One fact of life is not appreciated in northeast India.
Despite being a city of Jugaads and fixers; there are a handful of experts, analysts and ex military officials who remain enormously disturbed about killings and violence in the northeast of India.
Hence there are occasions, a few individuals can surprise one with their ideas and vision of Peace, Harmony and Dreams. One calls it Hope and Vision -- mixed something like a cocktail.
J B Lama, my esteemed and much respected senior colleague in 'The Statesman' (of course JB stayed in Kolkata mostly) used to say -- "If there was peace ... I would have made a cottage in Nagaland and settled near Ghaspani -- also called Medziphema". Those who have seen that place ... could not say no to JB. I could not agree more.
Likewise, I know former generals who mostly remain -- away from media -- and from them one diagnosis of the malady about Nagas has been -- "The answer to the agony or the genuine payoff for a good Naga future can come from Solution via Peace and Dialogue, higher investments, industrialisation and sound atmosphere for education and avenues to support talents".
Same again -- I could not agree more. But there is another issue.
Now it's clear that a group of leaders have no real interest in resolving the vexed Naga issue. The refrain has gained currency - No Solution is the Solution for all.
On to a different paradigm and completely about another state, but this may set the ball rolling about Insurgency in northeast as a cash-rich industry and with lots of benefits as they put it.
The militancy in Nagaland and Manipur and even Tripura also moved a lot around money and the art of money spinning.
ULFA's freedom fighters ran hotels in Bangladesh.
In Assam there were two not so popular militant leaders - Niranjan Hojai and Jewel Garlosa. Hojai was commander in chief of the Dima Halim Daoga DHD(J). In the context of these leaders, a former intelligence bureau officer once almost lamented - "Thanks to the peace policy in north east; the gun is the easiest passport to power and pelf".
Google it out and you will be educated that the term Pelf is simple ... -- "money, especially when gained in a dishonest or dishonourable way".
Incidentally, after its christening the anti-terror National Investigating Agency's one of the first cases - was related to Hojai and Jewel Garlosa.
Both had good and meteoric rise. Hojai reportedly had posh bungalows in Darjeeling and also in Nepal. He dealt with foreign banks and had accounts in places like Singapore.
One pseudo name Nirmal Rai was allegedly used to operate an account with Kathmandu's well known Everest Bank. He also bought membership of the elite Marriot Club and reportedly had several wives and consorts. All these happened with a lesser-known group and in a poor backyards; imagine what would be the case elsewhere.
But when the case came before authorities after they were apprehended by NIA sleuths, the central government had played 'peacemaker'. At the behest of Congress chief minister Tarun Gogoi, the cases against these leaders were tweaked.
The reason was peace and 'alternative arrangement'.
In New Delhi, some ex-government officials and a select group discussed over these issues as news came in about recent political developments in states like Manipur, Assam and Nagaland.
I was not surprised --- a few people even raised eyebrows. Others preferred silence and symbolic smile. A few put forefingers on lips to tell everyone in the room -- hey, even walls have ears.
This reminded me of R Arnold's quote : "So, if you are too tired to speak, sit next to me .... because I too, am fluent in Silence".
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