A Poem for my Daughter

now 4 years old... but the writings on the wall still remains!

 My dear daughter, you turned two today.

It feels like you were just born yesterday.

Life has been a joyride ever since you came,

And I know my world will never be the same.

I still remember the anticipation of those forty weeks and later;

We wondered how you'd look like, who you'd take after.

Funny as it may sound, we prayed for my nose and Mama's eyes;

Though it wasn't to be, I know God has his own ways.

When you came, with nervousness and excitement I held you in my arms;

Your innocent smile lit my world and I prayed that you'd be far from harms.

So full of life you grew up right before our eyes;

Every waking moment or asleep you keep us delighted always.

Now you're everywhere, every time discovering some new ventures;

The walls of the house have your unique signatures.

You drop anything that gets to you hand, hoping to see it bounce like a ball;

You jump from every height, not bothered that you'd be hurt when you fall.

It feels as though days and months only add to make you

The centre of attraction and the one who cheers everyone too.

Tomorrow and the days to come you'll still be my star to stay.

Mama and papa loves you. Happy birthday!

Dated: 22-11-2012

On second birthday

kungfu panda (her favourite animation movie at the time) cake

father's day card she made for me in her sunday school

Easterine Kire’s The Log-Drummer Boy and Children’s Literature (From a Naga Perspective)

I was much delighted to see the publication of Easterine Kire’s The Log-Drummer Boy. Not just because it was written by a foremost Naga writer writing in English and somebody I really admire, but also because I had always wished for the day when I’d see children's books based on our own culture and tradition. The book has a simple narrative structure, but captivating enough to interest adult readers too! (Somehow, and strange enough, it is often the adult readers who are engrossed with the so-called “children’s books” and rushes to watch “children’s movies”! Perhaps, it is the child’s fantasy in all of us that refuses to die with age.) The book opened to introduce us to two young children who begged their grandmother-storyteller to tell them “another” story. Relenting to them, the story she went to tell was about a young boy named Nokcha, who lived with his grandparents, and had a fascination for the log drums. His grandfather, one of the log-drummers in the village, instantly recognized the latent talent in the boy. And so, the young boy of seven was enthralled one day when his grandfather decided to make him a small log drum. Since then he would practice beating the drum into different rhythm. In olden times, the log drum was an important item for the people as it could be used to announce war or announce a big festival. People could recognize the rhythm of the beat and accordingly be alerted. One day, during the time of harvest, Nokcha could not accompany his grandparents to the field because he had sprained his ankle. It so happened that on that day the enemy warriors were waiting to lay siege on the village. Those were the days of warring against each other. Alarmed at the impending threat and prompted by his caretaker-of-the-day, an old woman, the boy ran to where spot where the log drum was kept and “beat out a warning beat very rapidly, his little hands moving fast as he could manage”. The sudden sound of the log drum surprised even the enemy for they thought there was no one in the village. It sounded like almost a dozen of men beating the drums. The alerted villagers ran back to the village and enemy ran off, some of whom even fell into the hand of the villagers. That day the boy saved the village from being attacked. And the entire village praised him and made him an honorary drummer.

Books, whether they are part of the school curriculum or not, certainly shape a child’s outlook. Therefore, there is an increasing need to introduce children to books that will be constructive and not just supply them with whatever is available. In our context today, the influence that comes from those that children read apart from the school curriculum is huge. What we read in our leisure time can shape our thinking to a large extend. But what is given to us in school form the basis of knowledge. One cannot deny that the impact that institutionally transmitted knowledge has in our attitudes to everything around us. It comes almost naturally to any child to accept the formally taught materials in the school as complete knowledge. As fertile as a child’s mind is, anything sown in it can grow well.
Somehow, we all imitate or live out what we have seen or read when we were young. For instance, consider the kinds of books we read during childhood. I’m sure it is a shared experience for children growing up in the eighties and nineties of the last century when for most part of our early schools years the kind of stories that interested us were limited to the few comic books available to us; Western ones like Superman, He-man, Phantom, Batman, Tintin, Commando War comics, etc. and Indian ones like Tinkle Digest and other Amar Chitra Katha series on Indian myths/epics, Chacha Chaudhary and other picture stories and comics. Later on, one would slowly graduate to the Archie’s comics and the various photo romance magazines. Strangely, during those days, I don’t remember having read any story or comic strips based on our folktales. [One may, of course, say that Tinkle comics incorporated some folktales from the Northeast and other tribal communities from various parts of the country, but if I’m not wrong it came to be seen in the much later editions.] Thus, being exposed to materials with no connections to my culture, for a long time I considered my cultural items ‘unimportant’ and even being ‘ashamed’ of being identified with them. And by being ‘western’ in my style and outlook, I mistook it for being ‘modern’. I’m sure many of you had that experience. It took years for me to ‘unlearn’ many of what I’ve learned through ‘institutions’ and redeem a sense of dignity in my own culture.

The Log-Drummer Boy came at a much needed time. The young Nagas are living in a time when there is a sense of cultural loss because we’ve only being taught with materials that are foreign to us for all these time. And yet, in a way, the younger generation cannot really be blamed for possessing too little knowledge of culture and tradition. The educational materials that we have been exposed to through out our school life have no links with their own history and culture. Thus, by being not included in the educational curriculum, a message gets passed on that sources from the oral tradition do not fit as materials to be learned or taught. This attitude can be traced to the early years of Christianization, the missionary run schools/institutes being the main source of modern/western education. Though it may have seemed inevitable then, for various reasons though debatable, we’ve reached a stage now where there is potential in creating an indigenous knowledge database. We can start by incorporating children’s book like The Log-Drummer Boy into our school curriculum and encourage production/writing of books like that. (Of course, I understand that there is incorporation of writings by various Naga writers at different levels in the school syllabus, that is laudable). In the case of the book under discussion, the cultural content of the book can help children appreciate our tradition, and in a good way preserve various cultural markers of the society. Undeniably, Nagas have too long depreciated our own culture by thinking that there is hardly any value. But that is not true. There are lots of things that we need to know of our culture, not just to uplift our cultural identity but also because they were part of what made us a people till today.

Often we consider our old storytelling tradition as a kind of time pass activity, merely to listen and enjoy. But it does much more than that. The stories are narrated and songs sung with certain coded message to teach life’s lessons or tell us about people’s history and culture. For instance, in The Log-Drummer Boy, we were informed that in the olden days “the log drum” is considered to be “a spirit and that it protects the village. That is why we respect it and give it honour.” Besides, the grandmother, while telling the story, went on to explain the important functions of the log drum those days and the different motifs labelled on it, representing different symbols and meanings. Being from an oral tradition, the songs and stories are repositories of our rich cultural heritage. And the storytellers hold big responsibilities of passing down information accurately and the wisdom of the forefathers kept when they tell stories. Yet, sad but true, for most Nagas it is only at the research level where we become conscious of the disconnect with our culture. And then we begin to find topics of study to recover, or make an effort to reclaim, the loss. But by the time we move into the field to gather materials, we’re faced with the unfortunate predicament of the scarcity of what we’re looking for. One of the most regrettable losses, I think, is the almost complete disappearance of our culture specific songs and stories.

The inclusion of The Log-Drummer Boy and other similar books into the school syllabus will not only help younger generation of Nagas appreciate our culture but also restore a sense of dignity in who we are. On a personal note, I was very much encouraged to find that the book was published in collaboration with Fernwood School. Though I don’t know the school personally, it is heart warming to see that at least schools (hoping that there are more schools) are taking interest in promoting books like that. I’m sure such an effort by schools will go a long way in imparting cultural values to the budding minds. And of course, there’s the wonderful illustration by Canato Jimo (My daughter loves the cute illustrations!) I hope we’ll see more of it! Easterine Kire is one of the most prolific writers among Nagas writing in English. She is the acclaimed writer of A Terrible Matriarchy (Zubaan 2007, second edition 2013), which was also among the selected books by the government of India to be translated into the six UNESCO languages in 2011. Her novel Mari (Harper Collins 2010) has also been translated into German, her novel Bitter Wormwood (Zubaan 2011) was shortlisted for the Hindu Lit Prize 2013, and her latest novel When The River Sleeps (Zubaan 2014) traces its source to the rich oral tradition of the Nagas. Through her writings a lot more of the Naga story is heard by others from many parts of the world. The Catalan prize for free voice which she won last year (2013) is a commendation of how her work is speaking for a people whose stories have long being subdued. Her initiative for a publishing house, Barkweaver, along with a couple of others is aimed at promoting our stories and songs. And in the recent years Barkweaver has published many people centric story book including Naga Folktales Retold, Forest Song, Life on Hold, Different Strokes (again another book that can be of great help for schools with study guides for teachers and parents), two children’s books, Once in Faraway Dorg and Dinkypu and her latest book of poems My Book of Angels (all authored by Easterine Kire).

Book Details:
The Log Drummer Boy 
Author: Easterine Kire
Illustrator: Canato Jimo
Publisher: Barkweaver
Year of Publication: 2013
Pages: 40
(The book can be ordered online at www.ilandlo.com)

(This review is a slightly improved version of the one that first appeared in Eastern Mirror, 4 April, 2014)

A Post-Christmas Musing

Another year has come to an end. Another Christmas is behind us. Has this Christmas been any different from the ones gone before it? Or is there anything new at all to learn of Christmas? Each year, there's the ritual of enacting the nativity scene at churches, retelling the story of the birth of Jesus and then feast after feast! I'm sure for most of us, the message of Christmas is a stale one. Perhaps, there is more excitement on what would be the menu for the feasts, how to decorate the Christmas tree better, and friends and families to catch up on, rather than celebrate the birth of our Saviour. To make things worse, by writing another piece on Christmas, even after Christmas, I'm giving you an overdose of it! But bear with me, and allow me to take this opportunity to narrate something I've learned just recently. At a Bible study group some weeks before Christmas, I was hit by the question, “What is your worldview of Christmas?” Now, that, I thought, was something to think about. After all, Christmas symbolizes God coming to dwell with human beings – the end of men's wait for the Messiah and the beginning of a new era. Undeniably, we all have our 'worldview' on virtually every topic on earth, whether we realize it or not, from political to sports to social to economic issues. But, as Christians, it is pertinent to ask, “Is my worldview Biblical?”

For many Christmases, it never dawned on me that I may have constructed a different kind of a Christmas story from all the influences I have had since my childhood days. The Christmas cards, the Sunday school stories, picture books, etc. paints different pictures of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and they certainly influence us. As children those things were quite helpful in making us understand the Christmas story in some ways. The problem, however, is that we have not grown beyond such stories. Somehow, we assume that there's nothing more to learn of the Christmas story. But if we closely look into the biblical narrative of Jesus' birth, many of what we believe could be wrong or ill-supposed. Take, for instance, the classic Christmas card image that shows the newborn Jesus placed naked on the feeding trough (manger) in a brightly lit cosy stable, the Magi with their exotic gifts, the shepherds staring at the baby in wonder, Mary and Joseph with a contended look and the animals at the shelter peeping at the strange event. And yes, the star that guided the Magi shining bright above them and the heavenly choir of angels swarming the scene! That is, indeed, a fairy tale picture. And we thought that was really the scenario.

Unfortunately, that is a very flawed depiction of the birth of Christ. First of all, the bare baby on a manger would never be an accurate picture. The Bible mentions that “She (Mary) wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger” (Luke 2: 7). Who would have imagined a newborn baby to be placed half-naked on a cold winter night, that too on a bed of straw? Secondly, unlike the cosy scene of the stable, it would have been a dark, dirty and deserted place. Because of the pictorial depiction of baby Jesus on a feeding trough of wood, we thought that was the manger. However, commentary points out that stables are often caves with feeding troughs carved out of rock walls, which are also used to feed wild animals. The scene could have been on the outskirt of the town vicinity, somewhere where harsh wind blow. Joseph and Mary must have tried hard to keep themselves warm. Now, that would not be a pleasant picture for Christmas card. The first place to introduce our Lord Jesus was somewhere no one would expect. No wonder, the Jews couldn't digest the fact that their Messiah could be born so lowly. Some may wonder, “What could have driven Joseph and Mary to the fringe of Bethlehem?” The mention that they could not find room in the inn also suggest that the little town of Bethlehem could have been buzzing with people around that time, as people like them would have come from different places to register in the census according to the decree by Caesar (Luke 2: 1-3). Poor people like them would obviously be out of favour when there were limited rooms. Besides, the late arrival because of Mary's pregnancy might also made them run out of luck in finding a suitable place. The uninhabited animal shelter house seems to be the only option for them. And by the way, there is no mention of cattle in the stable. Most likely Joseph and Mary found it suitable because it was deserted by animals.

Thirdly, the Magi didn't visit baby Jesus at the manger unlike popular belief. Matthew 2: 11 says, “On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him...” (Note that it was a 'house' not a 'stable') When the Magi came visiting Jesus was most likely 2 (two) years of age or little lesser, as commentary suggested. Thus, Herod's order “to kill all they boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under” (Matt. 2: 16) was also based on the information given him by the Magi. Jesus and parents probably moved into a proper 'house', suggesting that they might have even thought of settling down in Bethlehem, after all it was Joseph's hometown. Besides, the Magi weren't kings, as many would have believed, and we don't even know how many there were or where they were from. At best, identifying them as 'wise men from the east' could be the closest interpretation. They could have been Jewish remnants of the Babylonian exile, or they could have astrologers or scholars of ancient manuscript, or even could be from different lands. However, the identification of the three gifts heightened the belief that there might have been three of them. But there could have been more gifts and the mention of only three could have been Matthew's purpose to symbolize Christ's identity and what he would accomplish – gold for royalty, incense for priesthood and myrrh, a spice to be used in death.

And though we would have imagined Joseph and Mary to be happy at the birth of Jesus, I wonder if their happiness would have lasted. Sooner, the reality of having to bring their first-born child into the world as would an animal surely would have brought many questions to their minds. Why would God want his Son to be born in a forsaken edge of the world? Wouldn't he have provided somewhere more humane at least to usher in the Saviour of the world? Did Mary imagined that the special child promised by the Holy Spirit would be born that way? Did Joseph began to doubt the dream he dreamt? For most part of my life, the picture of the brightly lit cosy stable has been the picture of Christmas in my mind. And all the wonderfully decorated nativity scene enacted everywhere during Christmas season boosted that mindset. Today, Christmas is more of commercial than spiritual celebration, especially in big towns and cities. Everybody celebrates Christmas. But for most people, it is about installing beautifully decorated Christmas tree and Santa Claus with his white beard and red clothes. Jesus, the reason for Christmas, is nowhere near the scene. That is something to be bothered. If we let non-Christians get away by thinking that Christmas is about the brightly-lit-Christmas-tree and the gift-giving-Santa-Claus, then we're failing as a Christian! But before we get into that we need to get the Christmas story 'right'.

Is Christmas something of importance to you? If yes, what is the source of your Christmas story? Is it the Sunday school narratives or the story which the pastor once told on Christmas or the Christmas card pictures or the nativity scene enacted somewhere or the Bible? The Bible is the only authentic source of the story of Jesus. It is important that we read it and try to understand it for all its worth. What we hear may not always be the 'right' story, we need to verify its truth from the Bible. Often we only scheme through it and not study it. That is a problem. If we want to live a fruitful Christian life, we ought to carefully observe what is written in the Bible and apply it into our lives.

That said, however, it is difficult to get the whole picture of the birth of Jesus because the Bible didn't record the entire narrative. It is, then, left for our imagination to fill those gaps. And that is very challenging. Because we may not get the accurate picture. It is understandable that all the pictorial depictions of the biblical narratives are creatively done, but they may also be not all 'rightly' done, like the Magi visiting the baby Jesus at the manger. Now, I'm not trying to condemn all the picture story books on Christmas or even other stories of the Bible. All I'm concerned is what kind of sources inform you about the various stories. Do we accept the story of Jesus' birth as enacted somewhere or do we look into the Bible to see what's written? The untold stories of Jesus' growing up years could be a good storyline for some to recreate, but it could become heretic if we don't study biblical history properly. We all bear testimony of our Christian life wherever we are. Therefore, we ought to be responsible people. As a parent, I've realized that I need to be more aware of what kinds of information gets passed on to my daughter. Often I get tempted to pick any nice-looking book without looking into what could be the motive within. But that would be a mistake. My experience is that a child's mind is like a sponge, it can absorb everything. So also, how we tell Bible stories to children becomes a matter of importance. We all are living proof of that. Part of growing up in life is also to 'unlearn' many things. Though we've just celebrated Christmas, perhaps we could just re-read the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke and see if your 'worldview' of Christmas is in tune with the Biblical narrative.

Who says boys don’t cook?

This article is not something on ‘cooking’ as some may have thought on seeing the title. On the contrary, this piece of writing intends to question some of the stereotypes in the largely Christianized Naga society that are carried forward without qualms as they are deeply imbibed in our culture. Like the notion that matter of the kitchen is a woman’s job alone. At times, we love our culture too much that we fail to do what is right in the eyes of God. Though there are many examples that can be considered, I shall only take ‘cooking’ as a metaphor to understand why the denial of ‘equality’ to women in our everyday activities is a denial of justice to a person ‘created’ in God’s own image.

Once I came across a girl who said, “You know, I used to hear that my brother cooks really well, but ever since I started staying with him he has not bothered to step into the kitchen!” Of course, the brother had the excuse of holding a job besides being the older sibling. But raised in typical patriarchal set up like ours, it becomes unimaginable for boys to be in the kitchen when girls are around. Boys’ business seems to be sporting around the whole day and ordering for food the moment they step into the house with a hungry stomach. The girls are expected to take care of all the nerve breaking in-and-around-the-house chores with their mothers as though they were just born to do that. How often do we overlook the burden of women?

However, there is huge visible change once boys and girls step outside of their homes, for studies and other purposes. (I take my experience of staying in Delhi as a reference point). But like acquired habits that die hard there is the tendency for boys to fall back to the system of letting-the-sisters-do-all while they laze around. The level of reluctance is higher with boys staying with sisters. The instance mentioned above can be taken as an illustration. Our boys are a spoiled lot. And often, girls have joined in to spoil them too, sadly. How? Often when we just don the cultural mental without inquiring its validity with the changing times, we are blinded from seeing what is ‘right’. We need to be able to look beyond ‘culture and tradition’ as they are not absolutes but subject to change with times since they are also mere human inventions established to suit certain period in the past. Their relevance need to be probed if we want to see an unbiased society. One good way to start with is at home.

The saying “Charity begins at home” is a hackneyed old adage that we don’t really care about its meaning today. Yet, we can draw wonderful inspirations from it in our daily walk of life. Study says that children who grow up in violent homes become more violent later in life. And most often, stereotypes are first acquired at home; a boy who never see his father do household chores or step into the kitchen will grow up with such mentality. Sometimes, we don’t allow our children to grow up with the actual potentials in them. We always try to ‘make’ something out of them; girls have to be these, boys have to be that, etc. So much so that we reduce our girls to be feeble, docile, fearful, etc. while boys are taught to be tough, rough, fearless, etc. There is nothing wrong in girls climbing trees or boys fetching water for the kitchen. Yet, a girl who is tomboyish is still befriended but loathes a boy who is sissy! Somehow our society has created a deep divide out of what ‘should’ be for boys and girls that we have lost the ‘right’ sense.

We all know that mannerisms acquired within the home are displayed in the open. Or in other words, you become what you are taught to be. So often I feel saddened to see many women think so lowly of themselves, especially among non-educated village folks. But then, I also realize that it is not them but the society that has made them the way they are. In most homes even today, the boys are placed at an advantage in everything. From the dining table to the school. Just scan around, most men in our society who are standing tall today in various fields have attained that status of sacrifices of their sisters. It may sound contemptuous but it’s true. Yet, we see only the glory of the men and not the sweats of women. I can most assuredly say that if those women who toil in the fields back home were given the opportunity to go to schools like their brothers they would be seeing glory today!

Having mentioned the shortcomings in our society, there are things interesting also. We also have a wonderful tradition. In times of feast it is the men who take more responsibility in cooking large pots, and even serve. How more wonderful it would be if we could also translate that into our homes and ‘share’ responsibilities in the kitchen too! Yet, ours isn’t the only society that needs to re-think. It’s ‘advantage men’ in most societies. Often, outside of home the most visible ‘chefs’ are men, and yet, at home we designate women as ‘cooks’! That itself shows the extent of how reluctant we are to allow women to take the place of honour. If women are masters of the kitchen, they should be crowned ‘chefs’ of all mankind!

The way I see it, the challenge for our generation is enormous when it comes to striving for equality. We talk so much of ‘justice’ and pray that it is achieved in the world. But have we forgotten that ‘justice’ should first prevail at home? And it makes more sense that a society like ours that claim to be ‘Christian’ by persuasion, heed the Bible and treat both male and female alike because they are both ‘created in the image of God’. If our culture and tradition has handed down to us a system that does not place men and women at equal footing, we need to rectify it and do the ‘right’ thing. Christian families should take the lead in facilitating ‘equality’ at home by treating both boys and girls at par in everything. The words we use, the objects we offer and the action we commit to our children becomes the hallmark of ushering ‘justice’ to prevail at home and the world.


(An earlier version of this article appeared in 2012 DZIILA anniversary issue of PBCD and Eastern Mirror newspaper, August 2012)

Misunderstood Prestige: Rethinking Employment and the Dignity of Labour

Our attitude towards the everyday life is shaped to a large extend by the dominant ideas of the society we live in. The society dictate the individual’s mind on what is respectable, praiseworthy, decent, honourable and what is undignified, immoral, devalued. As long as we are ‘within’ the society the chances of seeing otherwise is very thin. And in a close-knit society like ours the individual’s development is vitally hinged on the social environment. Look at the scenario in our society today, there is a ‘new’ denomination to settle things: money. You have to literally pay your way up to get things done. It doesn’t seem peculiar anymore since most people have gotten used to the system. The “everybody’s doing it, so what’s the harm” attitude has muted the possible guilt feeling in everyone’s conscience. But, is a ‘wrong’ justified because everyone’s doing it?

What most people do not realize is that this ‘new’ moral standard will seriously harm the society in the long run. In course of time, we have not only assign values to those that give better monetary return but also demeaned those that are humble yet sustainable with dignity. A phenomenon which needs urgent address in our society is the issue of ‘employment.’ Though unemployment percentage may not be alarming at the moment, there is a high risk of rise in numbers of not only ‘uneducated’ unemployed but also of ‘educated’ unemployed. It is disheartening to see that “fairness” is being demoted from the vocabulary of the people when it comes to seeking jobs. And when ‘money’ is the determinant in employment the dividing line between different kinds of jobs become wider.

One fault-line that has taken root in the mentality of the people in our society is the way ‘government’ jobs are delegated superior status as compared to ‘self-employed’ or ‘private’ jobs. And unfortunately, this ‘traditional’ thinking is even inflated by the current money value attached to those professions. We can perceive this from the way people scramble for ’government’ jobs. Sad but true, many people still thinks the term ‘job’ is applicable only to those who are employed in the government sector, while the others are all categorized ‘unemployed’! This ‘typical’ mindset is exhibited by the kind of response we receive from people when asked what they do. They just shy away from telling the truth and say, “Ah! I do nothing”, or “I’m unemployed.” In effect, what they mean is that they do not have a government job. They may be privately employed somewhere but they don’t count it significant. It may sound very casual but it is in these small talks that we understand the ‘value’ we attach to jobs.

Accidentally, this way of thinking seems to have found its way even into the minds of those who are considered to be ‘educated’. In my many years of stay here in Delhi, I’ve met many people from our community employed in different organizations and in different capacities. And year after year, I have observed an intriguing situation shared by many in the way they perceive their own profession. Most people employed elsewhere other than the ‘government’ sector appear uneasy admitting that they work in BPOs or sales and marketing or other ‘private’ organizations. Why so? Are those jobs not paid good enough? They are. In fact, most corporate ‘jobs’ are lucrative and promises high growth prospect. And, most private organizations provide better packages and are attracting talents. Are they not sustainable? They are. Most ‘private’ organizations have welfare schemes which are even better and more efficient than the many ‘government’ sectors! And yet, at the back of our mind we still think ‘government’ jobs are more ‘respectable’. That is not necessarily true. What matters is how we pre-conceptualize ‘occupation’ in our mind.

While many of us have changed our outlook on this issue because of our exposure to the ‘worlds’ outside, the majority still have the ‘traditional’ opinion. This can be verified by the picture we see even in the city of Delhi. Most students who come here in pursuance of their academic future hope to take public examination to get through a ‘government’ job as first preference. Options elsewhere are sought only after. Somehow, the tag a ‘government job’ is ‘super-special’! But how and why has this concept taken root in our way of thinking? Perhaps, we need retrospection…

Once upon a time, getting a ‘government’ job was the ultimate. A steady income flowing into your account regardless of your work and backed by a pension scheme to sustain your family even after you’re gone made it very attractive. But that glory days are gone. Now the ‘old’ pension system does not apply anymore in the government sector too (for those who are not informed yet). What’s more, with the liberalization of the nation’s economy, private competitors are surging ahead in all spheres. You can see the reality in the brands that are in the market across the cities. However, the story is not the same everywhere. The rural areas are yet to see the change, but it’s surely coming sooner than later. We can already see this in the mobile telecommunication systems. Even in our part of the world, the private telecom services have given a tough competition to the once sole provider, BSNL.

We need new perspectives on things we see around us. One of the biggest corruptions in our society is triggered by our ‘over-dependence’ on the government. Everybody is running after government job, government scheme, government subsidy, government, government, government… Why are people after them? Because they do not want to ‘work’ but want to enjoy the privileges. They do not want to go to office but want the salary. Everyone is all out to make money the easy way. And they think the government is the best bet. That’s why the government jobs are on sale! Only the highest bidder gets it. Who bothers the qualification? With money everything is in your reach, believe it or not. The way things are getting done in our state is staggering!

Is there a way out to set things right again? Yes, there are ways. First, we need to make a conscious effort to dissuade ourselves from the negative attitudes we have built up in perceiving private or self-employments vis-à-vis government jobs. The ‘money’ tag in the jobs available in our society has devalued the humble jobs out of which many people make a living. Anyone in the profession, high paying or not, needs appreciation. Our income level may not be uniform everyday or every month, yet that does not define the value of a person. The arrogant attitude to measure up a person’s worth by the amount of pay he draws has to be done away with. The recognition of private or self-employed people in the society as respectable workers can produce sustainable growth in a positive way.

There is, however, a critical assessment required in the job condition of the privately employed. Of course, there are not much private jobs besides teaching in private schools, but consider their plight; with no job security prospect, the pay too meager and the liability of them been ejected anytime makes the profession less attractive. Certainly, the private institutions cannot out-pay the government but they can make certain amenities so as to provide sustainable security of employment and safeguarding their rights. Though there are not much private organizations at for now, we can hope to see them coming soon. A transparent and well-structured organization can attract talented people as employees. As for those who are self-employed there is brighter prospect. Since they take business to their own hand the growth prospect is higher. And yet, only few options are explored by our people. There are some who are into merchandising or run small retail shops, but we need to venture into more of the small scale businesses that may not require big investments like art & craft, cobbling, health & beauty, cafeteria, etc. These enterprises may not give high return instantly but they can be steady, secure and marked with positive growth.

Secondly, we need to revive the sense in the dignity of labour. All jobs deserve respect. Any worker ought to treat his tools and fields with certain sense of reverence for it is by them that he realizes the final result. Whether you are a teacher or a carpenter or a business person or a cultivator you ought to treat the job with dignity because you earn your livelihood by it. There are so many pursuable professions in our society which most people ignore because we look at them as lowly or too ordinary. Take for example, cobblers, barbers, carpenters, etc. Why aren’t our people taking up such professions? Because those jobs are apportioned low value by the society. It’s not that they do not earn. In fact, if you observe the work of a cobbler or a barber closely, say at Senapati town, it is not laborious or taxing and for sure they would be earning 300-400 per day on an average. Ironically, the pompous attitude of our people would not allow them to merely “cut somebody’s hair” or “mend someone’s shoe”; they’d rather toil in the ‘ancestral’ field the whole day though barely manage to fill his family members’ hungry stomachs at the end of the day! It’s not that our people do not know cobbling or mending shoes, yet even least of the unemployed fellows would not take such jobs because it is looked upon as ‘inferior’ or ‘debase’ or even equated with ‘slavery’!

Coincidentally, such mindset is observable even among those who are working away from home, in cities like Delhi. What’s there to be shy or discomfited in declaring what you do? It’s not what you do but what you ‘think’ of the job that dignifies it. Whether you are a salesperson or a customer executive or a manager you should have the self-esteem of holding the position because you derive income through it. What’s there to be deterred about working in private companies, after all, government or non-governmental, most people are employee. We all labour to make a living. The honour of the job depends a lot on who holds it.

Overall, our mental aptitude needs a paradigm shift in understanding ‘employment.’ I believe infusing the dignity in any form of work can add a new meaning to the various opportunities that are available in our society. At the same time, the forms of rampage corruption can be tackled if self-employed or private services are also appropriated the same respect as those of the government employees.

(Published in Morung Express, 7 January, 2015. An earlier version of this article also appeared in the 2011 annual magazine of PNTMD)

‘Standby’ Kids: The case for the ‘Lesser’ Children

In a football team, there are players earmarked to be on the bench as ‘standbys’ or ‘substitutes’ who will only get the chance to play if and only if some players in the first line up are injured or retired due to problems. However expert they may be as players, they may never get the chance to play, not only in a match but the entire season even! Sometimes, preference from the managerial team or coach can result in the formation of ‘substitutes’. And so at times, some players on the bench might sulk for not letting them play because they feel as capable and fit as the ones on the field.

Now, I’d like to take this analogy and match it with the nature of family in our social context (reflections are on the Naga 'Christian' society, in particular). Our family structure, if we critically assess it, is so much like the football team. I know this might even cause to raise eyebrows but allow me to make my arguments. Like the football team, there is occurrence of this kind of sidelining of children as if they are mere ‘standbys’ or ‘substitutes’ (pardon me if my words seems ‘too strong’) who might never get the chance to play as the ‘real’ child, and therefore the problematic presence of ‘preferences’ in the family itself! Some children feel less loved than others. And thereby, the development of some complexes in some children that made them think that they are somehow the ‘lesser’ children of the family.

There’s so much of irrationality that operates in the system that needs to be brought to the fore so that good reason takes its rightful place. What I’m about to suggest here is that we re-examine some attitudes that has taken a deep inroad into our society causing serious stumbling blocks for a better quality of life. There is a sense of unequal treatment in the family too, not necessarily in the form of ill-treatment through physical abuse but by being untreated or unattended to. I can identify two areas that lead to the constitution of what I call the ‘standby’ kids.

On the waiting list:

Oftentimes, I’ve overheard parents saying that they need ‘more’ children ‘in case’ something happens to any of the children. This is more often heard when they have a single child or fewer children. In other words, what they really mean to say is that they want to keep some children as ‘standby’ children lest, God forbid, some tragedy, like death of a child, befalls on the family. And therefore, a cause of large families. While I’m not in any way against family with many children if the family really desires to have and provided they have the required resources to manage the family by providing descent livelihood to all its members, I’m of the opinion that there is a need to consider the family life in proportion to the economic viability of the family. Children are not like material things that you can discard one for the other. Expansion of family size for fear of lost of children ‘prematurely’ or for want of more ‘boys’ is only a matter of ruining the prospect of the family condition. After all, we’re not the author of life. It’s all up to the One above, the Almighty, to decide who should live how long! But God has given each individual the intelligence to analyze each condition and make wise choices even in the matter of family planning.

The ‘girly’ matter:

Another way to tackle over-sized family is to fight for an equal status of boys and girls, starting from within the family. I’m sure there won’t be debates here even if I put it bluntly that one major reason for unnecessary expansion of family is the ‘preference’ for boys over girls. We’re still plagued by the mentality of ‘boys are boys’ like every patriarchal society. But this mentality is primarily due to the value labeled on the two sexes. Boys are considered the pride to the family, the one who will carry on the family bloodline, whereas, girls are treated as mere agents in serving the purpose of the male legacy. Many a time, there is also an unholy encouragement from the clansmen to increase its fold by saying “we’re from a small clan, we need to increase our numbers”. To them I say: “Are we still waging clans’ war that we should treat our children as walls of defense?” This isn’t the time of taking pride in belonging to the biggest clan, village, tribe, etc. Since we live in a patriarchal setting, too little of this issue has been addressed. And unfortunately, there are lots of ‘educated’ ones who still chose to be silent on this subject though it is a clear form of inequality. It should be taken as a subject of urgent need.

Points to ponder before taking the plunge:

In a society like ours where many families are still dependent on full time agricultural works, a thoughtful consideration on the size of family is crucial for economic reasons. Once upon a time, large families might have served a good purpose because, for good or bad, everyone would end up being farmers. More children means more hands, they said. But with the same logic, it is also true that more children means more mouths to feed! Unlike those days, now agriculture is not the only profession available, there are ample avenues to venture into, thanks to opportunities. And since education is a must to find place in this modern time, our perspectives need to change. Bigger families tend to lack behind when it comes to provision of education to their children.

And the fallout of the dilemma faced by family with disproportionate source of income is that there are unavoidable preferences on who should go to school since the family cannot support every child and so the ‘not so bright’ ones gets left out. Though these kids considered ‘not so bright’ might be excelling in other activities, their talents are overlooked. It should also be seen here that the term ‘bright’ is qualified only with the bookish knowledge and hence, an additional sidelining of those that are talented in other fields. And it is possible that these ‘neglected’ children want to, at times, play the spoilsport! Perhaps, even some readers reading this article could relate to this because, if the truth be told, many are born into those conditions!

Agriculture or farming bear its fruit of hard labour in a year’s time, but education is not so. Education requires a long time investment in financial terms. Inability to find adequate financial support is one main reason for the high number of school and college drop outs, not because the concerned kids chose to but to make way for first born(s) to take the privilege. And at times, it’s sad to see meritorious students being compelled to give up studies because of family financial conditions. Our design of family leads to rise of various unwanted situations in our society. A family that is not able to meet the requirements or needs of the children only paves way for undesirable conditions of poverty, which in turn leads to inability to provide basic education and thereby encouraging a vicious cycle of an all round underdevelopment. One should know that developing a healthy human lifestyle is very essential in as much as we need cleaner environment and infrastructural development for our society.

Hope for the future:

We’re a new generation. Gone are the stories that told us that we need to expand and populate the land. But look around what would the next generation after us feed on? Now, we should be able to tell new stories; stories that will encompass hope for a healthy future. Should the old prejudices and biases still fill our imagination? Change in our perspective is what we need to advocate. We’re now a dominantly Christian society, though we still find few pockets of people who haven’t turned to Christianity. But if we look around, many decades of being Christians seems to have done too little good. We’re still too stubbornly holding on to our old worldview as when we were non-Christians. I do not say that there is no change at all; there are few visible ones. And sometimes, I feel if we are even growing to build dividing walls instead of breaking them down. Our old parochial understanding of the world should be ripped apart that we can see beyond our own little domain of the village walls.

(Published in Morung Express, 12 January 2015. An earlier version of this article was first published in 2009 annual magazine of DZIILA, a publication of PBCD)

http://morungexpress.com/standby-kids-the-case-for-the-lesser-children/