Cosmo Zimik, from the forest of Naga Nation that is currently divided between India and Myanmar, is one of thousands of young lads and young ladies who has endured manifold ordeals. Although neither country could show they ‘owned’ the Naga Nation when the British decided to vacate their colony, the international community acknowledged the Naga Nation as part of both countries. The effects of this neglect by the then British Government (1947) have devastated the lives of thousands of Nagas like Cosmo Zimik.
Thus, the story of Cosmo is an important one, not because of him, but because he is the prime example of a Naga who has been a victim of oppression, suppression, persecution, torture and more. This only because the Naga peoples took their right to self determination seriously; seriously enough to properly defend it for over 60 years.
Cosmo escaped the turmoil in his region to land in Delhi, the capital of India and so the lion’s den. Like so many before and after him, he learned how to be effective. By being effective, I do not mean only as a missionary reaching out to others of any religious affiliation. He wanted to be effective so his people and others like the Dalits could restore or gain self-respect.
Now Cosmo desires to set another example; this time for his own people and the development they need to properly, and in a dignified manner, sustain themselves. Aside from the atrocities committed by the Indian Army, Cosmo wants to contribute to the cultural resilience of the Nagas and is starting with one of their smallest tribes: the Tarao.
I cannot claim to have known Cosmo a long time, but I do know he is inspired. Perhaps not in the political sense of the word by way of joining the armed and rather divided movement for independence, but certainly in the humanistic sense of the word.
Cosmo is inspired to uplift the standard of living of the Nagas to a self-sustaining level. This is something the Naga were before the alien British, Indians and Burmese claimed Naga lands as their own. After all, Nagas were never conquered and so history shows they were never defeated.
Cosmo, as the example of and for Nagas, is meant to inspire the 40 or more Naga tribes to live an honorable life—a life of peace and respect for each other and their neighbors. So, in spite of differences we face, I recommend this book to anyone with a heart for justice and identity. I recommend it for anyone who opposes racism and oppression.
Frans Welman
Naga International Support Center
Author of Forbidden Land – The Quest for Nagalim and Beyond Twilight.
YOU ARE READING
Empty Hand Revolution
Non-FictionBorn into a tribal war with India, violence his earliest memory, Comso Zimik trained as a black belt and street fighter from the age of nine. His vow: never show weakness. Tortured and left for dead in the jungle at the age of seventeen, Cosmo birth...
