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12/10/2009: "On reconciliation and the past Kaka D. Iralu Morung"

On reconciliation and the past Kaka D. Iralu Morung

It is heartening to see the broken Naga political family finally taking some faltering steps towards forgiveness and reconciliation through the efforts of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation. We are also grateful to all individuals as well as groups from within Nagaland as well as outside who are watching our faltering steps and encouraging us to carry on.
The Naga political as well as the individual families including my own, must however pause for a moment and reflect on whether we are trying to reconcile with one another in the right way. In my opinion, the right way to true reconciliation involves looking back into our past- however dark and painful- that past may be and ask forgiveness from one another for our past mistakes. I insist on this looking back because all our attempts to go forward might lead nowhere if we refuse to address the past adequately.
Now we all know that broken relationships do not just fall from the skies and overwhelm us. On the contrary, broken relationships always have a past history where human errors-be it arrogance, inconsideration or selfishness had played a terrible role. In other words, if we are facing an agonizing and terrible situation today, it is because we have committed some terrible mistakes yesterday. This is because there is never “an effect” without “a cause” in human relationships. In Biblical terms “We reap what we have sown” (Gal 6:7). Here, we must accept that harvest comes after sowing. If we are enjoying a bountiful harvest today, it is because we had sown sacrificial seeds yesterday. However, if we are having a terrible harvest today, it is because we have sown some selfish seeds yesterday.
In fallen human nature, we often refuse to address the past and try to build beautiful futures with all sorts of lofty dreams. We often say “The past is past. We must forget the past. We should not dwell in the past”…But the moral universe does not function that way. The moral law of God will not allow us to forget the terrible past and give us a magical future, unless we repent of the past and ask forgiveness from one another. Only then can we have a new beginning and a new future.
In our attempt at reconciliation, we seem to be trying to follow the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s model. But the question is: Are we ready to follow that model in its entirety? I saw the pain and the agony of that reconciliation process as former murderers faced the relatives of the victims to ask for their forgiveness. Our broken Naga family also cannot escape from such a confrontation if we desire true reconciliation. Here we all know who must ask forgiveness from whom because both the perpetrators of the murders and the victim’s relatives are still very much alive and walking in our midst today. Are we ready for such a truthful reconciliation as the South African reconciliation process?
In conclusion, I however want to end by saying that even if a person had looked into the past and had asked for forgiveness for his past mistakes, if the offended person will still not forgive and reconcile, then the victim will condemn himself or herself to greater darkness and pain. He or she too will eventually harvest the seed of un-forgiveness in the endless cycle of harvesting what one has sown.

Indigenous medicinal plants facing extinction morungexpress
DIMAPUR,): A two-day workshop on ‘Sustainable Development and Management, Value Addition, etc. of the Medicinal Plants of Nagaland’ began at the Forest Office Complex, Forest Colony, Dimapur on Wednesday, December 9. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and chairman of the Nagaland Pollution Control Board, A Rongsenwati Ao, IFS, was the chief guest.
With the rich forest resource of the state depleting by the day, medicinal plants unique and indigenous to the state are also on the brink of extinction. Nagas, for generations, have relied on herbs and plants from the wild to cure all sorts of ailments known to the natives. However, unrestricted logging, jhum cultivation and human encroachment into forests in the last few decades have threatened its existence thereby also putting at risk the practice of traditional cures.
Identifying and preserving these forest resources of great commercial and medicinal value and preventing it from extinction is what some of the government agencies are putting their effort into. “Nagaland is one among the bio-diversity hotspots of the world,” enlightened Cressida Jamir, a member of the Nagaland Bio Resource Mission. A total of 650 indigenous plant species have been identified in the state till now. “Till now documentation of the identified species is going on; the next step will be conservation efforts,” Jamir said.
650 indigenous plant species identified in Nagaland state
Jamir said that the plants can be of great value not only for its medicinal properties, but they can also be tapped commercially with rich returns. For instance, she said, the ‘Agar’ tree which is also native to the state can bring in great dividends if exploited properly. Also known as eaglewood/aloes wood and valued for its aromatic properties, it is the most expensive wood in the world. The sad part is that it is a threatened plant species.
Citing Cambodia, Jamir said that Agar plantation has been a success story in the south-east Asian country. An Agar tree can fetch around Rs.5000, Jamir said, while a Naga household can earn Rs.32 lacs in ten years if the state can take the example of Cambodia. It will not bring in overnight riches but its long-term prospects have potential while also helping in afforestation efforts, Jamir pointed out.
Similar to this, there are other herbs and plant species which are indigenous to the state. ‘Paris Polphylla’ is another plant which has been taken up in the state, Jamir informed. Commonly known as Herbparis or Himalayan Paris, it has rich medicinal properties.
“Despite the rich knowledge on the use of medicinal plants, little attention has been paid towards conservation of the same,” lamented Rongsenwati Ao. Nagas, before the advent of modern medical amenities, were dependent on herbal remedies or traditional medicine sourced from the forests, through the ages, said the PCCF. In fact, he dubbed forests as nature’s food store and nature’s pharmacy.
Sadly, he said, unrestricted destruction of the state’s rich forest wealth has been going on, especially in the last 40-45 years. It has resulted in the loss of many plant species and threatened the basic livelihood, particularly of the rural people, the PCCF said. Unpredictable weather conditions are another dimension added to human misery as a result of loss of forest cover. Citing the state, Ao said that during the last few months the state has experienced perceptible changes in weather which has affected food production. Taking this serious situation, the PCCF said that sustainable development and management of medicinal plants and other plant species has to be adopted as a “strategy towards climate change”.
“Awareness campaign is another important step that the (Forest) department should take up as a follow-up action of this workshop, particularly at the village level, since they are the stakeholders of the bio-resource,” he held. Further, he expressed hope that the inputs made by the resource persons in the workshop will form the basic foundation towards building a comprehensive document of sustainable medicinal plants in the state.

India to create new state
NEW DELHI — India announced on Thursday that it planned to create the country's 29th state, after a hunger strike by a regional leader and escalating protests from supporters.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government would begin work to found the separate state of Telangana, which will be carved out of Andhra Pradesh in the southeast.
"The process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated," Chidambaram told reporters.
Since the partition of British-ruled India in 1947, various separatist and state movements have raged across the vast nation.
Three new states were created in 2000, when Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were divided to give rise to Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.
Violent separatist insurgencies also cause regular unrest in Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland.
The proposed birth of Telangana, which covers much of Andhra Pradesh's poor tribal belt, follows an 11-day hunger strike by K. Chandrasekhar Rao, chief of the main party campaigning for the new state.
His deteriorating health sparked violent student protests in the region over the past week.
"We are concerned about the health of K. Chandrasekhar Rao. We request him to withdraw his fast immediately. We also appeal to all students to withdraw their agitation to help restore normalcy," Chidambaram said.
In the Andhra Pradesh state capital Hyderabad -- which may become part of Telangana -- Rao expressed thanks from his hospital bed.
A separate Telangana state has been a long-standing demand of many locals who allege government neglect of the drought-prone, deprived region.
But its creation is expected to take years with approval required from both the Andhra Pradesh state assembly and India's national parliament.
Formed in 1956, Andhra Pradesh is India's fifth largest state in terms of territory and sends 42 MPs to India's 543-member parliament.
Agriculture has been the state's economic mainstay but in recent years Hyderabad has emerged as an information-technology hub, earning it the nickname "Cyberabad".
India comprises 28 states and seven federally administered territories, which include the capital region New Delhi.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.