There are people who pass through our lives, and there are rare souls who leave a light behind. They do not merely teach us how to live; they awaken something within us that we did not know existed. They do not simply offer answers; they teach us how to ask the questions that matter most. Niketu Iralu was such a soul, his departure has left a silence that words cannot adequately embrace.

The hills of Nagaland may continue to stand in their timeless prettiness, the winds may still move through the valleys, and the world may continue its restless journey, but for those who knew him, something profoundly precious has gone quiet. For me, Niketu Iralu was far more than a mentor, guide or philosopher. He was a mirror in which I learned to see myself. He helped me know myself, find myself and understand the many colours of human society: the colours of courage and fear, compassion and cruelty, truth and deception, love and prejudice.

He taught me that the most difficult journey is not the journey across mountains or borders, but the journey from the self towards the truth within oneself. Through his wisdom and his example, he encouraged me to examine what is right and what is wrong according to the enduring principles of human dignity and conscience, and not according to convenience, power or circumstance. He taught me that doing the right thing is not always the easiest path, but it is the path that gives meaning to human life.

Above all, he taught me the sacred idea of selfless service. In a world increasingly measured by achievement, possession, influence and recognition, Niketu reminded us that the highest measure of a human being is how much one can give without asking what one will receive in return. Service, for him, was not charity from one person to another. It was an expression of our shared humanity. His life belonged neither to one community nor to one geography. Though deeply rooted in Nagaland and the Northeast of India, his vision reached far beyond mountains, borders and identities.

His work through Initiatives of Change and Asia Plateau reflected a conviction that humanity’s deepest wounds cannot be........

© The Statesman