UKHRUL: The Peh Village Authority and the Peh National Workers Forum organized a thanksgiving programme on Friday at the Peh Baptist Church in Ukhrul district, Manipur compound to honor Rh Raising for his 50 years of dedicated national service.
​The milestone event was attended by the village headman, the chairman, and well-wishers from across Ukhrul district. Also in attendance were comrades of Rh Raising, friends, and families traveling from across Manipur and Nagaland to pay their respects.​
​Rh Raising, the Special Emissary of the Collective Leadership of the NSCN, delivered an emotional thanksgiving speech, noting that he is the sole survivor of his original batch of recruits.
​”My comrades are no longer here, but they fought hard for the people and the nation,” Raising said. Drawing parallels to biblical history, he referenced the journey of Abraham from Ur and the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, asserting that “Slavery is not the destiny.”​
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​Raising emphasized that the Naga struggle is rooted in a divine mandate. “God has a plan for the Nagas too,” he said. “He has given the Nagas a kingdom of ‘Nagalim for Christ,’ just as India was given to the Indians and Myanmar to the Myanmarese. We must possess the land God has given to us.”
​He described the invincible spirit of the Naga people as their greatest weapon against external pressures. “The battle between the Nagas and the Indians is not a contest of physical strength; it is a question of right and wrong. We emphasize truth and faith over military might and financial power.”​
​Reflecting on decades of conflict, Raising noted that while villages have been destroyed and land fragmented, the spirit of One Naga Nation remains unextinguished. He credited his survival to the grace of God, comparing his life to that of Jonah from the Bible.
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​”We bear no ill will toward anyone,” Raising clarified. “We are not invading India, Myanmar, or the lands of our neighbors. We are the aggrieved, not the aggressors. We fight in defense of our land, our sovereign rights, and our future.”
Major Gen. (Retd.) Ramkathing Varah, VC gave a short speech recounting his life in times of struggles where Rh Raising as a senior told him not to leave when things become hard and stay during easy and happy times because he will have no more friends left.
​To mark the occasion, the Headman of Peh Village, AS Mawonshang, unveiled a commemorative stone. “This is a day for the people of Peh to be proud and to praise God,” Mawonshang remarked, noting that the stone signifies a lifetime of service.
“The purpose of his life has reached 50 years of service”, the Peh Chairman, Kapangsing R. Shimray
“This is similar to hosting a feast of merit (Maran kasa in local language) in this age,” he said.
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Prayer of Blessings was said over to Rh Raising and his wife by various pastors Revd. Kuivangam Shimrah, Pastor, Peh Baptist Church, Revd. Sayao Kapai, Pastor, Peh Dharsin Baptist Church, Welo Marza, Pastor, Peh Ngahurum Baptist Church, Wungpam Zingyo, Catechist. St. Mary’s Church.
Maj.Gen. (Retd.) RS. Chinaoyo, MC, Ringmi Raising, older brother of Rh Raising, Col. (Retd.) Nganingkhui Lungleng Chief Justice, National Court, Masoyang, Deputy Kilonser Convenor, Raphei National Workers’ Welfare also gave a short speech.
​The programme concluded with a feast and a call to the Naga people to remain rooted in their faith, that the nation’s foundation rests upon the spiritual identity of “Nagalim for Christ.”