On 3rd August 2015, A historic framework agreement was signed between NSCN-IM and the Government of India. Here are the details of the speech by Mr. Th. Muivah, General Secretary of NSCN-IM delivered during the signing ceremony of the peace accord.

Th. Muivah at the signing ceremony of the peace accord.

I thank God for this momentous occasion.

On behalf of the Chairman Mr. Isak Chishi Swu and the Naga people kindly allow me to begin by saying that Naga people have great respect for Mahatma Gandhi because he understood and respected the Nagas when the Naga delegation met him for the first time in 1947. Unfortunately, after his demise, the Indian state resorted to military might to crush the Nagas. Armed confrontation followed inflicting heavy losses on both the parties.

After a long fighting, Mr. Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India had the courage to admit that it is political issue and should be solved through political negotiations. We appreciated his wisdom and accepted the Ceasefire Agreement to start political negotiation in 1997. We gave our commitment to him that NSCN shall leave no stone unturned to find a negotiated amicable settlement between the two parties.

The Nagas were very happy when the Government of India under the leadership of the then Prime Minister of India Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, declared the recognition of the ”unique history and situation of Nagas” in 2002. We Nagas appreciated the statesmanship of Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee and we gave our commitment that if the Government of India would understand the reality of the Nagas, the Nagas will appreciate the reality of India even ten times more and we never back-track from our commitments.

Today, under the visionary leadership of honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, we have come close to understand each other and have worked out a new relationship between the two parties on the basis of this uniqueness. We appreciate your wisdom, your leadership and your vision to build an enduring relationship between the Nagas and Indians. The Nagas will ever remember you for your statesmanship and your profound understanding of the Nagas with warm heart for them.

Beginning from now the challenges will be great so also the responsibilities. The obligations to meet the needs of the people shall be paramount for both the parties to make this historic Endeavour more meaningful. Let me also assure you that Nagas can still come closer if their rights are respected. On behalf of the Naga people allow me to assure you once again that Nagas can be trustworthy and take into your confidence for any policy in the Northeast and beyond the frontiers.

God bless you and your leadership.

Kuknalim.

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Mr. Th. Muivah

General Secretary, NSCN.

PM Modi and his colleagues along with "NSCN-IM" General Secretary, Thuingalen Muivah and other Naga leaders.

Shri Rajnath Singhji, Home Minister 

Shri Muivah and all senior leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland. 

My warm greetings to all those present here today on this historic occasion! 

I wish that Shri Isak Swu, who played a leading role in reaching this agreement, was present today. He could not be here because of poor health. I wish him speedy recovery. Just as his contribution to this agreement has been huge, his guidance will remain crucial in the times ahead. 

The Naga political issue had lingered for six decades, taking a huge toll on generations of our people. 

I sincerely thank Shri Isak Swu, Shri Muivah and other Naga leaders for their wisdom and courage, for their efforts and cooperation, which has resulted in this historic agreement. 

I have the deepest admiration for the great Naga people for their extraordinary support to the peace efforts. I compliment the National Socialist Council of Nagaland for maintaining the ceasefire agreement for nearly two decades, with a sense of honour that defines the great Naga people. 

My relationship with the North East has been deep. I have travelled to Nagaland on many occasions. I have been deeply impressed by the rich and diverse culture and the unique way of life of the Naga people. It makes not only our nation, but also the world a more beautiful place. 

The Naga courage and commitment are legendary. Equally, they represent the highest levels of humanism. Their system of village administration and grass-root democracy should be an inspiration for the rest of the country. 

The respect for the infirm and elders, the status of women in society, sensitivity to Mother Nature, and the emphasis on social equality is a natural way of Naga life. These are values that should constitute the foundation of the society that we all seek. 

Unfortunately, the Naga problem has taken so long to resolve because we did not understand each other. It is a legacy of the British Rule. The colonial rulers had, by design, kept the Nagas isolated and insulated. They propagated terrible myths about Nagas in the rest of the country. They deliberately suppressed the reality that the Nagas were an extremely evolved society. They also spread negative ideas about the rest of India amongst Naga people. This was part of the well known policy of divide and rule of the colonial rulers.

It is one of the tragedies of Independent India that we have lived with this legacy. There were not many like Mahatma Gandhi, who loved the Naga people and was sensitive to their sentiments. We have continued to look at each other through the prism of false perceptions and old prejudices. The result was that connectivity between Nagaland and the rest of India remained weak across this divide. Economic development and progress in Nagaland remained modest; and, durable peace was elusive.

Since becoming Prime Minister last year, peace, security and economic transformation of North East has been amongst my highest priorities. It is also at the heart of my foreign policy, especially the ‘Act East’ Policy.

I have been deeply concerned about resolving the Naga issue. Soon after entering office, I appointed an interlocutor for talks with the Naga leaders, who not only understood the Naga people as also their aspirations and expectations, but has great affection and respect for them.

Given the importance of this initiative, I asked my office to supervise these talks; and I personally kept in touch with the progress. I want to especially thank my senior colleague, Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singhji, whose support and advice was invaluable in bringing us here today.

Today’s agreement is a shining example of what we can achieve when we deal with each other in a spirit of equality and respect, trust and confidence; when we seek to understand concerns and try to address aspirations; when we leave the path of dispute and take the high road of dialogue. It is a lesson and an inspiration in our troubled world.

Today, we mark not merely the end of a problem, but the beginning of a new future. We will not only try to heal wounds and resolve problems, but also be your partner as you restore your pride and prestige.

Today, to the leaders and the people of Nagaland, I say this: You will not only build a bright future for Nagaland, but your talents, traditions and efforts will also contribute to making the nation stronger, more secure, more inclusive and more prosperous. You are also the guardians of our eastern frontiers and our gateway to the world beyond.

Equally, the rest of the nation will join you in shaping a future of dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the Naga people.

Today, as you begin a new glorious chapter with a sense of pride, self-confidence and self-respect, I join the nation in saluting you and conveying our good wishes to the Naga people.

I would like to remain anonymous but I have a brother who is in the Naga Army. I was very young when my brother not content watching the atrocities committed in Nagalim joined the movement for a free and united Nagalim. Throughout the years till the Ceasefire he served his calling to his utmost abilities.

And after that he had to retire due to ill health and his inability to serve to the fullest. Now he is married and runs a small business in the outskirts of our village. Whenever I go home I love to sit by the fire listening to his stories of life in the jungles. Though he is very reluctant to talk about all that he saw he does like to tell tales of the humorous side of living in the jungles.

He told me once that he was assigned to supervise some newcomers when he was in the Alee Command of the Naga Army. Since the boys were in a new place and were not familiar to the customs in a foreign land he had to keep them near so in the evening he took them out to dinner with him. As they had to reach an eatery on the 10th floor of a building he decided to take the elevator.

But at the entrance his boys hesitated, and then one by one they saluted and said “Sir Bhitor tey ahibo paribo” and entered much to the amazement of locals nearby. The point being his boys had travelled by foot and boat for more than a month and had never seen an elevator in their lives so they thought they were entering a room.

He also loved to talk about his time when he was assigned a unit near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. It was so remote and isolated that the women there wore nothing above their waists and lived much like our forefathers. When they arrived there first they had a hard time talking to the people there looking them in the eyes for about a month until they got used to it. He had many tales about this far off place.

But the stories I loved most were his stories of how things were back home in Nagalim. He told us how the villagers used to pray for their safety and always shared what little they had with the Naga Army. Even when they went around the village to get a cup of rice from each household for rations he said women used to pray for them and give them dry meat/fish and eggs though they never asked for it.

He told me that he will never forget an old widow who lived in the outskirts of a village and how she used to always greet them with such joy and offered them everything she had and treated all the boys like her own children. One day when the Indian Army arrived suddenly they had to hide outside the village and the old widow was the only one who would hide rice on herself and pretend to be crazy and come and give them food. The Indians never suspected anything and so my brother and the rest of his unit ate even when surrounded by the enemy.

Of course he has shared many more stories of his life fighting for the nation but maybe another day. I wanted to tell this today because I see our Naga people forgetting what previous generations did and endured but never gave up on their belief of a free and united Nagalim and it saddens me that many younger people don’t even know where they stand and are so confused. No matter what you think of those who lead our quest for independence today let us remember that it is the principle that endures not individuals.

When I was very young, I was very fortunate to be with my maternal uncle during my vacations. Being a legislator in the state Government, I had the freedom of traveling with him on his tours and travel. The fact i really recall is his way of dealing with the people around him. In his entourage, there were all kinds of people and one truth I learned from him was how to treat people around us. To him everyone was equal. He mingled and blended with them even in the most tiring circumstances and shared joys and miseries as well. He treated everyone as a friend (though in my case I got the odd dressing down from time to time). On tour in the district, people always had easy access to share various issues with him and he listened to everyone no matter how absurd some demands were and after careful study he tried to address each problem in a wise and just way. I also noticed that whenever he visited our home he never came along with any escort (can you imagine this happening these days). Whenever he stayed for holidays, we went fishing and hunting, and did all his tasks without relying on his entourage.When my father was posted in Kohima, he used to visit our house often along with his wife and daughter generally without any convoy. I assume he had faith in his people who had elected him and as long as he was sincere and did his job honestly for the welfare of his people he was fearful of no one. We must remember that this was a time when the conflict for self-determination of the Nagas was at its peak. My uncle and many like him were honest, upright and dedicated for the welfare of the Nagas so even the nationalists did not consider them, as threat thus had no reason to object.

Nagaland in those days was full of stalwart leaders on both sides of the political divide. They stood with the people and did their duties with no iota of vanity. Coming back to the present we can compare and see the changes that have taken place. I leave it to the readers to judge for yourselves the pros and cons. Though I will not pick names, I would again like to narrate a tale that I experienced in my maturity.

Once a friend of mine (though I hardly think he will remain very chummy after he reads this) was bound to go on a tour and asked me to accompany him. I was elated to say the least because he was mid-level officer of the govt. I felt it was an honor that someone of his stature could persuade a lowly unemployed person like me. As the tour began we were usually surrounded by his escorts. Being curious, I asked him why we were under security and why he needed protection round the clock. I also asked him whether it was because he had enemies out to harm him. His answer was that although he had no one to fear he kept guards because everyone had them and thus it was a matter prestige. When we arrived at a village in his imported SUV surrounded by gun totting in police vehicles we were pleasantly surprised. The villagers were delighted at the arrival of the VIP and threw a large celebration hoping that his visit would, better improve their lot. The next day he made impressive speeches and handed over all of these to his P.S who in turn put it on ice. While on the next stage of tour he commented the necessity of visiting his constituency whom he felt were idiots and basti wallahs and that any promises he made to them although the implemental was another thing. Since I was his guest, we both ate our meals alone that was especially made and delivered for him alone. His bodyguards and the rest of his entourage made do with whatever was available. He treated the people around him with the utmost of contempt.He even refused to sleep under the same roof of his subordinates. The way he acted in a way that hit at the heart of our peoples was the last straw. And I begged leave and left a very disillusioned man.

The big problem is that this is becoming more and more common. Nagas who were known for their humility and truthfulness are now a dying breed. Instead today we have a society where the rich and powerful look down upon their fellow Nagas and on the other hand most Nagas consider politicians, bureaucrats and other high-level officers of the government as thieves ,unworthy to be called Nagas as they take whatever little we get from India.

In the many years that have passed since my uncle passed away, I have seen that Nagas have become more materialistic. Even in the nationalist setups, the ideologies have been set aside and now wealth is king. If this trend goes on then one day truly but surely the Nagas will be divided into castes where the rich and powerful with their Indianised mentality of haves and have not, making them all pompous and arrogant where money becomes king and power the right-hand man. Though change itself is not a bad thing, sometimes we also must remember what it means to be a real Naga.

Most changes are good for society to progress, but the rise of an Indian mentality amongst the rich is sad. The society is always on the move, it is up to us in which direction we go.

"Raja Mircha" as it is commonly known in Nagamese, holds so much significance for us Nagas. It is called by many different names in our diverse dialects but that is not all. This humble fruit has also played a part in our journey for Nationhood. Though there are many stories related to this seasoning. I would like to share with you a tale narrated to me by friends who have played a part on our journey to self determination.
Once a lady Naga Army went shopping for vegetables to the market in Dhaka. As she was looking through the wares displayed she was pleasantly surprised to see one of our favourite spices on sale. Curious she asked where they came from and what it was called in Bangla. What the vendor replied surprised and made her proud. It seems in Bangladesh it is known as Naga Morish and is brought from a town called Ali Kadam in the Chittagong hill tracks.
On further inquiries, it was found that this place was called the Alee Command Headquarters in erstwhile east Pakistan. Through time, Alee Command evolved into Ali Kadam. Nevertheless when she inquired who these Nagas were, he said Nagas were a group of warriors from a distant place and were fighting with India for an independent homeland.
And since they bought this chilli to Bangladesh and introduced it to the people of the area it was called Naga Morish and also because Nagas could be as deadly as the chilli named after them that even the Pakistani Army had great respect for their fighting prowess.
Regardless of the authenticity of the story one fact cannot be denied and that is in our quest for a free and united Nagalim, we have gone places and made an impact both good and bad and for that we the present generation will be eternally grateful.
Kuknalim.

Naini, Allahabad, is a very oppressive place in the middle of India. Especially for us hill people, we miss the cool breeze and the frosty chill of the night where we would snuggle under our blanket. In reality, the heat was so strong that if we kept an uncooked egg outside, then by evening it would get grilled. This was not all, every day the prison guards taunted us and insulted our religion whether Christian or Muslim. If we tried to protest, the warders locked us up in our single cells. Later they would take us out one by one and thrash us with long bamboo poles called lathis until we begged for mercy.

Source-Deviantart

Each of us were confined in a single cell 5x15 feet, in it we had to eat, sleep, bathe and answer nature`s call. Each day we were allowed to go out for an hour to exercise in pairs. If I was lucky then my partner would be a senior leader whose words gave me the courage to carry on despite all the difficulties.
As each day passed, frustrations of being cooped up alone in a cell began to take a toll on our patience. One-day two elders got into a tiff over a game of chess. It may seem hilarious now but at that time, it was a sign of our frayed state of mind. If elders were in the verge of losing it then you can't imagine the impact of the daily psychological torture that was being meted out to us.

It is impossible to recount each and every instance of this daily harassment but I’ll try to recount some. There were two loudspeakers on each end of the corridor where we were confined. In the morning at five o' clock they would blast songs like,
Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. If you were not found standing in front of your cell for any reason you would be bought out threatened with a lathi, and forced to sing Vade Mataram standing in attention. After that, the day would pass getting our eardrums manhandled by the constant blaring of the speakers with songs of Indian devotion and patriotism.

Source-Pktoday

The food was nothing to write home about, for breakfast, lunch and dinner we had a pound of half-burnt chapattis each, some watery stuff with lentil bits floating on it and the specialty of the day a mushy and unidentifiable green edible called "Chaurahi" in their local dialect. This was our menu all three times of the day. It was the same day in and day out, except for two pieces of eggs a week, a lump of ghee on wednesday and on special occasions like government and religious holidays we would be given meat or fish.

In the beginning, every Sunday, families of the authorities in Allahabad came to look at these strange creatures called aatankwadis from the fringes of Indian occupied Kashmir and Nagaland. The kids would point towards the bearded Kashmiris and gawk at them saying “ Itne bade bade dari”  Then it was the turn of the Nagas, being bare chested as it was hot and short we came for special ridicule.

They pointed gleefully at us and said” Yeh toh bunduron jey sahe lagte hain “. This went on for weeks until at last, a brave comrade could not stand it any longer and the next time as soon as the families with their kids entered, he stripped naked and stood in front of the gate of his cell in all his naked glory. And glorious it was because even if we were in shackles we could defy our oppressors and as a result, these so-called Babus didn`t bring anyone anymore for the rest of our stay in Naini Central Jail.