It is true that we could not be a billionaire at the age of twenty-five, nor won Grammys or Oscars or was the youngest Nobel laureate, and thanks for not comparing us with Mark Zuckerberg, for whatever your dreams and aspirations were, we are still struggling to get into the road of basking glory. And as the year comes to an end if there is a tally of all the good and bad news brought about by Naga youth then only the surveyors will know which end is the strongest. It has been a delight to be a Naga youth for quite some time. Flashback! Nagaland had witnessed a generation influenced by drugs and alcohol, life charmed by idealist thoughts; years on nails, it has seen bloodsheds and tears, violence and destruction, tragedy and agony, it was indeed like the first chapter of some revolutionary novel. But, the story does not end here; it looks as if the youth have done an appraisal of life, learning from the mistakes of big brothers and sisters, they are structuring their dreams in such a way that the best of opportunities are grabbed by sheer determination and obedience to self.
Yes, the talents have been discovered and it is just a curtain raiser to the whole new show. Music is something that runs in the veins of the Naga people, we had witnessed the growth of local musicians and singers, some memorable, some faded away easily, and there are some who have made a mark in that profession-the example of such is Nise Mureno, the talented pianist from Nagaland, on the other hand, Alobo Naga and the Band might turn out to be the Beatles of Nagaland, rocking with them a new iconic image for the youth. On the literary front Nagaland has given birth to one of the youngest novelists of our country Sentilong Ozukum and there are many budding writers which in years will be known for the genres they scribble, unsurprisingly, in the arena of journalism there are reporters who are to be appreciated for their unbiased coverage in towns and villages, talking about newspapers in my personal judgment Al Ngullie with his satires is the best columnist of all the dailies. Naga models who walk the ramp like Esther Jamir and Ethel Konyak (to name a few) with grace and their distinct look, tattoo artist, beauticians, fashion designers like Atsu Sekhose and Imcha Imchen, have promoted the rich Naga cultural identity through their professions.
In all the arenas Naga youth is trying to achieve a foothold, not forgetting our young politicians who are on the verge of becoming polished leaders, private entrepreneurs who are risk takers, investing gently knowing that the road to riches is not a piece of cake. Coming to the Government service, the one cherished dream of most of the parents is to see one of their children crack the hard nut of IAS examination, but it has been made possible in earlier times too and it will continue to do so for there are Naga aspirants who really knows to slog hard from summer to winter. There are many budding scholars; their theories which I optimistically believe will be taken into account in years to come. And in the field of theology things have not become stagnant; there are spiritual warriors who in full zeal are ready to preach the gospel to ends of the world. Naga youth are NGO workers, they are soldiers, they are engineers and doctors, they are construction workers, technician, even auto driver who lives with dignity. I hope in years to come it will be known that the prayers of our parents had indeed not gone in vain.
Outside our home State, we are looked as a bunch of fun lovers, non-serious people, trendsetters, fashion divas but that is so not true for it is not always masti- maro funda; we work hard, play hard and pray hard. There are times when I have to clarify that I am from the land of headhunters and not cannibals. True, that people still wonder where Nagaland is (I mean geographically) worse is when they do not know of its existence, I believe it is our duty to let people know about our existence by doing something BIG, but knowing the ground where we stand, the task that lies before us is quite cumbersome but not impossible to achieve. Apart from all the virtues, there are also vices, the problems are still many that lie ahead of us, unemployment, tribalism, diseases, corruption, insensitivity towards gender equality, rich and poor divide. And then there is the question of cultural identity, well I feel it is a synthesis, a salad bowl rather than potpourri; so let us respect the identity but in the process let there be fusion, as so and so had said that no culture in the world is hundred percent pure and pristine for there have been confluences in the process. But whatever it is I hope that our forefathers ‘the torch bearers’ will be happy to see us going neck in neck with the counterparts.
(By the way, I have not mentioned that Facebooking is a talent if you think it is then well it is.)
(Published in The Morung Express and Eastern Mirror)
(Published in The Morung Express and Eastern Mirror)
No comments:
Post a Comment