When Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio recently remarked that Nagaland is a backward state, it struck a chord. The statement was not new, but it raised an old and uncomfortable question: what does it really mean to be backward? And if backwardness exists, what lies on the other side of it? Forwardness? Advancement? Progress?
To call a state backward often implies a lack of infrastructure, of education, of opportunity. It suggests economic gaps and developmental delays. But backwardness is not merely about roads, industries, or income levels. It is also about mindset. It shows when corruption becomes routine, when talent leaves because opportunity cannot stay, and when community interests are lost to individual gain.
A society cannot move forward by measuring development only in material terms. True progress begins when citizens take responsibility, when governance is transparent, when merit is valued over connections, and when collective good outweighs personal ambition. Forwardness, then, is not about how modern our towns look, but how mature our thinking becomes.
Nagaland’s challenges are real and they are not just administrative but deeply cultural and systemic. Too often, projects stall because of mistrust or mismanagement. Policies are shaped by political convenience rather than public need. The dependence on government jobs reflects a deeper hesitation to take risks, to innovate, or to build sustainable local enterprises. These habits keep society tied to comfort zones, where accountability is diffused and growth becomes a slogan rather than a practice.
Many villages still lack basic amenities. Unemployment remains high. Institutions struggle with accountability. Education, too, must evolve beyond degrees and rote learning. It should empower young people to think critically, to question, to create, and to contribute. A truly forward society is one that encourages participation, where citizens see governance as a shared responsibility, not a distant system to blame.
But these are not reasons to despair; they are reminders of where we must act. The opposite of backwardness is not perfection; it is progress driven by integrity and imagination. Every generation has a choice: to accept its condition as fate, or to redefine it through effort. To move forward is to question habits that hold us back, to rebuild systems that have failed, and to nurture a culture of integrity and hard work.
Nagaland may be backward in some respects today, but its future depends on the courage of its people to think forward, act forward, and live forward.
