I was ready to leave by
4.30 am when Paddy came down to see me off. I had made a couple of new friends
on this visit to Guwahati. Paddy told me that I should visit him in Numaligarh
and experience the atmosphere there. I hope I am able to visit him there during
the return journey en route to Arunachal Pradesh. The drive was very smooth all
the way upto Nagaon. I realised that road infrastructure had considerably
improved here in the past two years. I missed the turning to Dimapur from NH 36
as I was on the phone, on Bluetooth, of course, and had to backtrack a bit
before I took the NH 37 to Dimapur. Again, the road was in good condition and I
was in Dimapur city just before 9 am. I was a bit apprehensive about transiting
the city for last evening I was told of the ghastly incident the day before
when an alleged rapist was dragged out of the jail cell, paraded naked and
physically abused before he was tied to a bike and dragged around for 5 miles.
He succumbed to his injuries. Versions are many about the circumstances
surrounding the alleged rape and that which led to the barbaric act. However,
two things are indisputable – one, there was an abject abdication of
responsibility from the district administration and two, only man can be as
barbaric as was seen that day in Dimapur. Advancement and progress has only
made man more intolerant. From being afraid of natural phenomena in times
distant it is distressing that the modern man has grown to fear himself the
most!
As I was coursing through
the streets of Dimapur KB Singh, my good friend from Loyola College days and a
resident of Imphal called up to enquire if all was well. He had heard reports
about tensions in the city and some parts of Assam, for the lynched person
originally came from Assam and belonged to a minority community. I also kept a
sharp lookout for potential trouble while trying to avigate away from the city
as soon as possible. When I saw children on their way to school I realised that
despite the under currents the surface was calm.
Kohima is about 60 kms from
Dimapur. The winding roads do not permit high speed. Even then you come across
rash drivers; one almost careened into my car. I steered away just at the right
time and avoided an ugly incident. The city was crowded, as usual. But, I
noticed that the traffic was generally disciplined with drivers awaiting their
turn to overtake or turn; needless honking and intemperate driving was not on
display.
I had met Fr Johnny when I
was on the all India drive in November 2010. We had stayed in touch, thanks to
WhatsApp and sms. Therefore, when I scheduled the halt in Kohima I requested
for accommodation in the Bishop’s house. He got back to me with the
confirmation of the accommodation. However, just before commencing the journey
from Cochin my phone had to be reformatted and I lost a few numbers. One of
them was that of Fr Johnny. I took a chance and landed up in the Bishop’s House
before noon and got in touch with him through another priest staying in the
premises. Since Fr Johnny was busy in the School, where he is the Principal, he
asked me to have lunch and rest till he returned in the evening.
Over lunch I met most of
the priests, including the Bishop, who hailed from Kerala. I explained to them
my adventures and, in turn, was told the growth of the Catholic mission in
Nagaland. Nearly the entire population of Nagaland is Christian, dominated by
the Baptists and Presbyterians. 99 priests, many religious and over 150 nuns
serve the catholic fraternity in Nagaland. All the 14 recognised tribes of
Nagaland have representatives in the catholic church. Nearly 30 priests serving
in Nagaland also come from the tribal population. Despite the overwhelming
influence of the church in the daily lives of the people I was confused by the
all pervasive corruption in the state. It was explained that influence is
limited to realising tithe for the church. Some of those in power consider that
they have been given the opportunity to make more money due to their
contribution to the church! Central government funds are siphoned off with
impunity and there is hardly any progress to show on the ground. Lack of funds
is not the problem here, it is the systematic sieving of the same that has to
be arrested.
Dog meat is common and a
delicacy in Nagaland. When I was asked if I would like to try it out, I was all
for it. That was one of the dishes for lunch. It tasted alright, but I suspect
it smelled quite different. I trust that this experience is the forerunner to
many such unique ones during this journey.
I rested for a while after
lunch and woke up when Fr Johnny returned from school. We chatted over a couple
of cups of tea and he explained to me the accident he was involved in last year
when he had gone there to attend his father’s funeral. A rash truck driver
nearly cut short his life. However, he claimed that while the truck and the
bike, in which he was travelling with his niece, were damaged extensively, both
of them had miraculous escapes. He felt that he was lifted from the spot by
some miraculous power and thrown on the other side of the truck; he would have
certainly been run over by the truck had he fallen on the same side of the
road. Faith is reinforced by such experiences, not that Fr Johnny needed it.
I had dinner of rotis, dal
and fish with all the eight priests of the Diocesan house. The Dimapur incident
was the topic for most of the table conversation. Later, I took photos with the
Bishop and the congregation and ‘warned’ them that I would be back, like a bad
coin, in May!
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