Clean Election in Nagaland (2023)

Infested by unemployment (not for those who know how to pull the right string), bad roads (getting better now), corruption, road accidents and news of someone or the other being detected with cancer, kidney ailments, blood pressure and diabetes, Nagaland sleeps like a giant.

The Clean Election Campaign was started by Nagaland Baptist Church Council to bring ethical and moral values to the electoral politics. But the question is, how far the initiative of 'Clean Election' is/was successful? Some people are of the opinion, Church should stay out of politics. No doubt, the church has its own significance, but the bitter truth is, forget about the Church or the clergies, people are not even taking God seriously. Marx once said, religion is the opium of the masses. I say, these days lots of synthetic drugs are available in the market. Church being the institution for one's spiritual growth has its own share of problems, and we know, the Western notion of secularism and India version of secularism are different in written and in practice. 

As of now, the election fever is going on in full gear, new drama unfolds each day. The usual screenplay is being witnessed which give a space for the public to question the efficacy rate of the Clean Election campaign. However, it does not mean the 'Clean Election' campaign has been a total failure. Any kind of change whether it be in ideologies or practices, take time. And here we are, aiming to bring a structural change. The foundation has been laid. Now, the ground is us, yes, we the public, we can either be rock solid or sandy shaky. Hence, instead of mocking the initiative of Clean Election, why don't we question the social animal in us before we act like political mascots. 

Some of us might not understand the importance of Clean Election, for we fail to understand the literal meaning of the word, 'election' itself. We elect, we don't bet, we don't gamble, we don't get paid to be entertained. While buying a personal car, we don't wake up on a random day and head out to the car shop. We take time to select the best one which aligns with our need and budget. We do our little homework; we do our research. Election is the time to elect which is bigger than select. Clean Election might not be of everyone's interest, but adult franchise is one right which empowers us to elect a person even if he/she is poor to be our representative (not using the term, leader) because we see in him/her a person who is filled with wisdom, integrity and empathy. 

Muscle power, money power, identity card can be displayed by the intending candidate, but we have the power to turn the table. I hope for the best.

Sextortion, an Extortion

In the last few years, I got to read about Sextortion racket in India, now and then. In this neo sextortion, the victims are men. If I have to break down the modus operandi of how this racket functions then it follows these stages, befriend a man on social media through fake accounts, lure them, sex chat, ask for nudes or have video sex, take screenshots or record their session, after few days or at the worst, after few hours, blackmail those gullible men to pay some stated amount or threaten to leak those pictures or videos online. 

These victims range from college students to married men. Some men are brave enough to file an FIR under the subject of blackmailing or extortion, no matter what the outcome may be. But some men, whose reputations are at stake refrain from taking up procedures established by law, and instead end up paying the sextortion amount. 

I don't want to be direct in my judgement. But Nagaland too is not immune from the menace of sextortion. I respect those brave men who were victims of this criminal activity but came forward with legal complaints against those predators.

I want to end this post by saying, we live in a world where the internet related crime is increasing. That is why, our state like any other state of this country needs a robust Cyber Cell to enhance cyber security and trace the criminals behind all those cybercrimes. Get the IP address of these bastards! 

The Year 2022 For Me

The year started with a bit of confusion, caution and concern. I wondered whether Covid 19 will be deadly as it was in 2021. As the days progressed, I lost my Grandma on the second last day of January. Took time to heal and carry on with my life and the home chores. 

I went to Delhi, met some old friends, it was good catching up. But the biggest event of this year was FIFA World Cup. It was a saving grace. I am a fan of Lionel Messi. I always prayed to God to make Argentina win the Cup under the Captainship of Messi, before he retires. On the Final day, the same emotion which enveloped me on the WC Final of 2014 came back with a bang. However, this time, I knew, I wasn't going to cry. And even if I cried, it would be out of happiness, say, tears of happiness. God was kind.

By the way, the middle finger of my right hand is injured. What a way to begin the new year. Anyway, I hope 2023, will be a blessed one. God be merciful!