Loss of direction

Among all states in the region, Nagaland was the first to be bifurcated from Assam and become a separate state in 1963. Despite the challenging situation then, the new state meandered through to provide hope and peace for progress and prosperity even after failure of talks to resolve the political issue when the first cease fire signed in 1964 was abrogated in August 1972. The journey of progress did not stop but unfortunately, decline began from the late 80s when governance was challenged at various levels leading to stagnation of development. The factors that have throttled free enterprise have today turned Dimapur from being a commercial capital and once the fastest growing town in the north east, to extortion and crime capital. This clearly indicates that there is a growing sub-culture in Dimapur town/city which has systematically destroyed a progressive economic growth and as a result of which, the state which has fallen on bad times since the beginning of the 90s. This sub-culture has been nurtured and became rooted in an environment of almost utter lawlessness for decades and this condition birthed society’s Frankenstein. As an academic exercise, corruption is pure and simple dishonesty while threat comes from defensive fear that reacts violently and even leads to killing. Extortion is worse than theft for it shamelessly thrives on the fear and helplessness of the individual. Rise in drug and sex culture may not be wholly due to peer pressure but simply a lack of a strong moral and ethical regime. In the case with Dimapur in particular and Nagaland in general, the writ of the legally constituted government long ceased to be effective and instead a world of parallel authorities sprung up and thrived due to fear as society was practically taken over by the respective parallel authorities ruling their own fiefdoms. A social milieu resplendent with those who dare dream but who don’t dare lift a finger in a world of dons who are running almost every commercial venture through a criminal syndicate. The anti-social syndrome has gotten worse due to absence of law enforcement and passive resistance to the challenge posed by armed groups. Fear, frustration and violence may individually be an easy-to-see ‘inflammation’ that accompanies a harder-to-see problem within society. Like any illness, the symptoms are usually more visible than the cause itself. One of the factors has been the symbiotic relationship that has spawned a strong nexus between corrupt elements within and outside the government. This has created a political hegemony of corrupt elements who have only enlarged the vicious cycle. Politicians are blamed for all ills but can the people absolve themselves of their roles and responsibilities? It is a serious issue that concerns the moral and ethical crux of society and over which everybody has to share the blame. There is a word which has been coined called ‘asociality’ which explains that moral abyss afflicting contemporary society occurs when people have begun to accept that power is a license to serve personal, family, tribal or selfish political needs above all. Various tribal organisations, need to serious ponder over this issue and contemplate effective response to crimes committed by their fellow members. There are increasing number of Frankensteins living in a widening sub-culture, who are posing very serious threats on civilisation and society is indeed running out of time.