National anthem played in Nagaland Assembly

Nagaland is in news ! .. .. looking back a few years ago, we might read some wrong unpleasant news about this place, not any longer. 

Last week (on 16.2.2021) a train engine arrived from Dhansiri railway station, Assam to Dhansiripar railway station, in Dimapur  .. .. it was North East Frontier Railway (NFR) carrying  out its first trial run of the train engine along the Dhansiri-Shukovi (Dimapur-Zubza) railway track. In a tweet, PHE minister Jacob Zhimomi welcomed the development, saying “The first train arrived in Dhansiripar railway station from Dhansiri,   Welcome to Nagaland!.”

Dhansiri is the main river of Golaghat District of Assam and the Dimapur District of Nagaland. It originates from Laisang peak of Nagaland. It flows through a distance of 352 kilometres (219 mi) from south to north before joining the Brahmaputra on its south bank. Its total catchment area is 1,220 square kilometres (470 sq mi).

The seventh session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), which got underway on February 12, ended before schedule on Friday with its share of a new tradition.   Nagaland observed its 58th foundation day today. A muted event with strict Covid-19 protocols marked the celebrations in the state capital of Kohima. Chief minister Neiphiu Rio greeted the people of the state and paid rich tributes to the leaders, whose determination ensured the creation of Nagaland state with special Constitutional provisions as the 16th state of the Union of India on December 1, 1963. He received the general salute from a five-team parade contingent at the Civil Secretariat Plaza in Kohima.

The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War.  The battle is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".  The place of occurrence,  Nagaland in North East India borders Assom,  Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Burma.  The state is inhabited by 16 tribes, each tribe is unique in character with its own distinct customs, language and dress. The state has experienced insurgency as well as inter-ethnic conflict since the 1950s.

Digging some my earlier posts – in 2017 there was this abysmal performance in the game of Cricket.  For the first time,   Nagaland and five other north-eastern states of India - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim – had been  cleared to participate in the BCCI's Under-19 women's tournament along with Bihar, through the addition of Under-19 North-East Championship, specifically for these states. Nagaland made it to the Super League stage after finishing second in the North-East Championship, behind Bihar. Most players in the Nagaland team were  15- and 16-year-olds.  The BCCI’s U-19 women’s one-day super league match between Kerala and Nagaland on Friday ended in farce as the Northeastern state was shot out for just two runs with as many nine batters getting out for duck,  Electing to bat after winning the toss, Nagaland were all out for just 2 runs from 17 overs in an astonishing display. Opener Menka scored one run (off 18 balls) from the only scoring shot of the innings in the Group B match at JKC college ground.  

In feb 2013,  there was news of  Nagaland Home Minister Imkong L Imchen being detained near Wokha district for allegedly carrying a cache of arms and ammunition and Rs 1.10 crore in cash in a vehicle.  It was reported that Imchen was going to his constituency Koridanga in Mokokchung district from Kohima when Assam Rifles personnel conducting search of vehicles near Wokha district found the arms and ammunition, liquor and cash, the sources said.  1 Crore was just a coincidence ! ~ couple of  days earlier, newspapers reported that  an Election Commission surveillance team had seized Rs one crore cash from a helicopter allegedly being used by a candidate of the Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF) in Nagaland. A team of EC-appointed observers seized the cash from a chopper, which was allegedly hired to ferry Nyemli Phom, who contested  Assembly polls from a constituency in Longleng district.  

In 2011, Nagaland was in news for continuous blockage of the arterial National Highway.  The then  Central Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs did not initiate action for 100 days – perhaps  believing that something would happen on its own by mere issuance of statements !! National Highway 39 (NH 39) starts from Numaligarh, Assam and ends at Indo-Myanmar Border. It covers a distance of 436 km (271 mi), of which 115 km (71 mi) is in Assam, 100 km (62 mi) is in Nagaland and 211 km (131 mi) is in Manipur.

Now, for the first time in 58 years, the National Anthem was played in the Nagaland Assembly session. It was played both before and after Nagaland Governor RN Ravi addressed the 7th Session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on February 12, 2021. This happened for the first time since Nagaland got statehood on December 1, 1963, that the National Anthem was played in the House.  This rare event was shared by the security analyst Nitin A Gokhale on his Twitter. He urged people to watch the video and informed them this was played the very first time National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was played in Nagaland Assembly since December 1, 1963.

The emblem of Nagaland is a circular seal depicting a Mithun bison standing on a green hilly landscape, surrounded by the motto "Unity" and the words "Government of Nagaland".  The gayal (Bos frontalis), also known as mithun, is a large domestic bovine distributed in Northeast India.  This emblem was designed by local artist Merimvu Doulo and was officially adopted in August 2005.

Interesting ! 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
21/2/2021