NSSB Nagaland: The End of the Backdoor Appointment Era?

Approximately 50k aspirants sat for the historic, ‘Combined Staff Recruitment Examination 2022’, conducted by Nagaland Staff Selection Board, as recorded by the local newspapers in Nagaland. It was the first time the CSRE was conducted under NSSB, which is in the lines of SSC. The number of posts was 610 out of which few of them were for specialized candidates like confectionary, hairdressing fashion designing, plumber, electrician etc. It was a golden opportunity for the educated unemployed youths of Nagaland who had invested their precious years seeking for government jobs but was not successful in their endeavors due to various reasons. One of the reasons could be lack of advertisement for the vacant posts in various governmental departments of Nagaland. Many a times, these vacant posts are filled by candidates on the grounds of nepotism and favouritism shown by the top-notch executives, whether it be permanent or political executives. This is not hearsay as there have been agitations about backdoor appointments in the state. Such unethical appointments deprive the deserving candidates from securing a government job.

Due to all the politics involve around securing a government job, some may say, why waste your time and energy in pursuing government jobs, try private sector jobs. True, private sectors job is an alternative for government job, but we, Naga youths, if not all then at least the majority give government job more priority. And there is nothing wrong in doing so, everyone has different approach to life, have different personality, have different level of energy and creativity and have different preferences of what their working environment should be. Moreover, capital generates capital, not everyone is blessed to be born in a rich family to back up a startup and acquiring loan is not easy. Hence, preference of government jobs over private sector jobs is justified,

Coming back to NSSB, Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has done a remarkable job in making NSSB a reality. Imagine, 610 falling under ‘questionable appointment’ category if NSSB had not conducted the CSRE. I hope in coming years too, the exam will be conducted in a free and fair manner making the deserving ones get the jobs they deserve. Lastly, let us not make fun of people who prepares for various competitive exams conducted by the government but are not successful in clearing any; it is more painful for the aspirants than for the people who never sat for any of the competitive exams. Why sprinkle salt to their wounds! At the same time, let us encourage one another to have a Plan B to make our lives more balance when our Plan A fails.

The Raven: Naga Version

I once sat near the door, my room doesn't have a window.

That day, I had a guest.

The guest was black, and I am not racist.

It was a raven bird, the indication of something sinister in most of the horror movies.

It looked sad, filled with negative energy.

I asked the guest, what brings you here?

That illiterate raven could speak only one  English word, Nevermore!

Every question I asked was met with the same reply, Nevermore!

Taylor Swift was better with her Evermore, I assumed.

Its Nevermore was plain annoying.

I tried chasing the guest away but like any other guest we know, the raven lacked the etiquette. 

I felt like torturing the guest in the Nazi way.

But I held on to my pacifist policy.

Just then I got an idea.

I brought my mobile phone, opened the YouTube app.

I screamed, Naga singers with American accent is going to help me. 

The plan worked, the raven flew away.

Just then I saw street urchins jumping with catapult in their hands.

The raven was on the ground, it was dead.

Soup for tonight! One said.

Never anymore! I replied.

YOUR GUN, MY SHOULDER

Shoot one’s gun from someone else’s shoulder,

This expression means, when Rose wants to do something dangerous or shitty but wants someone else to execute the task so that s/he is not blamed for anything in the end.  In Chanakya Neeti, this phase is taken into a whole new level to achieve the end goal. In politics, the end determines the means, which means even if your way of achieving your goal is unethical as long as you achieve it, you hold no guilty. Gandhi was an exception, he believed, means justifies ends. Hence, he vouched for morality in politics. But this post is not about political thoughts. I have something else to talk about. 

Sometimes we don’t even know that we are being used for the sake of friendship or family’s honour. While we were kids, someone might have executed their plans using us and we might not have been aware as our infant brain could have not comprehended it. But as we grew up, there might have been several experiences that proved how well we were played.

For years, because of my vocal, crazy, confident personality, I have been the bunker for so many shooters. There were times when someone lashed out their anger, frustrations, and disappointments on me just because someone said or did using my name. My name is not holy; anybody can use it in vain. However, using it to make me the scapegoat, while they remain pure and pristine is a coward act. Now, I am more matured, I know who wants to pull the trigger using my good broad shoulders. I don’t want to be a fighter cock; I don’t want to be the deceived friend. I think before I stand, I tell them to fight their own battles, if it is trivial, as it is good for self-development. If they get killed in the process, I swear I will host the perfect funeral for them. 

It does not mean we should not help our friends. Friendship means being there whenever they need us. However, we should be cautious when we help them, we should take into account all the consequences which might follow. Standing up for one’s friend is one thing and being the victim of someone’s victory is another. 

I could have brought up my personal testimony, but I do want to ruin the nights and days of those people who have shot their guns using my shoulders. They will eventually read this post and might recall the times when they thought they were smart. But actually, they were nothing but snakes.