Do Patriotic Songs Always Lie

Ili pharasang kahai avaram Nagalim (Nagalim my motherland and my birthplace)

Masina riri phanda won-nganam leishimei (The breeze is filled with the sweet scent of flowers)

Leishiri kaphung kapha longkazat kongrei kongra (The green hills and the perennial streams and rivers)

Phungrai makhavat leithao ngalei katum ramna (Brings surplus silt deposit making it a fertile land)

Varena somi kahai avaramna (Land blessed by God)

Zada makan oh tharazat (Food is in surplus)

Kasik kasa ayet ung (The climate is very soothing)

Nimshimri leishiri (It's lovely and heavenly)

Proholi sochikatsa oh leishi avaram/Nagalim (Lets praise the Lord, Oh I love my motherland)

Zingkumvana Rakhongnga kazing kakum hangmi (Seasonal birds come to announce the arrival of seasons)

Wonbingna leishiri won zur kan tam rachithei (Varieties of flowers bloom to indicate different seasons)

Khamasosom kaphungli somda khalei ramli (Villages perched on hill tops)

Oh chibungvar khavar thai (Oh, they are like mushroom shoots)

Oh, leishi Nagalim. (I love Nagalim)

Kongrei kongra matekchim yakhari ngashanda (Green surrounding adorned by the rivers and springs)

Masi kadhar khanimma ram okmi kaphung kachi (The breeze is ever fresh and is everywhere)

Mashiwui marakapei chingri kahai ngalei (**** It is a peaceful land)

Ithum ngashanna akha shitkasangna akha (We follow one tradition and follow another faith)

Aman kasak thing ngalung Khavak maleilakma (There is no shortage of natural resources)

Ngaleilung li kashok sina lupa thaola mavat (Gold, precious stones and oil are aplenty)

Thingna rahawui ari ayur peida samphang (Natural herbs are in surplus)

Sayur vayurla mavat (Wildlife is rich)

Oh leishi Nagalim (Oh I love Nagalim)

This lyrics reminds me of Rupert Brooke's poem 'The Soldier' where he sort of gave England a Heaven status

Still reading? Well, here is my disclaimer. 'Whatever is written henceforth is purely my personal view on the reality distortion feat of the lyrics.

Yes, I vouch about the beauty of the place where I was born and brought up and need no exhortation from anyone to make me love it. I love my birthplace! That is my strength and weakness. However, I would not want to add imaginary merits to let others realize it is a great place.

The colored lines in the lyrics are those that I think should've been more realistic. If we sing about 'Green hills and perennial rivers and streams' we are clinging hopelessly to the past. Thanks to population explosion and mass deforestation, rivers are drying up and forest coverage is depleting quicker than ever as we listen to this song.

'Food is surplus.' What??? Yes, in the past, but no more. The food that we grow doesn't last even for six months. That is the reason why we end up eating rice imported from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh rest of the year.

'The climate is soothing.' Ah, yes it used to be but no more.

'****It is a peaceful land.' Real peace or imagined peace? The place never was peaceful and is not. The word 'peace' have played hide and seek with the Nagas for decades. Guns and peace are antonyms, not synonyms.

'Gold, precious stones and oil are aplenty.' Hello, we don't have goldmines, oilfields and other natural resources. If we do have rich deposit of oil we would have been a free country long time back. Rich and powerful countries would have pressed India to liberate the Nagas.

'Wildlife is rich.' Wild animals and birds are scared of us. We've devoured almost everything. Some that are sighted from time to time are those stupid animals from the jungles of Myanmar and migratory birds from Southeast Asian countries, which we hunt down anyways.

Enough of ranting!!! I love the tune of the song and have been listening to it though the lyrics make me a little impatient and restless. Maybe, patriotic songs are written mainly to celebrate the past and things that are utopian. Patriotic songs in other languages without doubt are not free from distorting reality.

Do patriotic songs always lie?