Land and border disputes

By: Z. Katiry (Ex-MLA From Meluri:    26 Jul. 2015 1:02 AM IST

(From previous issue)

6. Political boundaries demarcated by the Britishers

Verrier Elwin had written in his treatise ‘’The Nagas in the 19th Century’’, Henry Harvesham Godwin to read what -Austen’s name is mentioned in it, not only as an explorer and geologist, but also an expert topographical drawing of who first went to Burma (now called Myanmar) where he explored the navigable waterways of the Irrawady delta. In the early part of 1856, he was attached to the Trigonometrical Survey of India to assist the first survey of Kashmir. He surveyed the great Karakoram glaciers together with the giant mountains that enclose them. In 1862, he mapped the northern border of the Pongong District on the Western edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and the following year he proceeded to Bhutan for mapping the areas between Sikkim and Punakha and the neighboring regions.

Godwin-Austen’s next assignment came when he had to survey Assam where he commanded the party and fully engaged in the survey of the Garo, Khasi and Jantia and some parts of the Brahmaputra.

In 1872, after 2 years leave, Godwin-Austen returned to India, much to the relief of his department. On his arrival, he was appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Survey with the assignment to survey and lay fixed political boundary between the erstwhile Naga Hills and Manipur and also to explore Patkoi range. A host of British officers, namely :- Captain Butler, Dr. Gordon, J. Johnstone who was Boundary Commissioner 1881-82, Lieutenant Ridgeway, Godwin-Austen’s two associates – Hinde and Ogle who were Assistant Surveyors and may others involved in the survey operation as the situation was slowly stabilizing. Dr. Brown became Political Agent in Manipur in 1868, and in 1873, he went with the Survey Party to settle the boundary between the erstwhile Naga Hills and Manipur.

The British officers seemed to have acquired an indefatigable spirit of hill-walking only when they landed in our country and began survey operations by walking through difficult terrains and hostile environment which was physically and mentally knackering. But years after, they were accustomed to such vagaries of nature that, on one occasion J. Johnstone had to say “hill-walking no longer tired me”. He went on to say, “Life is never monotonous as I take long walk everyday round the hills for important works”.

In the early part of February 1884, J. Johnstone, accompanied by Lieutenant Ridgeway, an interpreter and some men had visited Meluri, Akhegwo, Lephori (the writer’s village), and thence to Somrah (now in Myanmar),Wahong, Nganchan, Lasour of Tangkhul area, and on February 13,1884, he revisited the place where he encamped on the ground they occupied in 1881-82, when he was Boundary Commissioner. The next day he inspected the boundary pillars he had set up in 1881-82, and found intact which he said was a satisfactory proof that the settlement was not unacceptable to either Manipur or Burma.

7. Why boundaries are needed?

It is well known even to a man in the street that boundary demarcations are the imperative need, not only between nations and states but also between the tribes, villages and individuals in order to avoid any conflict that might arise in the absence of it. It was not a thought-out modern concept but it was there since time immemorial, if we care to read Deuteronomy 27: 17, 32:8 and Proverbs 22: 28. The Bible warns us the danger of removing the ancient boundary pillars set up by our forefathers as it would invite God’s wrath. It is also equally important to know that if boundary demarcations are not done by taking the consent of people into confidence, it may cause prolonged conflict and can eventually lead to intense conflict between the parties involved in the dispute where the bullets would be flying freely as we have often witnessed in the past, if misrepresentations in the map are not rectified or done away through mutual understanding or an official adjudication.

The tragedy was that, in the case of boundary demarcations between the erstwhile Naga Hills and Manipur, and with other neighboring states, the British officers had done all in a haste in an arbitrary manner without the consent of the people affected by such demarcations, nor on demographic line but on watershed principle of Jigsaw puzzle to suit their day to day administration, with their extremely vile policy of divide and rule, and also for the purpose of revenue collection within the British administered areas as it is evident from what is written in “The Nagas in the 19th century ’’ at page 178 which goes like this:“In November 1875, the Chief Commissioner reported that the number of Naga villages tendering revenue to our political officers was increasing”.

The Nagas who were totally ignorant due to illiteracy at that point of time, did not oppose such operations but allowed things to happen according to their whims and fancies even though they could see their territories and its people being traversing out into different administrative segments only to be assimilated later on to the socio-cultural and political identity of the dominant groups in their respective States. Whereas, in the other parts, such operations were opposed physically and politically as Dr. Gordon-Austen, in his own words stated that they were “physically and politically opposed to such operations”.

(To be concluded)

Land and border disputes

By: Z. Katiry (Ex-MLA From Meluri:    25 Jul. 2015 

1. Why is the Naga society beset with so many internal disorders and conflicts?

Many thoughtful persons agree that something manifestly is going wrong with the Naga society but nobody cares to assume responsibility to define the nature of its causes and formulate a solution for the same. Why are there too many internal disorders and conflicts? To this, I can say without hesitation that all our internal disorders and conflicts that beset Naga society is due to the many unsettled conditions which we now need to identify and discover the hidden assets for rebuilding the Naga society. The volatile situations that often emanated from border and land disputes which are spreading across the state and beyond like virus is slowly eating into the vital parts of our collective future.

Look, the situation that has been going on between Konyak and Chang who could not see eye to eye for the past so many years which has already cost loss of many valuable lives; the recent clash between Yimchunger and Chang over land dispute leading to extreme form of raw vandalism to properties of one tribe by another; the frequent border clashes that involve between several villages of Nagaland and Manipur states under Phek district in the most virulent form for the past many years; the intermittent border clashes between Assam and Nagaland states in the Karbi sector; the recent border conflict between SAYO and Mao community¬¬- all these and others, have destroyed a sense of oneness amongst the Nagas almost irreconcilably.

It is indeed tragic and painful that, at the time when Nagas are sorely in need of unity for achieving our common goal, there are irreconcilable conflicts everywhere over boundary issue which can potentially affect the collective destiny of the Nagas. The malaise had reached to such a level that a day is not far off when the unity of the Nagas may be torn asunder beyond any possibility of gluing back together the bits and pieces. A warning bell has already been sounded that the Nagas need to be very careful and cautious in tackling issue that affects the whole Naga people. Let the NGOs and Civil Societies in Nagaland seriously think about setting up module for peace advocacy, although few feel strongly about the need for it as peace-making is a very tedious process. We need to set our house in order immediately.

2. Why peace is needed?

Peace is pre-requisite to development. As such one of our deals must be peace, based on understanding and self-restraint. Tragically, our relations among our own people as well as with people of neighboring states are far from ideal at this present time. It will do us immense good if each one of us realizes that our future depends on peace. We need to give increasing talk to people around us including others about the need of peace.

It should be kept in mind that every issue can be moderated through enormous respect for reality, and the reality can emerge only when both the parties involved in the dispute can come together with open-mindedness and engage in serious discussion to involve ways and means for meaningful solution. All issues are not insoluble; they are all soluble if we are honest, sincere and determined. The party that lays false claim must admit to being wrong which is not a weakness but a process of healing the wound, for both cannot have right. The lost of a case in the court should not necessarily be construed as a humiliating defeat.

3. Why border and land disputes are rising increasingly ?

Land represents the single most important source of livelihood. People everywhere clamor for land. “The proletariats need land”, said Karl Marx in his Das Kapital. At one point of time in the distant past in our Naga society, lands were aplenty as the population was thinly scattered, and they were in no way pressed for land and its resources as there were vast areas of uninhabited virgin forests. They also did not appreciate the value of land unlike people of our time due to ignorance. They roamed and roamed about like gypsies without any emotional attachment to the land. Apart from this fact, the Nagas were migratory in nature. Their slush and burn agriculture practice accounted for this migratory nature. They kept shifting from place to place along with the shifting of cultivation in that they would abandon their old temporary make-shift huts and move on to a new place near the site where they would decide upon for the next slash and burn cycle.

With the passage of time, people ceased to be nomadic as population was growing exponentially and land and its resources were depleting correspondingly. In fact, we are already at a level where our small planet can no longer support the weight of our population. It is due to this population pressure on land and its resources that border and land disputes are bound to arise at an alarming rate, often creating volatile situations everywhere which are beyond control even by the government authorities. According to 1961 census, the population of Nagaland was recorded as 3, 69,210 only. In 2001 census, the population of Nagaland has shot up to 19, 90,636 with decadal growth of 64.05% as against the national decadal growth of 21.54% (which has almost tripled and abnormally very high). If the decadal growth of population of any given census exceeds 23%, it is said to abnormally high.

This being the trend of population growth, the policy makers and planners should give serious thought to it as the exponential growth of population can have serious impact on the society of the future. We also need to tell our people how they must utilize their land and its resources wisely in such a way that they are not swiftly exhausted in their greed to gain short-term easy money. A resource-starved State like ours where economy is extremely fragile, compounded with insurgency problem and acute unemployment problems, has assumed threatening dimension. Considering all these, we are indeed heading towards the worst of times if we fail to formulate appropriate policies and programs based on visionary and futuristic approach so as to salvage our collective future. In this kind of land you get back less than what you had invested.

4. Type of boundaries:-

There are two types of boundaries:-(1) Traditional boundaries which were in existence since time immemorial and(2) Political boundaries which were demarcated between states by the British government in India for the purpose of revenue collection within the British administered area. At some stretch of length, both descriptions coincide.

5. Traditional boundaries:-

Except for interstate boundaries, all other boundaries such as between tribes, villages and individuals in every village are all traditional which are upheld and protected/safeguarded by the customary law and practices which were considered as sacrosanct and inviolable. These traditional boundaries are more authentic, binding and lasting as they have been there since time immemorial much before the British came to our land. The jurisdiction of every Naga tribe or village is clearly delineated from the other mountain spurs, hill ridges, rivers or streams as boundaries to avoid any conflict between the tribes or villages, and these are upheld and protected by the customary practices. The boundaries between individuals are marked out by stone pillars, and any removal of these ancient pillars was considered taboo, and worthy of death. Even the Bible says so, in Deuteronomy 23:27 and Proverbs 22:28. There is three categories of land in almost every village with a few exceptions. They are:- (1) Individual land, (2) clan land and (3) Village community land. Whereas lands held by individuals are meant for agriculture farming, lands held by clan and village community are basically meant for cane and bamboo growing and include reserved forests.

(To be continued)

NIGHT CLUB/ DISCOTHEQUE A MENACE TO THE NAGA SOCIETY.

By: Apem Hongvah

Dimapur,Nagaland

Before I write about the night life in Nagaland particularly in the commercial hub, Dimapur let me dwell a bit about the history and evolution of nightclub. A nightclub (also known as a discotheque, or simply a club or disco) is an entertainment venue which usually operates late night. It is generally distinguished from bars, pubs, taverns by the inclusion of a dance floor and a Dj booth where DJ plays recorded music. From about 1900 to 1920, working class Americans would gather at honky tonks or juke joints to dance to music played on a piano a jukebox. Webster hall is credited as the first modern nightclub.

During US prohibition, nightclubs went underground as illegal speakeasy bars with rumors circulation of police bribery. With the repeal of prohibition in February 1993 nightclubs were revived and the rest is history .Nightclub entry criteria may vary from club to club. Many nightclubs choose who can enter on the basis other than just age, e.g. dress code and guest list. This is used to make their status as a nightclub more “exclusive “quiteoften, there are no clear policies governing entry into nightclub thereby allowing doormen/bouncer to deny entry to anybody at their discretion. I for one had partied in different metropolitan cities in India and had also organized events in different parts in Indiaparticularly in the capital city Delhi and in NCR region like Gurgaon and Noida. Most of the party goers in cities are working people and of course the universities students. Cent percent of the party goers would hit the club either in the weekend or during their week off just so to relief themselves from their stressfully weeklong workload. There is no denying the fact there always are people who hit with club to gratify their sexual pleasure (depending upon the situation based on consensual).

The existence of club in the so called commercial hub in Dimapur had a different story to tell altogether .I had visited almost all the club in Dimapur which I am not proud of. Whilst I was in Delhi I heard a lot about the nightlife in Dimapur from many friends and I was actually fascinated by such stories which in reality turn out to be otherwise .Unlike the clubs in metropolitan cities there is no such thing called ‘AGE LIMIT’ in Dimapur night club. Most of the party goers are underage (you will also get to see lots of married woman and married man which I don’t object so long as they came and spend their own money) but the problem kicks in when a married man would try to hit a young girl (mostly wearing a skimpy dress) who would of actually been his daughter age. Since the club owner doesn’t check the identity card to confirm about the biological age cent percent of the clubbers are underage with no income or less income (most of them depends on their parents for their pocket money) what is more ironical is the presence of hordes of miya’s , marwaris, Indians (no pun intended- allow me to be a a bit selfish in this) .

I get to see lots of North eastern girl hanging out with the main land Indians, Nigerians, hippies, Russians in metropolitan cities and who am I to raise objection in such matter so long as they are hanging out with mutual consent .However, I never could imagine in my wildest dream that such trend would happen in my own land where I was born and raised. However to my dismay I get to see lots of young Naga girl hovering around with the miya’s or for that matter outsiders.one of the reason why our Naga girl hang around with them could be because they find it more secure with them plus they might as well be paying them (it’s just a speculation tough).

Another drawbacks of nightclub in Dimapur is it doesn’t have any time limit.so long as the party goers continue to shell out their money and buy drinks the club will remain open until morning and thus it gives an opportunity to people who came with ulterior motives to finished their unfinished business taking maximum advantages of those drunk and happy going kids who party like there is no tomorrow and doesn’t mind sharing their bed when given a ride or offer some assistance. I had been told that some young Naga girls had been chased out from their parents because they would sneak out at wee hours almost like every day to hit the club and would return home in the morning (some end up sleeping at their friends place /hotels). The parents couldn’t condone such behaviors which eventually force them to take suck extreme steps in a bid to either keep them at bay or just so to let their child learned a lesson. Such girls would end up living at their friends place or they would group themselves and stay at a lodge or lives in a rented apartment with no income to support which eventually force them to give paid services even. How cheap have we become? As opposed to club in metro cities most of the club goers in Nagaland goes to club like thrice or even more in a week if my source is correct. So you can imagine how do they manage to get the money in the club when most of them are underage with no income or with very less income (I know there are many children from a well to do family as well) keeping in mind the exorbitant rate charge by the club in any alcoholic beverages (in a tax free -so called dry state, underground might as well have their own share ).

There are hordes of hooligans in the club as well. Most Guys would end up flexing their muscles by hitting each other. They would drink like there is no tomorrow and the more they drink the more boosts full they are likely to become which eventually leads to individual fights or group fights. Fighting’s in the club is common phenomenon everywhere but at least in other parts of the world they maintain some level of decency. Group fights can even results in the loss of a life. Most of the Dimapur club doesn’t have a proper lift system and walk over. Any drunken person could of easily fall and hit the ground (I am just saying). Looking at the way things are changing around the world we too want to become one yet the way we behave and act is just so pathetic (pathetic is the word I would want to use).

My whole point being the existence of club is doing more harm than good. I for one wouldn’t recommend having a club in Nagaland at the moment because it still is not at a par with the rest of the world in terms of maintaining a standard and the way we behave .Let us be civil first even if at all there has to be a club in Nagaland (depending on the consensus of the people).while appreciating the Announcement of banning of nightclub in Dimapur by the NSCN (IM) ,it is also requested to enforce in letter and in spirit less it becomes a mockery .In this venture the involvement of civil societies, students activist ,youth leaders is much needed .A holistic approach to address the problem is the need of the hour. It needs a concerted effort from all and sundry. Am certain that the club owner (I don’t have any personal grudges) might try to offer something to let things run as it is. But for posterity sake it will be best to ignore when such offer comes in their table. If the NSCN leaders can manage to do that and if the civil societies can co-operate by not only raising their voice but give their time and energy by educating the masses we can say that we are cleaning up the mess for real .