The Original Underground - Part 1

‘AIR announced, both sides had suffered three hundred casualties’, he paused and smiled, ‘it was then I knew that the Indian army had suffered heavy losses’, he chuckled, ‘we were only a group of 60 Nagas surrounded by 2000 Indian soldiers.’ His smiled faded.

‘If Muivah had made it back from China, the situation in Nagaland would be very different today.’

As Lt. General Thinoselie M. Keyho, of the Naga National Council (NNC), shared his experiences with me I noticed an uncanny similarity between the General and my grandfather. Here I sat with the ‘enemy’, a Lt General of the NNC (the first Naga ‘underground’ group) but his mannerism, his sense of dressing, the grey cardigan, his style of speaking took me to the image of my grandfather; a sword of honour and a highly distinguished Lt. General from the Indian army. Amused and lost in a sense of realisation, I asked:

What made you join the NNC?

‘I was asked the same question in Delhi’

Being from Delhi I asked; Oh, so you were in Delhi. Did you like it? My attempt to build bridges wasn’t very successful.

‘Yes, I spent 4 years in Delhi’, he laughed ‘all of them in Thihar, I didn’t get to see much else. I was a political prisoner in the ‘70’s.’

Sensing my discomfort, he continued.

‘I was interrogated in Delhi Cant, they asked me the same question:

- “Why did you join the underground?”

- “Who misguided you?”

‘I have lived through what the government of India has done to the Nagas. I have seen it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears.’

‘The Assam Rifles came to our village, they killed two Gao Bura’s (GB – Village Leaders), they hog tied them and displayed them in the village square. The troop leader mocked them, as they lay there, dead, tied to a bamboo, he told us we would suffer the same fate.’

‘We weren’t scared, we weren’t criminals, we aren’t monkeys, instead of discouraging us it angered us. We are tribal’s, we had to avenge their deaths, so we joint the movement.’

‘If violence begets violence, it was started by the Government of India. They started with the ballot war, but when it failed (first national elections were boycotted by the Nagas), GOI started the bullet war.’

Kaka Iralu, the custodian of Naga history, explained this recurring trend of ‘anger over fear’ to me. It stems from the strong sense of tribal identity prevalent amongst the Naga’s. A Naga is never alone, their motto could very aptly be “all for one and one for all”. ‘We know our obligation, our duty to the tribe. If a Naga is killed by an outsider, ‘it is our duty to avenge his death.’ Maybe if the Indian forces were aware of this tribal mindset, they would not have perused the path of ‘fear through example’.

How did the Naga People’s Movement begin?

‘Nagas have a strange history, we have been described as naked backward head hunters. We were head hunters, there is proof of that, and until very recently (1966 Mon district) we were naked, but backward I don’t think so.’

He stops, smiles, takes a sip of tea and continues.

‘I would argue with Phizo that though we couldn’t read and write, we weren’t backward because we as Naga’s realised that we were independent and fought for our freedom. Though our neighbours the Khasis and Manipuri’s were more educated then us, they were less politically aware. Our demand for freedom began well before India’s independence in 1947.’

A brief over view of the origin of Naga People’s Movement

Inspired by the nationalistic fervour of Europe, the Naga workers returned from France and in 1918 took the first steps to create a unified Naga identity, the Naga Club. The ball was rolling, work was on to create a greater Naga identity, develop a feeling of oneness amongst the tribes. As time progressed, the Naga Club gave way to the Naga National Council and the internal process of unification to an external demand for freedom. Sighting religion, race, traditions, customs and language as irreconcilable difference with India, they demanded that the British do justice by them. Logic being, pre – British, they were independent, the British conquered and ruled them directly, therefore post British they should be left as they were, independent.

I have heard the NNC received training and support from the Chinese, is that true?

‘If you want peace prepare for war. The government of India used ‘peace talks’ (GOI offered general amnesty 1957-58) to buy time to close in on us, but before they did, we went to China (1967-68).’

Previously to expand the Naga movement from a political to a military domain, the NNC had reached out to Pakistan. They ventured across the border and received arms and ‘action’ training in East Pakistan, 1963-64.

‘General Mo (President FGN) and I suggested that we send our boys to China. May be since I suggested it I was asked to go. We set off with old maps, a compass and just our faith in God, that we would reach China.’

How did you go to China?

‘People still wonder how we went, they ask, was it by car, bike, plane, train? How do you think we went?’

Not sure if it was a rhetorical question, I remained silent with an expression of frozen ‘intelligence’.

‘We walked, moving from village to village through Burma. Villages on the map weren’t on ground, those on ground weren’t in the map. Hunted by the Indian and Burmese army we posed as a Peace mission. We received food, shelter and support from the locals. It was when we reached the Hokang valley in Burma that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) took us under their wing and guided us to China.’

Oblivious to the Chinese, Th. Muivah, Lt. Gen. Keyho and over a hundred soldiers of the Naga Army walked towards China. With their faith in God and the belief that with China’s help they could militarily defeat the Indian Army, they walked.

To be continued...