Niketu Iralu, a Naga statesman and peace activist, was honoured with the Bhupen Hazarika Integration Award 2023 on 8th September, the birth anniversary of the legendary Assamese singer and Bharat Ratna awardee. 

The following is the speech of Niketu Iralu on receiving the award in Golaghat, Assam.

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The distinguished, learned Trustees and all the dedicated members and supporters of the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust, drawn from across Assam – Today with all my heart, I thank you for the extraordinarily trusting and generous gesture you have extended in choosing me to be the recipient of the HOMONNOY BOTA, the BHUPEN HAZARIKA INTEGRATION AWARD for 2023.

I am accepting this unique Award, not because I deserve it. The obvious truth needing no explanation is I do not deserve it in any manner of consideration. But I am accepting the challenging Award in faith and with conviction, because neighbours reaching out in compassionate solidarity to one another in time of danger and doubt generate hope for the future.

A few days back, a close friend in Kohima, a journalist and author, called me to convey his congratulations, as he puts it “…for this very meaningful award for the region and for Naga-Assamese relationship.”

Dr Bhupen Hazarika was the Chief Guest for the Centenary Celebrations of the Kohima Sahitya Sabha. We are justly proud that Kohima features in the story of the Assam Sahitya Sabha as its oldest centre or chapter.

The next time Dr Bhupen Hazarika came to Kohima was a time of high tension due to violent conflicts in one part of the Assam/Nagaland boundary line. He chose to sing “We are in the same boat, brother!” to highly appreciative audiences. His song touched the hearts of people, but also pointed out with urgency that if the boat goes down no one wins.

The early presence of the Assam Sahitya Sabha in Kohima has added significantly to the cultural linking of Kohima with the changing world coming to us. With deep appreciation I mention the presence here today of some of the key leaders of Kohima village in whose ancestral land Nagaland’s historic capital was founded and has flourished. There are some other friends from other villages also in our group present. These friends are close colleagues with whom I work.

I can too easily commit the blunder of attempting to explain from my very inadequate knowledge the legacy of our respected Dr Bhupen Hazarika on this occasion! But it is in order for me to quote what Shantanu Moitra observed in an article about Bhupen Hazarika’s sensational rendition of his own famous composition “Oh Ganga”. Shantanu Moitra the well-known composer, singer and music critique writes: “The singer was asking the river how she retained her tranquillity in the midst of the clamour and lamentations that rose from her banks. It contained a message from mankind, a message for me. As the river flows with single-minded determination towards her goal, which is the sea, so should the spirit of man, rising above all trials and tribulations flow free and unimpeded, towards that eternal ocean which is God.”

To a layman like me, trying to understand the belief in and fire for the needs of our common humanity, that burned in Dr Bhupen Hazarika right through his life, these words of another singer and artiste explain it all.

I think we are conscious Manipur’s tragedy is deeply disturbing our whole North East as we have celebrated and reaffirmed our dedication to the values and vision we have discussed. We should be equally aware that this year’s celebration of the 97th birth anniversary of the far-seeing Dr Bhupen Hazarika here in Golaghat has spoken directly also to the ‘clamour and lamentations’ and all else unspeakable that Manipur has demonstrated to us and the whole world. This is said with no self-righteous judging because if we were in the positions of the clashing groups, we may well do the same things – or even worse.

Preparing for this special occasion has helped me to understand better what some of the statesmen of Assam and prominent thinkers have meant to the Nagas. A Z Phizo the visionary Naga pioneer said to his closest colleagues he could trust and discuss his deepest understanding and feelings about his people and history with Gopinath Bordoloi and Bimala Prasad Chaliha, because they listened and understood. Chaliha won the love and trust of the Nagas because as a member of the Peace Mission, he would often just arrive in Kohima and go straight to the camps of the Naga leaders in the deep forests to spend time with them. Through them it became well-known right through the rank and file of Naga freedom fighters that during his visits Chaliha seldom spoke, and showed no signs of the backbreaking responsibilities he was carrying every day as the Chief Minister of Assam.

This occasion today being with all of you our friends who have been such wonderful hosts to us from Nagaland, we regard you as our safe link with the rest of India which we can trust.

A very dear Assamese friend of ours described the whole North East as “our common sanctuary”. This expresses very well our belief that our North East region is meant to be a safe home taken care of equally by those who live in it. We believe that the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust in all its manifestations is making sure that this will be so. We extend to you our grateful thanks, best wishes and support.