Still i write...

Neisa Thol 30th January 2015 84 years old Neisa Thol from Kidima village is a proud Angami Naga who believes in staying true to his roots. He is one among the few remaining sixty(estimated) people in his village who follows the indigenous Angami religion Krüna . “Our Krüna (ancestor’s rituals/beliefs) should not be abandoned. This was once our parents and ancestors’ belief and religion.” exclaims Neisa. Although one of his sons converted to Catholic, Neisa, his wife and their other two sons still follow the Krüna and wishes to continue till they die. In his hearth, Neisa owns a Kheluoba - a unique seat that is only owned (and the right to sit) by individuals or families who has performed a feast of merit for the entire village. This kheluoba is more than a hundred years old, as Neisa mentions that the seat was owned by his grandfather. “Today lifestyles and culture has changed.” says Neisa who mentions that the most baffling change for him is the incre...

Khatsümvü Zirü It was on a sunny afternoon in the fields of Tuophema village that Khatsümvü and a friend were planning on drinking their rice beer after a hard day’s work when word came around that the Naga army was in dire need of soldiers. Some villagers from Kohima village had been captured by the Indian Army in Gariphema which had created further clashes in their area. A young Khatsümvü, who had desperately been wanting to join the struggle then, took the opportunity and voluntarily joined the day itself, a decision he has never regretted. Khatsümvü was a part of the ten Naga Army groups who were trained in East Pakistan in between 1962 to 1968. They travelled from Burma to East Pakistan through boats for around 15 days. Although he cannot recollect the year he went to East Pakistan, one thing he remembers is that the trip would be the first time he laid his hands on foreign guns. On their way back to Nagaland, they carried weapons and amenities provided which weighed more ...