Khodao Yanthan

Khodao Yanthan (1923–2010)[1] was a Naga liberation leader and a member of the Naga National Council (NNC). He was popularly called, “the grand old man of Naga political struggle”.[2]

Early life

He was born to Nthîo Yanthan on 25 August 1923 at Lakhuti village in the erstwhile Naga Hills District (present, Wokha district).[3] He was the second eldest amongst five male siblings.[4] He attended the village Morung until he went to formal school in Jorhat at the age of eight. In 1943, he joined the Mission High School in Jorhat.

Yanthan's grandfather, Moyuthung Yanthan, was the last chief of the Kyong (now Lotha Naga) tribe. During the Second World War, he joined the Naga Labour Corps as a Quartermaster in 1942 (aged 19) and worked to combat the advancing Japanese forces in Northeast India.[4] Initially, he was posted in Tamu, Myanmar. When still in Class 9, ETD Lambert (police officer and Chief Intelligence Officer, Jorhat) visited his school and asked for volunteers who could speak English. He along with three other Lotha Naga police constables helped the 14th Division of the British Army to reach the Naga Hill from Mariani, Jorhat transerving through tea gardens and forests.[4]

After the war, he finished his matriculation from Jorhat Mission School and proceeded to Serampore College for his Intermediate Arts.[4] In March 1951, he took up a teaching position at the Wokha High School.[4]

Political life

In 1951, Yanthan was elected President of the Lotha Tribal Council. He was a member of the central executive body of the NNC.

When the Shillong Accord lost its legitimacy among the Naga people, the NNC split into two groups: one under the leadership of Yanthan and another under Adino Phizo.[5]

References
  1. "NSCN(I-M) Vice-Chairman Khodao Passes Away". Outlook. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  2. "'Wounded Tiger: The Papers of Khodao Yanthan' released". The Morung Express. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  3. "NSCN Vice Chairman Khodao passes away". Nagalim: Voice of Naga people. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  4. Haksar, Nandita (2019). Kuknalim - Naga Armed Resistance: Testimonies of Leaders, Pastors, Healers and Soldiers. New Delhi: Speaking Tiger. pp. 153–167. ISBN 9789388874915.
  5. Thomas, John (2016). Evangelising the Nation: Religion and the formation of Naga Political Identity (First ed.). New Delhi: Routledge. p. 176. ISBN 9781138639928.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.