Are we really progressing, or have we simply become better at talking about development? After nearly eight decades of India’s independence, Nagaland finds itself at an interesting crossroads. We live in a modern world. We speak about development, futuristic infrastructure, urbanisation, technology, and international influence. We talk about building a better future and attracting investment, industries, and opportunities. Yet, when we look around, the reality often tells a very different story. Our infrastructure remains inadequate. Our roads remain a recurring problem. Corruption continues to influence institutions and individuals. Opportunities for young people remain limited, and our ambitions often seem smaller than our potential. We have much more to learn. But more importantly, we have much more to do.
Our Roads
The Never-Ending Story
When someone asks about infrastructure in Nagaland, one of the first things that comes to mind is our roads. Our roads could probably be the longest-running blockbuster ever produced in Nagaland. We believe change is constant, but in Nagaland we see the contractors change, the governments change, and the promises keep changing. But somehow, the roads remain the same. There are places in many parts of Nagaland where there are no signs of black tar roads even after 80 years of Independence. It has never seen better days. There are villages which seem like a place lost in time, deserted, haunted and left at nature’s mercy to consume; the dilapidated roads often give nostalgia. We are stuck in a situation where just mentioning the place gives people a reason to reject going to the place, only because of the road conditions. Transportation services are either hesitant or unwilling to travel, leaving our people disheartened and disappointed. While the colony sits in a beautiful location surrounded by valleys and mountains, in reality, getting to the place has become a common nightmare; despite repeated agitations, all our voices are left unheard, ignored and considered not an important subject to discuss. Such is the condition for over five decades. Who is to be blamed? The local body, government, ministers, policies or the leaders whom we have elected. Despite having a ruling coalition government. Our life, infrastructure and economy are left at our mercy to find fixes and solutions, unable to voice and question the accountable authorities, only because they hold the power and most importantly, asking the hard and right question can ignite personal attacks, discriminate and criminalise those who raise questions against the system. Every year, the narrative remains the same story: roads are repaired or built, new projects are announced, introduction and inauguration of state-of-the-art facilities, foreign investments, upcoming social and economic development projects, new and improved green initiatives, and so much more. We declare our state budgets for roads and infrastructure in thousands of crores every financial year. In reality, it reflects just the opposite. Taxpayers’ money is spent and legitimately misused at the cost of ordinary citizens who continue to drive through potholes and damaged roads and poorly maintained infrastructure, bearing the brutal brunt, sometimes resulting in loss of life. Our right to ask questions remains silenced. Such as: Who is responsible? Where is the accountability? How are contractors selected? What happens when a road fails prematurely? Why are companies with questionable track records repeatedly awarded new projects? The uncomfortable truth is that accountability appears to be missing at almost every level. And perhaps we, the public, also carry some responsibility and are accountable for why we continue to be in this situation. We complain privately but remain largely silent publicly. We tolerate poor workmanship; we accept excuses and very conveniently move on, thinking our voice and the difficulties we face will remain a reality and never see any solution or future. This has been the unfortunate reality that continues to govern our daily lives. Perhaps it is time to wake up the next generation. Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha should not inherit the same problems or inconveniences that our baby boomers and millennials have created and accept them as normal. Instead, we rise, voice out, demand instant and immediate action against those accountable, create new strategies and ideas, giving new ways and a direction for us as a state and country to move forward.
Hospitality and Community
Our identity has two faces: hospitality and community. Over many decades, Nagaland as a state has been best known and very well recognised across the globe for our vibrant culture, heritage, and traditions, folklore, songs, one community and hospitality. We feel truly blessed to inherit these customs as our identity. With such richness, we are filled with pride and joy in carrying those traditions and passing them down to our younger generations. And we rightly do so, in hope for a future that the current and future generations will continue practising them. But sometimes we also wonder: Is hospitality and community the only thing we have left to showcase to the rest of the world? While there are multiple layers of perceptions that contribute to both, we have inherited a sense of pride and honour, with the display of human gratitude and kindness towards one another beyond boundaries, and many a time has translated into positive and inspiring conversations. This small gesture of kindness, over the years, has grown into a weave of accomplishment amongst us Nagas. Together with this sense of pride, our communities have seen and evolved over many decades. We have grown stronger in silos, each in their own community, amongst and within their own tribes. Equally stronger, vibrant, and ambitious. Perhaps it is time to question ourselves with this hard truth. Are we, as Nagas, content and comfortable with this culture, especially in today’s world, where things change so rapidly, like how we communicate, consuming knowledge faster than light? Are we more than the echoes of our vibrant traditions, our thunderous songs of triumph over people, hospitality and community?
Maybe, and perhaps, it is time we question. Why can’t Nagaland become a place driven by modern technology and advanced infrastructure? A place governed by sustainable and environmentally responsible industries? A future with multinational companies and offices. With world-class research institutions and scientific centres. Giving opportunities to develop and enhance education systems. Producing our own, becoming a self-sustainable market. Bringing our map to the rest of the world beyond culture and heritage, but also through modern innovation and a sustainable, environmentally friendly culture, while preserving our rich history. A platform for scientific research and studies. Preserving our diversity of rich nature, forests, minerals and its flora and fauna. Influence others in creating and building world-class sports and educational infrastructure through science-based technology and studies to enhance and discover our people to grow. At the same time, the list of to-dos seems endless. If only such dreams were to come true. Moreover, we can thrive on our own only if we want it. Nagaland can produce Olympians, world champions, and globally recognised athletes, educators, innovators, scholars, scientists, doctors, engineers, and business leaders. But then, the only question we ask now would be. Why not? How can we reach there? Is there a bridge we need to break and build a new one that is built on values and integrity? Is that too much of an ask, or to dream of a better world to live in? Perhaps the problem isn’t our lack of potential. Perhaps it is our lack of ambition, execution, and long-term vision, and of being self-sufficient across all well-being and development. If we unite and envision the same dream, it is not far from achieving it.
Meghalaya, for example, has shown that smaller states can create opportunities by thinking beyond traditional boundaries. We are here, and we believe it’s never too late to accomplish and become a state that empowers itself. The obvious question is: why can’t Nagaland become a world full of opportunities?
The Beginning – Home
Transformation has an origin and a beginning; it begins somewhere. We believe it begins at home. A home is the base where everything begins. ‘Home is where one starts from. T.S. Eliot. It is the most authentic representation of comfort, security and foundational roots. It is our identity that shapes us throughout life. Everything that we are: our past, present and future. It is all interconnected with our origin. The home is our cornerstone, where we find ourselves at peace. Life has taught us enough, and so has everyone. Every person we meet in our lifetime is the main character in their own story, just as we are in ours. Our families, parents, communities, schools, and churches influence the people we become. We are nurtured in these ecosystems, the very ecosystem that will sing songs of triumph when you succeed and will also hang you up in times of trouble. This very system teaches and enforces time and again the very essence of our existence. Life has its own way of putting things into its own perspective. Ultimately, it makes us realise that a person’s character is also a choice and an identity. Parents and teachers can guide and educate us. Churches can teach us to follow what is right and wrong and ultimately what we leave behind after life. Society can influence every individual profoundly; often misunderstood, but it reflects who we are and how we portray ourselves. It is understood that our biggest virtue reflects very vividly in becoming who we are as a person. Interestingly, the same philosophy is applicable in our governments, our systems, the very ecosystem where human capital becomes the currency in exchange for values, goods and services from a democracy and a government. We are all interconnected through time. We all go back to the beginning, leading back to the very home, the origin. It is here where a future is born; good and evil are resurrected. It is the base we often come back to, to reaffirm our trust and our beliefs, to learn from our mistakes and grow, to accept that we are born different, but we all are also born as equal in the eyes of the law.
Corruption
This topic has become increasingly challenging and is the most difficult for humans to understand. However, many studies and articles have been written on this. The philosophy and theology remain a very simple transaction which may involve monetary or non-financial subjects or objectives. The risk, intensity and degree of its impact cannot be measured. It impacts individuals, governments, economic growth, governance and the functions of our ecosystem. We talk about corruption so frequently that it has become part of our everyday conversation. There is not a living being that has not been affected by corruption; it is very rampant and evident. It’s happening right before our eyes; we are the casual and unfortunate but common casualties, often neglected and ignored between two worlds. Today we see a world where life without corruption seems impossible to narrate or function. Consequences reach beyond individuals, institutions, society, churches, and governments. Money is one significant factor. Livelihood and sustainable living are another. And above all, the Power to control all has become a must; it has become a manifesto and must have a code of conduct to become the untouchables. But somewhere along the way, we as humans have lost sight of the consequences it carries. Completely neglecting that there is law, which is meant to protect and carry out honest judgments. Unfortunately, our law and judiciary system itself is so corrupted that one cannot understand how to disengage and not be caught between law and corruption. It has become so overwhelming that we have lost our hope in the system which is designed to protect us.
For some, it means owning a luxury car, having a magnificent home, sending children abroad for schools and colleges, travelling around the world, flaunting a lifestyle that most ordinary people can only dream about. On the other hand, we have society living in extreme poverty without shelter, good, healthy food, quality drinking water and with no source of income. This is the cost of living in a developing world. Corruption is a currency in exchange for everything that we want to achieve and become. But at what cost? If a lifestyle has been financed through corruption, manipulation, or misuse of public and taxpayers’ money. What credibility do we have in creating such a society or building such an identity? Our democracy is so corrupt that it cannot sustain itself; we are the consequences of all the injustice, poverty, inequality, division, discrimination, manipulation, mistrust, criminalisation, misuse of wealth, power and dishonest leaders with a compromised system.
Corrupting our values, identity, morals, culture, and virtue has become so common and so easy that we have willingly and intentionally sacrificed our future now and have completely disintegrated the
fundamental system, leaving us with no hope of building a future for the next generation. We have left nothing which is not corrupt. But perhaps, and only if there is a way out.
The Generational Cost of Corruption
The saddest part is that corruption does not affect only the person who commits it. It affects everyone. It affects the poor family waiting for a meal, the traveller waiting for a proper road, the student waiting for better education and infrastructure, the patient waiting for a functioning affordable healthcare and hospital, the athlete without proper training facilities, the entrepreneur who cannot access opportunities, the doctors and nurses without facility to practice, the graduates, scholars and the young talents who leaves Nagaland because they see no future at home. These are a few stories whose lives have directly and indirectly been affected by that one decision, one action, of which we see no future or way of solving. The ultimate price of our actions now affects the children of the very people who benefit from corruption. They may believe they are winning today by sacrificing their own family and humanity. We, as individuals and society, have become so delusional that we cannot differentiate between injustice and reality. We are so lost that we are ready to sacrifice our children and grandchildren and the next generations to inherit the consequences of our actions. A corrupt generation does not simply steal from the present, but it also borrows from the future.
While this has consumed our society, there is still time; it’s never too late to bring change. Perhaps start asking: Why are we doing this? How can we bring changes, and who is to benefit from all this and at what cost?
Follow the Money
It’s an eloquent catchphrase, ‘follow the money,’ an investigative tool to uncover corruption and who is involved. It often becomes a new guiding principle for finding corruption and encouraging transparency and accountability. It’s a set of complex techniques to uncover financial schemes and bribery, identifying the source. A common person may not be as educated or knowledgeable, but just having basic logic and conscious common sense is enough to understand where the money flows.
Money is like oil that runs a machine. And a government is the engine that needs money to run and function. Without the two, one will cease to exist. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) serves as the central bank of India; it plays a crucial role in the Indian economy, responsible for the governance, formulation, and implementation of monetary policy, including printing currency. In the context of a democratic country like India, with different and complex taxation slabs and governance policies, the country needs to run its economy. It needs to collect various forms of revenue. This includes various forms of taxation, duties, bonds, revenues, borrowing, and other sources. This system is created to ensure the government has a robust financial system and also to support itself in its day-to-day activities and, most importantly, to create a secure financial system to withstand any economic crisis. These revenues are generated by millions of people and businesses across India, from corporations and investors to employees, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, and even down to tea sellers trying to keep the business afloat. Nagaland, like any other state in India, receives substantial resources through India’s fiscal system. The funds are allocated and distributed through various government projects, allocations, schemes, or development programs. It is the duty of the state government to ensure appropriate utilisation of these schemes and funds. The most important role as a citizen is that we, as responsible citizens and responsible government employees, should never think or assume these budgets and funds are free funds. The funds allocated to the state are for it to function and govern and to drive its own local economy. Also, we should understand that the money we receive is a direct source from the taxpayers, therefore making it public money. We as the public have all the rights to know how it is utilised and how accountable we are in making sure the resources are used for the development and wellbeing of our state and society, ultimately benefiting its own citizens.
When everything else fails, it undermines our government and its policy against corruption. We do have every right to ask the following. How, when, where, what and who is who of the money. About its utilisation and who is responsible and accountable.
Culture and Corruption – A Complex Relationship
When someone comes bearing ‘gifts’ in the form of cash or kind, in order to get things done as fast and quickly as possible. Is that a bribe or just a cultural expectation? Are some cultures inherently more corrupt than others? And does the meaning of corruption vary according to cultural context? We summarise both culture and corruption as a complex issue, and a relationship woven through generations. In order to understand, the juxtaposition may cause serious issues and unease for many. Both stand on two tangents, such as: culture has more or less a neutral stance, while corruption takes on different connotations, mostly negative and drawing conclusions about whether corruption causes those cultural shifts or factors or vice versa.
Culture in itself has a very deep paradox theory to break down how it affects us humans in our social and economic context. Simply put: personal relationships are a very important and necessary tool in human behaviour, and in most situations we either misuse or corrupt this through bribing or gifting; we are surrounded by relationships shaped by social and cultural norms such as shame, status, respect, guilt, and peer pressure. etc. And we simply cannot quantify whether one culture can inherently corrupt another. Our values are preserved in their pure state; we continue to live in this tradition for many generations, and to call it a corruption of our culture hurts the very core values we are born with. True integrity and a deep sense of rich and patriotic culture now stand corrupted. We certainly cannot deny that it is openly preached and practised in our Christian teachings. We have rejected the philosophy of corruption and how it has affected our society today. We are consumed by it. We have normalised corruption as a culture. A society that wants change must be willing to speak up, stand up against wrongs and ask the right and justified questions. A government that wants public trust must be willing to be responsible and accountable. In return, we ask for transparent and open policies, good government, well-established schools, dependable public healthcare, safer cities, working and functioning municipalities, clean water, air, a good judiciary system, competent security forces, reliable and functioning roads and electricity supply and good infrastructure that will last and continue evolving.
Those Who Lead and Leadership
Leadership in today’s ever-evolving world of geopolitics, business and governance is ever-changing. Leadership should mean. They are individuals often holding greater positions in government, organisations, and in social and community structures. They hold positions that are directly or indirectly appointed, elected, or entrusted roles with pre-defined roles and responsibilities, with the ability to make decisions and give directions. While holding a position and having a title doesn’t truly justify you as a leader, it is how you execute and justify your position. It is also expected that you execute your duties within the law and guidelines and with integrity, being responsible, having discipline and emotional intelligence to understand why you hold the office. The role and title are not a given entitlement that you wish to display and supersede or misuse the position. Amongst those are a few individuals whose leadership is defined by setting examples of strong values and ethics, driving and inspiring, motivating and encouraging others to succeed despite their status or positions. One great example is the exemplary personality of the (Late) Lee Kuan Yew, whose leadership played a major role in transforming Singapore into one of the world’s most developed and successful societies. His struggle for Singapore’s independence is often read and described as the work of a leader with an Iron Fist. A phenomenal person and a futuristic pubic figure whose work still resounds in the echoes of many books and stories of many countries. While we are just a developing state, we don’t need to copy Singapore’s story, but be inspired by the transformation journey. Set examples within our own society, government, and community, helping us build a future led by educated and responsible leaders who inspire now and younger generations. Making a model example of Nagaland in the new and evolving nation. Our history books should read about our struggles, rich traditions, cultures, great government, and ultimately producing responsible leaders. Perhaps there is a “Lee Kuan Yew” in us, and perhaps even greater personalities with the authority and courage to stand up. The courage to question. The courage to put the future of our people and society above personal agendas. Nagas are often described as head hunters and brave warriors. Perhaps it is time to rediscover and revisit what we are made of and, together, pursue the
honest abolition of poverty and corruption and the promotion of humanity. This is possible only if we stand and think beyond our ego’s positions, status and personal pride.
Politics is a global phenomenon, and it will continue to evolve, empower, and govern the world with its policies. It is high time that we allow ourselves to understand the roles and responsibilities of those who hold the positions. Educate and empower the common people with the hope of empowering our generations and building a better world for us to live in.
The Question of Our Faith
This is perhaps the most uncomfortable topic to get involved with and has become a very difficult conversation. Nagaland has seen its own share of struggle in the fight for freedom; we are living proof of what was done to our forefathers and how some actions have inflicted deep and traumatising wounds in our society and families. The consequences of those are still carried by our younger generations, and perhaps it will continue to be inherited in the future. The coming of Christianity to our state during the late 1800’s was nothing short of a miracle but a revolution when an era of headhunting was fierce and raw. Since then, we have come a long way, ever evolving, adopting Western cultures, reflected in our habits, the food and the lifestyle we trend. It has been many decades since we officially declared ourselves a Christian State. A society whose morals believe in and follow Christianity as its official religion. We identify ourselves as true followers of Christ, practising in our day-to-day functions and walks of life. What has really changed since then is that what we do reflects back on our religious beliefs, the way we behave and conduct ourselves in society. While we earnestly and judiciously practice and preach this culture and religion, how do we identify when things do not go according to Christian values? Some serious questions, such as: Should the church stay away from politics? Or can it co-exist? We often withdraw ourselves from these topics, but in silence, we as a society are very much aware and know how it affects and is reflected in our actions. Some of the thoughts and studies often spoken about today are very few, but morally feels ethical and right, if our Christian values should reflect in our day to day activities, in places like home, offices and public surroundings. This could also mean that we use our Christian values and judgement while discerning and making decisions in the functions of government, social and economic atmospheres. Practising what we preach, setting expectations, leading by good examples, and adopting changes in the right and in a Godly way.
Time is Now
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” – Newton’s Third Law of Motion. We humans have been in existence on this planet for many thousands of years. Today’s generation is a generation that seeks accountability in real time, whose actions are often louder than most of the past and current millennial population. We are sometimes described as a generation living in a time continuum space, where everything we do and think is visualised, analysed four times before we put any action to it. Gone are the days when following a hierarchy, following procedures, waiting for someone’s approval, and waiting to be actioned. Perhaps, with this vast and overwhelming space. It is now, perhaps, time to contemplate and expect things to change; days are over. The right moment and time for the people from Nagaland to ask questions.
Questions about our future, our government, our infrastructure, our roads, our society, our fundamental right to educate, right to humanity, right to existence, our right to have a well equipped and corrupt free policies, our duty and right to have educated and accountable leaders and leaderships, our right to freedom of speech, our freedom to choose honest accountable system, to have a corrupt free government and most importantly an ecosystem where our system is a two way communication platform where the government and the people who hold its offices to listen to the public and have a common and open discussions. It is the right time to bring changes and huge, impactful changes in our society and government.
We have a voice; the world will continue moving whether Nagaland moves with it or not. Governments will change, leaders will come and go, generations will pass. And the generation after us will inherit
whatever we choose to leave behind. So perhaps the question shouldn’t simply be, “Who is responsible?” rather it should also be “What am I willing to do?”
Change begins with a pure, honest, conscious, and corruption-free mindset, without boundaries and prejudice, without holding positions or authority. Change begins when we have the right to question the system; change also begins when leaders are willing to listen; change also happens when institutions and governments become accountable for their actions. The future of Nagaland is now; we all have the right to decide our future.
Being Responsible
Being responsible is not a birthright but a choice, but it also means having a sense of belonging and a purpose to contribute and build a connection larger than yourself. Being the best version of yourself, taking accountability in family and social responsibilities. Inherit a righteous mindset; undeterred integrity, and a non-negotiable attitude of growth, success, and vision to lead, helping a society driven by goals and beyond values, heritage, culture, technology, with accountable leaders to inspire now and future generations. It also means that having these attributes can contribute to pioneering growth and conscious development. Nagas are born warriors; let’s not stay forgotten in our own battle and live in a distorted society, but inherit those values and identity, and discover ourselves to restore hope, learn, educate and dream bigger dreams and aspire to build a sustainable future and a brighter Nagaland.
Let’s start now.
Let’s start today.
A Concerned Citizen
Lanuakum Longkumer (Ungma Village)
Bangalore
(The views expressed are those of the writer and not of the newspaper)