Rani Gaidinliu : A unique freedom fighter

Jagdamba Mall *

Rani Gaidinliu Birth Centenary / Golden Jubilee Celebration at Thanagong village, Khoupum in Tamenglong on December 15-17 2015 :: Pix - Nongpok

There are thousands of freedom fighters in the country. Many of them are kings and queens, some are from landlord families and educated or literate, some are, though from rural areas, but their villages were under influence of an atmosphere of freedom movement spearheaded by revolutionaries like Mangal Pandey, prior to that Lala Lajpat Ray, prior to that Rani Lakshmibai, further prior to that by a chain of freedom fighters which reaches upto Chanakya and Chandra Gupta Maurya who, either by stories or by text books, knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly, inspired the masses to revolt firstly against Muslim rulers and, thereafter, British. I mean to say that the other freedom fighters got inspiration from somewhere outside.

But Rani Gaidinliu, an offspring of the academically illiterate parents from a one of the remotest village situated at the peak of an un-surmountable mountain covered with one of the thickest forests infested with poisonous snakes and carnivorous violent wild animals, unheard and untouched by outside world, was a born divine lady and self- inspired freedom fighter.

Who inspired her at the age of seven or eight years to burn a fire at a lonely place away from house outside the village in jungle in the late evening or in dark night unmindful of snakes and violent animals and meditate leading to trance for hours together? This spiritual practice – meditation leading to long trance, was more in Purnima nights (full-moon nights).

Who inspired her and who guided her at the age of thirteen years to trek to Bhuvan Pahar (Bhuvan cave) far away from her village – Lungkao in Tamenglong district of Manipur near Silchar in Assam? All these she did at her own through the guidance of Lord Tingwang (Bhagwan) received in vision during meditation and trances.

How could she meet Haipou Jadonang and inspired and motivated him also to accompany her during the pilgrimage to Bhuvan Pahar? It was not easy to inspire or convince a spiritually elevated brave mind like Haipou Jadonang. It could be possible to Gaidinliu only because she was a contemporary to Jadonang not only in time but also in the field of spiritual rise and extra-ordinary bravery.

With every passing day Gaidinliu grew not only in body and mind but also in spirituality, divinity, courage and patriotism. The magnetic personality of Haipou Jadonang re-kindled her spirituality andpatriotismfor Bharatvarsh. Both the born ascetics and freedom fighters challenged the British and fought the British army for the freedom of Bharatvarsh.

For this reason Haipou Jadonang was hanged in Imphal on 29 August 1931 on fake murder charges of four Manipuri betel traders and Gaidinliu was awarded life imprisonment for same fake charges. In fact, it was a deep-rooted conspiracy by British and Church to set Meitei Hindus against Naga Hindus by spreading the propaganda that a Naga had murdered four Meiteis. This conspiracy succeeded to a great extent. Thank God that wisdom prevailed in both sides and both of them have come together to venerate these two great children of Bharatmata. For clearing the cloud of confusion and spreading the goodwill message from patriotic Nagas to rest of the country, Gaidinliu worked hard tirelessly.

In other parts of the country, the freedom fighters and revolutionaries were getting all-out support from their communities but it was not so in Naga community. A section of the converted Nagas was hostile to Zeliangrong freedom movement and opposed to Haipou Jadonang and Ranima. These converted Nagas caused death to Haipou Jadonang and life imprisonment to Ranima. The hard-core Christian Nagas from Zeliangrong community were working for British army and Church was supporting them.

The other uniqueness of Ranima is that she was put under house arrest in Chang village some 400 kilometres away from her people in free Bharatvarsh where she was constantly threatened by NNC terrorists and Church was restlessly working to harvest her so that the Zeliangrong freedom and religious movement could be uprooted for ever and all the Heraka followers could be forcibly converted by NNC at gun point. When the whole country was dancing and feasting to celebrate the Freedom, this brave daughter of Bharatmata was languishing house-arrest in a stranger Chang village – Yimrup in Tuensang area in Naga Hills then. But ever-lasting, rather ever-growing enthusiasm of Rani Ma could not be dampened.

As if that was not enough, she had to adopt jungle path again in 1960 to 1966 to save her people from NNC and Church nexus. The Christian Nagas tried to kill her. Thank God, the Church sponsored NNC could not succeed in eliminating her but they succeeded in killing many of her lieutenants in cold blood. It was Hulang Pamei from Katang village – a NNC Kilonser who was after Rani Gaidinliu's head. Once she was camping in Ziumi village but NNC militants surrounded the village. They were planning to attack her.

With a view to avoid bloodshed she escaped with her lieutenants and camped in Ngaulong village. Here again, NNC tried to attack her. But whole Ngaulong village was the supporter of Rani Gaidinliu and follower of Heraka Dharma. The NNC militants were surrounded by Rani's army and nine of them (NNC militants) were killed.

In 1966, the Govt of Bharatvarsh and the State Govt pursued her to lead a normal life. The Deputy Commissioner of Kohima S.C.Deb contacted her and convinced her to give up arms. She agreed after long persuation and a written agreement. The agreement was signed and she surrendered at Tening (Henima) in 1966. After that she was given freedom fighters pension. But throughout her life she worked for the betterment of her people.

Rani Ma met several times with Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi for Zeliangrong integration in single administrative unit. Pou N. C. Zeliang, Prof. Gangmumei Kamei, Ramkuiwangbe Newme and many more worked day and night with Rani Ma for this integration and once, it was almost sure to get integration when Buta Singh was Union Home Minister. The file was almost in final stage but the opponents of Rani Ma sabotaged and file returned back. The mission of integration failed. But she did not lose her heart. She continued this mission till her death.

In addition to this, she travelled length and breadth of the country to inform the nation that all Nagas were not Christian and all Christian Nagas were not anti-Bharat. And she succeeded in this mission. She met second RSS Chief- M.S.Golwalkar (Guruji) at Jorhat during a Hindu Sammelan(conference) in 1969. Guruji presented her a foot long marble idol of Lord Krishna which she kept in her room throughout her life and worshipped.

She attended VHP's 2nd World Hindu Conference on 24,25,26 January 1979 at Prayag(Allahabad) during Mahakumbh mela and met Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar-the direct descendent of Maharana Pratap and VHP's International President. She met Bala Saheb Deshponde-the founder President of Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram at her Kohima residence in 1978. Thereafter,she was in close contact with Bala Saheb Deoras, Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya), K.S.Sudarshan-all successive RSS chiefs and Ashok Singhal-Former VHP Chief.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru met her in Shillong Jail in 1937. This is not an ordinary thing to happen when Nehruji- a person of International fame met a Naga girl of twenty two, that too in a jail. Indian National Congress (INC), then not a political party but an all-encompassing freedom movement, passed a resolution in its meeting held in Gujrat to ask British for the unconditional immediate release of Gaidinliu. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose presided over the meeting.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee former Prime Minister and Lal Krishna Advani-former Deputy Prime Minister are the admirers of Rani Ma. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a unique disciple of her guru Haipou Jadonang who (Rani Gaidinliu) sacrificed her whole life to materialise the dream and the goal set forth by her Guruji.

Shri Modiji was speaking in a program on 23rd August 2015 in Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi which was organised by National Implementation Committee (NIC) for commemorating the Birth Centenary of Rani Gaidinliu. It was also organised to commemorate the memories of Balraj Sahani, Lala Lajpat Roy, Maharana Pratap and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. For her sacrifice for the cause of nation, she was awarded Tamra Patra, Padma Bhushan, Stree Shakti Purashkar, Vivekananda Seva Samman, Birsa Munda Award and many more. She was a living legend and an embodiment of Bharatiya nationalism. She was the promoter of eternal religion and culture of Nagas.

But hard-core Christian Nagas don't remember these remarkable incidents of our revered Rani Ma. They question who made her Rani. They curse her as pagan, heathen, wild, savage, human blood-sucker, wild witch, sorceress and anti-Naga.