Nagaland: Kasha Daho Students’ Union holds 11th general conference

The Kasha Daho Students’ Union (KDSU) held its 11th general conference from December 29 to 30 at Rengma Heritage Village Khwenphen under the theme- “Modernized yet rooted” with Er. Chengato Kath, executive engineer, PWD (Housing), Division Mokokchung as the guest speaker and Er. Kegwachu Tep, president, Kasha Daho as the introductory speaker respectively.
The 2-day event was hosted by Kashanyu Students’ Union (KSU) with an almalgation of formal sessions to various competitions held among the federating units and a dazzling extravaganza night to end the event on the final day.
The first day of the event began with the opening ceremony on December 29 with Er. Kegwachu Tep, President, Kasha Daho as the introductory speaker. The program was led by Sinkelo Tep, president, Henbenji Students’ Union, and invocation pronounced by K. Ashwen Tep, Pastor, Kashanyu Baptist Church.
This was followed by an introduction to the event by Hyunye Tep, president, KDSU and welcome address by Shoti Khing, president, KSU. A special song from Hizenlo Tep enthralled the crowd which was followed by the speech from the speaker.
Er. Tep spoke on “Roots of Rengma Community”, from their initial migration route to present day Khwenphen, the first established Rengma Village, also the venue of the conference. He also elaborated on the origin of the word “Rengma”, initially given by the Britishers.
He further emphasized on the duties and responsibilities of students stating excellent time management should be a must and a priority. He urged the students to look beyond government jobs and explore alternate career paths.
Er. Tep also stressed on the importance of parents, teachers and elders, advising students to honour and respect them. He a encouraged the students’ community to refrain from indulging in intoxicants and random use of technology, rather to know its value and use it to its full potential. He further encouraged the students to put God first, participate in competitive exams and produce officers leading the union to achieving greater heights.
Day 2 of the event was held on December 30 with Er. Chengato Kath, executive engineer, PWD (Housing), Division Mokokchung as its guest speaker. The program was led by Ruby Tep, President, New Terogvünyu Students’ Union and invocation by Sentsing Tep, Pastor, Terogvünyu Baptist Church. This was followed by welcome address from Agwalo Tep, convenor, Organizing Committee and presidential speech by Hyunye Tep, president, KDSU.
A cultural dance was presented by Phenwhenyu Güjü Youth Organisation followed by short speech from Wakhanlo Semy, president, Rengma Students’ Union and Gwahisha Thyüg, president, Kasha Daho Mothers’ Association respectively followed by a special presentation from Keziah Semy and Rhunile Semy leaving the audience mesmerised.
The Guest Speaker addressed the gathering on the theme “Modernised yet rooted” stating that not all traditions and customs handed down to us by our forefathers are applicable in the present day. As such, one should learn them as stories or for entertainment purposes. However, one should be open minded and be wise enough to extract the good practices and values from them.
He also urged on the importance of humility among leaders while leading the people quoting that pride comes before a fall. He also stressed on the fact that back in the days, people had stronger principles, less jealousy and pride, and there was more peace.
Therefore, he urged the students to inculcate those principles, respect their parents and elders and help one another in need. Er. Kath further emphasized on the importance of skill development, blending innovative ideas in our cultures so that one can be well equipped with the skills from our forefathers.
He also firmly stated on the importance of mother tongue and encouraged everyone to give equal importance to the 2 Rengma dialects making it our strength rather than a stumbling block to the community. He also defined modernity as taking the best advantage of technology and modern sources for the significant betterment, not only outer development but also developing oneself towards being a better asset to the community in particular and society at large.
The conference also highlighted its new tenure of elected KDSU executives 2026-2027 with Ahile Seb as its president, Shokentse as vice president and Bensin Thyü and Awalo Tep as the general secy. and asst. general secy. respectively.
The 11th KDSU General Conference concluded with an extravaganza night highlighting various artistic performance from all federating units, including cultural shows showcasing the rich culture and tradition of the Rengma community.
Significantly enough, there are 8 units under KDSU namely Kashanyu, Kashanyishin, Güjü, Phenwhenyu, Terogvünyu, New Terogvünyu, Henbenji and Khonibizun Student Unions respectively.