Along these 50 miles of highway in Nagaland, where a feared warrior race keep a watch over an uneasy peace, the deeds of thousands of men who have died for their countries are etched. If living history is on your agenda, this is a must see…
Do visit Khonoma, Phizo’s village and the cradle of militancy in the North-east. Seated in Phizo’s small pastel blue cottage in the village, about 25 km from Kohima, 80-year old Vi Sebi Doulie, the legendary rebel leader’s cousin counts on the future to see his people through. “Once the politics of the present goes, there will come a time when India will realise that Naga blood is different.” A short distance away, a plaque on a monument marking the grave of the “first President of the Federal Government of Nagaland” Khrisanisa Seyie declares: “Nagas are not Indians, their territory is not a part of the Indian Union. We shall uphold and defend this unique truth at all costs and always”. As negotiations go on between the two sides, Khonoma offers a rare look into the political churning this region has seen.
Make sure you meet the people who live here – they’re almost always glad to meet you. In the violence of it all, men of peace have found their place in these distant mountains. “After Gandhi told our elders, who met him in Delhi in 1947, that we were not bound to join the Union, he walked through the garden to see them off. On the way, he pointed to a bed of flowers and said: ‘Look they are all different flowers but they live together and aren’t quarrelling.”
Close to Khonoma is a Tragopan Sanctuary that the village now looks after – to the intrepid camper it would mean a stay among high mountains and gurgling streams. If time and energy remain, then trek through the mountains to the Dzoukou Valley close by. If you want more, the Japfu range near Kohima is home to the tallest rhododendron tree in the world!
Drive up a few kilometres beyond the heritage village at Kisama, out on to the road to Moreh. An estimated 45,000 soldiers – 30,000 Japanese and 15,000 Allied and Indian – are said to have died in the battles in Kohima and Moreh in Manipur where the Allies would go following the victory at Kohima, for another decisive battle against the Japanese. A sign tells you where that advance began.
Here, it has always been a war within a war within a war. Post 1947 and the ‘Indian occupation’, casualties on both the sides have been in thousands. The road to Moreh is dotted with graves of Naga soldiers. “Maj Sieso Yano, Naga Army,” says one. “Born 1940, Died 25-5-88. Trained in East Pakistan 1963-1964, 1964-1965, trained in China 1966-1968...” Up on the picturesque hillside, an Assam Rifles unit of the Indian army keeps watch from their camp; the peace, however uneasy, currently holds. Still, this a trip where you have to be on the watch at all times. Back in his small, pastel blue cottage in Khonoma, Phizo’s cousin Dolie speaks on about Gandhi and his ways. “Had the Mahatma not been killed, all this would not have happened in Nagaland,” he says. In the pursuit of peace, some men are remembered, some honoured and some revered. To experience a taste of that, this place is a must see.
Make sure you meet the people who live here – they’re almost always glad to meet you. In the violence of it all, men of peace have found their place in these distant mountains. “After Gandhi told our elders, who met him in Delhi in 1947, that we were not bound to join the Union, he walked through the garden to see them off. On the way, he pointed to a bed of flowers and said: ‘Look they are all different flowers but they live together and aren’t quarrelling.”
Close to Khonoma is a Tragopan Sanctuary that the village now looks after – to the intrepid camper it would mean a stay among high mountains and gurgling streams. If time and energy remain, then trek through the mountains to the Dzoukou Valley close by. If you want more, the Japfu range near Kohima is home to the tallest rhododendron tree in the world!
Drive up a few kilometres beyond the heritage village at Kisama, out on to the road to Moreh. An estimated 45,000 soldiers – 30,000 Japanese and 15,000 Allied and Indian – are said to have died in the battles in Kohima and Moreh in Manipur where the Allies would go following the victory at Kohima, for another decisive battle against the Japanese. A sign tells you where that advance began.
Here, it has always been a war within a war within a war. Post 1947 and the ‘Indian occupation’, casualties on both the sides have been in thousands. The road to Moreh is dotted with graves of Naga soldiers. “Maj Sieso Yano, Naga Army,” says one. “Born 1940, Died 25-5-88. Trained in East Pakistan 1963-1964, 1964-1965, trained in China 1966-1968...” Up on the picturesque hillside, an Assam Rifles unit of the Indian army keeps watch from their camp; the peace, however uneasy, currently holds. Still, this a trip where you have to be on the watch at all times. Back in his small, pastel blue cottage in Khonoma, Phizo’s cousin Dolie speaks on about Gandhi and his ways. “Had the Mahatma not been killed, all this would not have happened in Nagaland,” he says. In the pursuit of peace, some men are remembered, some honoured and some revered. To experience a taste of that, this place is a must see.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
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