Literature broadly is defined as any collection of written work, although it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. Apart from imaginative works of poetry and prose, written works including letters, compositions, articles, lore, and even creative writing by distinguished writers and authors with an aesthetic excellence are also considered works of literature. In Nagaland, literature is not given much importance by the people although its importance has been felt and propagated. No, not all who can write will become littérateurs, or be recognized as such, but it is observed that most people who are skilled in writing do not do much writing. The reasons are many but the most plausible one is that it is not easy to earn a livelihood by writing, at least not here in Nagaland. Another reason why people in Nagaland don’t write is because it is not accorded the recognition it deserves and, in many cases, writers are instead discouraged by the society. Many writers in Nagaland have been summoned or fined and their works banned. Another obvious reason is that people in Nagaland are generally not avid readers. As such, literature does not sell in Nagaland.
The sad reality is that writers, and literature, are denied a support system. In the process, the connections that individuals make with larger truths and ideas in life by reading literature are shunned. Imagine just how much knowledge and values, wisdom, history, information and facts have been buried, lost forever, simply because there was no writer to preserve them. In such a scenario, it is encouraging to note that the office of the Governor of Nagaland has instituted the Governor’s Award for distinction in the Fields of Arts, Music and Literature in Nagaland, since 2004. Unfortunately, there were no recipients of the award in the field of literature this year. While music and the arts in general are equally important and need to be promoted, it would augur well for the people of Nagaland to start giving due importance to the field of literature.