I extend 77th Nagalim Independence Day Greetings to all my Naga Friends and comrades out there. Thanks to the Global Naga Forum for inviting me, consistently flagging the politics of the Naga people with new directions and new challenges. It’s great to be here. Thanks to all of you and thanks to the organizers. I also send greetings from the India Pakistan Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy from both our Chapters in India and Pakistan. We bring you greeting to the Naga people on this 77th Naga Independence Day.
First is, I would like to remember some of our stalwarts who may no longer be with us or unable to join us today. In the politics of Solidarity, reaffirming people and the path they have shown is essential. In the Naga Cause, there were active comrades, soldiers of civil societies that participated in building dialogue between the perpetrator community and the oppressed community, in this case, Indian People and the Naga people.
I think it is important to remember Uncle Tina Dayalan, Dinesh Mohan, Surendra Mohanji, JB Aswal, and Ram Narayan Kumar, who did a complete documentation of the Naga Peace process in 2003.
I bring you wishes from Tapan Bose, a renowned activist, filmmaker, and friend to many of you, and Gautam Navlakha, who has been in prison for over two years for standing up for self-determination and rights of people, including Kashmiris and Nagas. I also remember young comrades like Khurram Parvez, Umar Khalid, and others who have been jailed for their positions on various struggles.
The second thing I would like to do is to organizationally and individually condemn the state-sponsored violence in the Naga neighborhood. It is clear state-sponsored violence precipitated by the Brahminical Hindutva forces like the RSS, using one community in the region to unleash violence on another indigenous community. We cannot commemorate the Naga Independence Day without condemning the brutal sexual violence and murders that are happening in our neighborhood, entirely state-sponsored.
My third point, in this backdrop coming from post-colonial, feudal, casteist, patriarchal, and now increasingly communal India, I want to greet my Naga comrades and reiterate the value of progressive politics.
Progressiveness demands us to leave aside statist diplomacy, tactics, and political manipulation. We must be amidst the people, fighting against oppression, injustice, inequality.
The Naga People have a unique history of doing this. Whether in our midst or our neighborhood, it is important to carry forward the politics of progressiveness, as “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” as Martin Luther King believed.
Once again, warm greetings to all the Naga comrades and friends here. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you from IPPF for giving us this opportunity indeed.
Kuknalim.
Vijayan MJ,
Coordinator of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy