For years, conversations around Nagaland have too often centred on what is missing – industries, infrastructure, or large-scale employment. But slowly and steadily, another narrative is emerging. One that focuses on what is already present: resilience, creativity, and a new generation determined to shape the future on their own terms. Across towns and villages, a quiet movement is unfolding, unassuming, but deeply powerful.
This shift is seen in youngsters selling handcrafted jewellery online, using social media as their marketplace and passion as their currency. It’s seen in groups of local boys transforming abandoned spaces into tuition centres, offering free classes to students in their neighbourhoods, without funding or fanfare. A powerful example comes from Chizami village, where a group of young volunteers have taken the lead in reviving traditional farming practices and promoting sustainable living. Through community seed exchanges, awareness campaigns on indigenous crops, and involving local schools in organic farming, they are not only preserving cultural identity but also addressing food security and unemployment.
At Kohima College, the recent Studentpreneur Awareness Programme organised in collaboration with Startup Nagaland brought students face to face with local changemakers like the founders of Joldi Pabo, who shared insights on building businesses rooted in local needs. Instead of only aspiring to leave, the conversation focused on starting up, scaling ideas, and seeing value in staying marking a quiet but confident shift in mind-set. These may not make headlines, but they reflect a deeper change: a generation choosing to engage, rather than escape, and quietly redefining what progress looks like for Nagaland.
For decades, the most common advice to talented youth in Nagaland has been to look elsewhere. The trend of outmigration, or brain drain, has shaped generations. With limited employment opportunities and slow-moving systems, many of the brightest have pursued higher studies and careers far beyond the state’s borders. While this has brought exposure and growth, it has also come at a cost. Every departure of a skilled, driven individual weakens the foundation of local development. But alongside brain drain, a new current is emerging -brain gain. It is important for young people to go out, explore the world beyond Nagaland, work with large companies, learn valuable skill sets, and experience the discipline of surviving in competitive cities. These experiences expand horizons and build confidence. But what makes the difference is what happens next. There is growing hope in seeing many of them return to start businesses, mentor others, consult for government or private organisations, and contribute in ways shaped by what they’ve learnt. This is brain gain in action, returning not just with degrees, but with direction.
Nagaland’s strength has never been in replicating the models of others, but in celebrating what makes it unique. From its rich culture and oral traditions to the deep sense of community and resourcefulness, the state holds untapped potential that can thrive if given the right environment. This doesn’t mean challenges don’t exist, on the contrary, the hurdles are real. But so is the determination to overcome them.
The road ahead requires patience, collaboration, and belief. But if this emerging generation continues to push forward, whether from within or after returning, Nagaland’s best stories will not be written elsewhere. They will be rooted in the hills, shaped by its people, and carried forward by those who dared to imagine a future from right where they stood.
Nagaland is not just waiting to rise, it is already rising.
Entrepreneur School of Business, Dimapur.
Saturday, June 28, 2025