My days in Kohima

'Long ago down on a mountain in Mexico' no for me it was not Mexico exactly but Kohima in Nagaland.My dad was transferred there and he took us along with him.I was admitted at 'Little Flower school' there in class one instead of class two cause i had gone from kolkata and did not know either English or Hindi.Special classes used to be taken for me so i had to start very early from my home with dad.'Little Flower' was a lovely school and was located on the top most hillock.The statue of mother Mary with Jesus was visible from my house.My stay in Kohima has remained as the most enjoyable and memorable one.I used to roam free in nature sometimes plucking flowers,catching butterflies(unusually big in size) or maybe crossing a stream.The helipad was just below my house and i remember waving to the pilots who used to respond to our delight.We lived in a type5 quarter and had a grand fire place in our drawing room.It used to be reasonably cold year round and hence very comfortable.I had a naga friend called Ale who one day while chatting with me caught a live moth and consumed it leaving me shocked. Way back in the early seventies i have found educated nagas quite fashionable and westernised.A few weeks back i heard a young naga boy speak on Tagore in a documentary prepared by my nephew.I was very impressed at the way he spoke saying that lack of bengalis and their culture in Kohima has not given them any exposure to Tagore.They have not read Tagore's works as translations failed to reach them.Personally i would love to go back to Kohima once and take a walk down memory lane but it is evident that the north-east has remained neglected.It is high time that the government wakes up and treads the hills to build a better future for the people there and also promote tourism in these picturesque locations.