...piece of my heart

"It's over", I said but it was never over. Years went by but I was still looking for you in another person and till date I have not found you. I think I never moved on, I think I'm still stuck there... 

To convince myself I said  I miss only the memories I had with you and not you. But I have realised I was deceiving myself everytime. I think I have to really say goodbye to you or else I will never be happy in life. 

What surprises me is that it took me so many years to realise that I haven't moved an inch from where I left you. 

When both forget to do their homework

When both forget to do their homework

A recent interview of Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang by The Telegraph India, dated: Monday, June 15 , 2015, has left me baffled. The interviewer forgot to do his homework and our respected Chief Minister didn’t bother to rectify out of sheer ignorance or just being a laid back person going with the flow.  Not only that but he gave a wrong statement too.

The interview was about the ongoing Naga political talks and NSCN K’s ending of ceasefire with GOI resulting to June 4 ambush at Chandel district in Manipur and the counter attack by Indian Army in Myanmar.

After the reading the headline -

“If attack is wrong, so is counter-attack: Zeliang

- Nagaland CM fears hindrance in peace process”.

I was quite interested since this issue is something that is affecting every Naga. Let me not go into details of the interview. However the last question and the answer caught my attention.

“Q: Your take on a "Nagaland for Christ", as propagated by the NSCN (I-M)?

A: Almost 95 per cent of the population in the state is Christian. It's a Christian state. From Christian state, it has come to be "Nagaland for Christ". So Nagaland is for Christ. In Christian spirit we should stop killing. If you commit murder, your sins will not be forgive.”

For someone who has no idea about the history of Naga struggle or Christianity in Nagaland will totally get a different picture. The interviewer’s query sounds as if the NSCN (IM) is the agent of spreading the slogan “Nagaland for Christ”. Yes, no doubt they also endorse the slogan but it is the church who is the agent of propagating the ideology.

This slogan was first coined by the ABAM (Ao Baptists Arogo Mundang/Ao Baptist Church Council) during   the worst Indo-Naga conflict. It was not just a slogan but an ideology that Nagas should stop bloodshed and live in God’s will. “Nagaland for Christ” was officially accepted during the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) convention held at Wokha in 1964.

So this slogan has nothing to do with NSCN –IM alone or a termed coined because Nagaland has high Christian population.  

Coming to TR Zeliang’s claim that Nagaland is a Christian State. Well by stating that he has pulled himself down to the same level as the right-wing Hindu organisations, who claim that India is a Hindu country. Not only him but many tend to make this mistake.

For once and for all, let me say this.... Nagaland is a state under India – a secular country. Period.

As a Naga myself I’m very disappointed that my own leader is not thorough about the basic history of our state.

OH... Indian cow, how blessed thou art

A cow is a domesticated animal and normally lives in farms but in India you will find cows everywhere - streets, national highways, government schools, playgrounds etc.

Indeed it is one the most privileged domestic animals in India. A cow has more representatives than victims of various crimes. Also,  it has the luxury to ignore traffic signals or cause traffic jams and still get away from the clutches of the law.

The right-wing Hindu organisation - Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),  had even made claims that the  “Indian cows” are “crime fighters” and keeping cows near humans habitat will help reduce crime and oh... reform convicts. (Wow! that's interesting).

I think Indian Armed Forces should consider to start a special contingent for the 'holy Indian crime fighting cows'. Also, who knows in future we may also hear about special division for cows under Crime Investigation Department and Central Bureau of Investigation.

Cows are so privileged that many people are now praying to God that in his next birth he wants to be a cow rather than a human being.

Besides milk and the other by-products, some enjoy drinking cow's piss for “health benefits”. A Hindu holy man stated: “Only two things are pure in this universe, in this world. One is the water from the Holy Ganges River and the other is urine from mother holy cow.”

The holy man must have forgotten that Ganga River is one of India’s most polluted rivers and cow’s piss or any piss is soluble toxic wastes. Anyway it’s too late I guess, since we have toothpaste, fairness cream, ointment to cure baldness etc made from cow’s urine.

And for the sake of information cows also gives us beef and leather. Period! (I hope Peta and RSS won’t send assassins after me for writing this).

You treacherous creature - FATE

I was kind of living my dream – doing what I love but all of sudden a big black cloud started hovering above me and the next moment ... damn I found myself in an abyss. Alright, I know it sounds like straight out of a fantasy novel or movie but sometimes life sure brings us surprises in a poof and zap!

No prince charming or knight in shining armour came to my rescue but as time went by I managed to climb out of the chasm with the help from ‘one above’. My lonely prayers were answered.

Hold on... Don’t come to conclusion yet!

Okay I managed to climb out. I saw my aspiration just some steps away; I was very excited that I ran towards it but ouch! I banged myself against a thick glass and felt backward, landing on the ground. The pain was so much to bear that I thought I’m on my way to meet my maker. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up and damn... I saw horror - I was inside a glass dome.  If it was a wall I could have climbed to get to my love - my aspiration.

Finally accepting defeat I sat down. Tears refused to trickle down my cheeks because I cried so much when I was down there in the chasm. I looked up again and like any human would complaint, I said: “Gosh, why did you help me to get out of the abyss if this is the alternative...”

But God gives us challenges so that we become stronger. If everything was that easy, life would be boring.