At 3:25 pm on Wednesday, a chopper landed at a newly-made helipad in a village nestled among Manipur’s Naga hills, kicking up a storm of dust towards a gathering, which stood holding pale blue ‘Naga national flag’ in their hands. Once the dust settled, an elderly and visibly frail Thuingaleng Muivah stepped out, assisted by his security entourage, stepping foot in his native village Somdal, in Manipur’s Ukhrul, for the first time in over five decades.
At 91, Muivah remains the face of one of South Asia’s oldest insurgencies, and in these parts, a hero. He joined the Naga National Council back in 1964 to fight for Naga autonomy; went on to form the NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland) in 1980 along with S S Khaplang and Isak Chishi Swu, both of whom have now passed away; entered a ceasefire with the Indian government in 1997; and has since been at the helm of peace talks with the Union.
Now, in the autumn of his life, Muivah has returned to his village – barred to him for a long time by the government – for a week-long visit.
On Wednesday, Muivah made his first halt at the Ukhrul district headquarters along with his wife Pakahao, where a homecoming reception had been organised for “avakharar (the head of the family, in the local Tangkhul dialect)”. V S Atem, the ‘Deputy Ato Kilonser’ or the ‘Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN)’, who has been named Muivah’s successor, delivered a speech on his behalf.
“My revolutionary journey began six decades ago from here in Tangkhul country in 1964. I thank the Lord God Almighty for preserving me and making it possible for me to return to my village Somdal today. But many people whom I knew and who loved me are missing. A generation comes and goes, but the nation stays. The issue we are fighting for is greater and older than most of us who are gathered here at this Tangkhul Naga Long ground today,” said Atem, as Muivah sat with his wife on the dais beside him.
But, after decades of being underground and years of talks with the Union government which have remained in limbo, Muivah’s address also reflected his vexation. He reiterated that a final Naga political settlement would have to be on the lines of the Framework Agreement, signed by the Narendra Modi government in 2015 with the Naga groups amid much fanfare, and would have to recognise a separate Naga flag and constitution.
Last November, the NSCN (I-M) had even threatened to “resume the violent armed resistance against India” in the absence of a final pact based on the Framework Agreement.
“I am persuaded that the Nagas are not lost people. Hence, I and the NSCN/GPRN shall defend and protect the Nagalim unique history, Nagalim sovereignty, Nagalim territory, and the non-negotiable Naga national flag and the Naga national constitution to the last, come what may. Lest we forget! Nagalim and the freedom of the Naga people are a gift given by the Almighty God… for which hundreds and thousands of Nagalim freedom fighters have sacrificed their lives,” Atem read out.
Significantly, among those present at the reception were representatives of at least three prominent Meitei pressure groups – COCOMI, AMUCO and FOCS. The Meiteis have long had a fraught relationship with the Naga movement because the idea of a ‘unified Naga homeland’ – or Nagalim – includes the stretches of land in Manipur inhabited by the Nagas, who are the state’s second largest ethnic group after them.
In fact, Muivah’s last attempt to visit Somdal in 2010 was thwarted by the then Manipur government – led by the Congress’s Okram Ibobi Singh – which denied him entry into the state. Fifteen years later, Manipur is battling a new conflict, between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos, while Muivah’s age and stature mean he can be put on a different pedestal, above ethnic divides.
After the Ukhrul reception, the entourage travelled to Somdal, around 22 km away from the district headquarters. At the village that is home to a population of around 4,500, Muivah’s younger brother Asui – who is in his eighties – is his only surviving sibling. Two other brothers, Shangreihan and James, and sister Longrungla passed away during his long absence.
While the news of Muivah’s visit came about a fortnight ago, the preparations in Somdal have been on for a month. The helipad on which his chopper landed was laid by village volunteers, at the site of an old church, and completed only two days before the visit. Muivah will remain in the village till October 29, and stay at ‘Gethsemane,’ a refurbished prayer hall.
A statue of Muivah and his wife stands along the village’s arterial road, also a recent addition. “He is an inspiration for all, young and old… not only for this village but for all Nagas… Which is why young and old have gathered today to welcome him home,” said Sameon Muinao, a village elder.
Muinao, who is 76, said he distinctly remembers a class Muivah conducted as a teacher before he left to join the Naga movement. “I was in Class 4… Avakharar wrote on the blackboard ‘What is your name’, and asked us if what he wrote was correct. We all said it was correct, but he told us we were all wrong because he had not added a question mark. We were all delighted. And that’s the first thing I think about when I see him or hear him… When I became a teenager, avakharar taught us what being brave is, and that we must serve our motherland,” Muinao said.
Thungreingam Rungsung, 33, said though Muivah left long before he was born, “I grew up listening to stories after stories about him and his legacy. It is an emotional and historic moment for all of us”.
Mungthing Ruivah, 56, who travelled 70 km to Ukhrul from his village Tora, for the welcome reception for Muivah, said: “We feel grateful that he is finally able to return to his native village. But I also wish this could have happened a little earlier in his life, and that he could have been able to speak to us.”
Still, the visit has breathed new life into hope regarding the Naga talks. “We have gathered to express our solidarity, oneness, support, prayers and our commitment to the cause of the nation. He is second to none because after late A Z Phizo, the father of the Naga insurgency, left the country, Muivah and his followers picked up and led the people, the insurgency and talks with the government of India. He is our national hero,” said James Hosannah, a church leader from Ukhrul.
