SplashChunk

D.J Threnody as he is known by his stage name is an imminent emcee with a slick and savvy artistry in rapping. He recalls listening to his first joint at the age of nine while coming home from school. Fascinated by the impact he began to learn and explore the genre. At a gala event he was pitched to perform his first show and the firm response he got from the audience inspired him to elevate his pursuit further.

Sharpening his niche and intent in his will, he released his debut "Among Millions". The song is based on a young man striving on his calling despite the treachery and the treason being thrown at him. In the half past three minute joint Threnody flows infinitely and steals every attention of the listeners with his mind-boggling delivery and hard hitting punchlines. Proving his critics that he stands out in the crowd when it comes to displaying his skills.

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.

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Managing a Facebook page can be quite stressful at times, even more if it is an outstanding one which demands constant online presence. Gladly this obstacle can be solved if you are ready to work in teams and assign individuals with different task and responsibilities to carry out your social activities for an effective result.

If you are an admin of a Facebook page you can add different persons as Admin/Content Creator/Editor etc according to the way you want them to manage your page.In this post we will learn how to add a new admin to your Facebook page. To be added as an administrator the concerned person must like the page first. Once the said person have liked the particular page, follow the steps instructed below.

1. Log in to your Facebook account.

2. On the left side of your home page, the pages column will be on display. Choose the page you want to execute your course of action.

3. Click settings at the top of your page.

4. Click page roles in the left column of your page.

5. If the person is your Facebook friend, begin typing their name and select them from the list that appears or alternatively type the email of the person you wish to assign.