Goodbye Niketu Iralu: Peace icon who emerged from cradle of Naga armed rebellion

Nagaland today bid adieu to iconic peace activist Niketu Iralu who died this week. For over six decades, Iralu had been offering a healing touch to the fractured Naga society. He was born in Khonoma, the village where Angami Zapu Phizo, father of Naga insurgency, was born. Iralu was related to Phizo but took a very different path.Naga peacebuilder Niketu Iralu made his home a haven for dialogue and reconciliation. (Image: Phangnon Konyak MP/ X)Khonoma of today is mostly about the cool breeze, clean stoned paths and green of the hills. The 700-year-old Angami Naga village, some 20 kilometres from Nagaland's capital Kohima, has seen many battles. Some against the British, and some for Naga self-assertion in independent India. Khonoma is the village of Angami Zapu Phizo, the man who started the first armed struggle in the northeast. It is also the village of the region's most-recognised peace icon, Niketu Iralu.On Thursday, people bid farewell to Iralu, lovingly called Uncle Niketu. Iralu, who had worked for peace for six decades in a fractured Naga society ravaged by violence and drugs, passed away in Delhi on August 18. He was 91. He is survived by his wife, Christine Iralu, a son and a daughter.Iralu's body reached Dimapur on Wednesday, and he will be laid to rest in Sechu-Zubza town of Kohima district on Thursday. It was in Sechu-Zubza that the Iralu couple built their home called Kerunyu Ki, meaning 'House of Listening'. It was the place of listening, reconciliation and those seeking counsel.Among those who revealed that they had sought advice from Iralu was Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. "On a personal note, Mr Niketu was an elder whose wisdom I greatly valued. I often turned to him for advice and perspective, and his thoughtful counsel, wisdom and generosity of spirit, were qualities I deeply respected," wrote Rio in his condolence message. Iralu was born in Khonoma in 1935, and was related to Angami Zapu Phizo's family. His mother was the elder sister of Phizo and his father was a renowned Naga doctor. Reports suggest that the family had to face hardships in the decades of turbulence because of the relation to AZ Phizo.Phizo, who rose as a leader of the Naga Nationalist Council (NNC), is known as the father of the Naga insurgency. The Naga Federal Army of the NNC was the first to take to the path of insurgency in the northeast.Iralu, however, was associated with the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), an organisation working towards reconciliation of the Naga groups, and also served as the head of the Naga Reconciliation Commission.When Naga society was ravaged by drug addiction in the 1980s and 90s, Iralu worked with the Naga Mothers Association (NMA) to help the youths.In a way, Iralu was the conscience keeper of Naga society, and Rio called his demise a "profound loss for the Naga people".Other than in Nagaland, condolence meetings for Iralu were held in other northeast states, including Assam and Meghalaya.Iralu was an author and chronicler too. But he was, most importantly, the person who for decades offered a patient ear and a healing touch to the Naga society. Today, Nagaland has come out of the worst phase of violence with the main Naga armed outfits having declared a ceasefire and signed the Framework Agreement for peace with the Centre. And the contribution of Iralu, the healer son of Khonoma, will forever be remembered.- EndsPublished By: Avinash KateelPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 15:09 IST