Sano Vamuzo is the founding President of the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA), an important civil society organization formed by women in Kohima in 1984. The follwing is excerpted from an interview with Dr Rakhee Kalita Moral.

Sano Vamuzo - You see it’s like this, it’s a long story and it’s very complicated but my observation is that, against the wish of the Naga public, a group of bureaucrats and then some so called leaders, they went to Delhi and accepted the statehood which is against the wish of the people who are fighting for the real cause…I don’t blame anybody, I keep saying, don’t blame each other. At that point of time they were compelled to go that way, so let’s appreciate one another. But the present day, what we have to do to come together and do what would be best for the Nagas; we have to look for that. I keep telling, I am nobody (laughs)…And I started Naga Mothers’ Association because I realized that women have a very important part to play.The whole human race they are from us. Isn’t it?! And we have a very important part to play for our children, for generations to come, for our society. So, like minded women, we organized this, the concept came to my mind in 1983 but it was in 1984 we formally organized.

Anyway I’m concerned for our people because National workers- today you saw so many already in army uniform right? Shabbily dressed army uniform? Old people…All of them grey hair. What a pity right?

And we’re failing on our part and blaming the parents, leaders ( the so called leaders) and teachers, eh? We have failed to pass on the story to our children that is why the present day generation, the young people today they do not want to think about our history. 

Rakhee K. Moral - They probably don’t understand the significance of the plebiscite?

SV-Some they do,but they donot know in detail. So I keep telling our children. In schools they study Indian history, European history, all the other histories but not their own history. That is why we are lacking. Every people we all have their own history. When we don’t know our roots then we are nowhere. We lose our identity, which is very important. Today our Naga youth,they’re very confused. Leaders have become like this and so called present day leaders also, they’re unaware of the real reason, the real course of our movement.