naga person could be so refined in all respect. It was not the mistake of Hindu hosts. It was the mistake of our own. Because we allowed foreign Christian missionaries to propagate that we-Nagas, were wild, savage, heathen, naked, head-hunters and raw-meat enters. This propaganda is still made in foreign countries with a view to collect more and more donations for Church work in Nagaland Rani Gaidinliu and later, Pou N.C. Zeliang opposed this malacious propaganda against Naga society. For this deed, both of them were cursed and victimised. Rani Ma toured the country, established close contact with Hindu organisations and cleared the cloud of misconception against Nagas from the mind of Hindus. Earlier Rani Ma, later Pou N.C. Zeliang and now Shri Ramkui Wangbe Newme, President of Zeliangrong Heraka Association have been telling us that any Naga who is neither Christian nor Muslim, falls under the category of Hindu. Because of their untiring efforts, the image of Naga society is improved and brightened in the country. The 'terrorist' image of us is dampening and fading away and prudent and prowess image of Nagas is emerging fast.
In the current events in Naga society pertaining to revival of forefather's religion and eternal culture of Naga society, the war of supremacy in different factions of underground organisations and unbecoming behaviour of some Church leaders are any pointer, the doctrine of life for Nagas propounded by Haipou Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu and advanced by Pou N.C. Zeliang appears to be the best in modern context. Alas! the Naga youths could understand this and save retrograde Naga society from kissing its doom and decadence.
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