RCN observes Rani Gaidinliu’s 100 birth anniversary

Coinciding with the Republic Day celebration, the Rongmei Council Nagaland (RCN) and Rongmei Community Dimapur (RCD) commemorated the 100 birth anniversary of Rani Gaidinliu at Burma Camp, Dimapur.
Speakers at a function expressed gratitude to the Government of India for its wise decision to release commemorative coins on the 100th birth centenary of Rani Gaidinliu, which falls on January 26.                  
RCD president Thaban Rongmei recounted a brief history on the life of Rani Gaidinliu who fought against the British at the age of 13 years and served 15 years as political prisoner in various jails in the northeast.
“Born on January 26, 1915, at Nungkhao a Rongmei village, she was only 16 when she joined the movement initiated by Zeliangrong leader Jadonang who was executed by the British. In a note recorded in June 1932, CP Mills, Deputy Commissioner, Naga Hills, stated that, ‘The real danger of the movement is the spirit of defiance.
When Nehru met Gaidinliu, she had already been imprisoned for five years. Nehru’s effort to secure Gaidinliu’s release from the British is well documented.”
Thaban said, “After India’s independence, she was released and recognized among a pantheon of Indian freedom fighters.”