Kohima, Sept. 21: Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumar today emphasised on the Christian spirit of tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, while gracing the two-day national seminar on "Impact of violence on Women and Children" as the chief guest at St Joseph's College, Jakhama, 15km from here.
He referred to the processes of tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation that have taken place in the history of many nations like Germany, Italy, UK and many others, in building their nation.
Nation building has always been accompanied by violence.
However, on reconciliation, such acts should merely become records, like the records of British warfare in India, preserved at the London library.
The concept of nationalism can change and get influenced with the passage of time and events in the world, as in the case of the Irish international polarisation by unions and treaties.
The appropriate examples in this case are the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Non-Aligned Movement, European Union or Indo-US nuclear deal and others.
Prior considerations of economic status and power have always been the strongest factors in case of nationalism.
India's nationalism was recognised by the world in 1978 when it proved its nuclear capability status at Pokhran Nuclear test explosion.
Subsequently, 42 countries signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The world went through tri-polar and bi-polar international power alignments to the present day unipolar US global influences.
Kumar reminded the gathering of his educational grooming from Catholic institution of the Jesuits, where he was able to grow into a fundamentalist and free citizen.
"Secularism is beyond religious connotations and also means tolerance forgiveness and reconciliation," he said.
He expressed happiness and satisfaction that today, the young people from Nagaland and the Northeast are found in almost all the metro cities of the country and are excelling in various professions.
He, however, said despite of being rich in natural resources, the funding patterns of the state have dismally remained at a ratio of 94 per cent to six per cent by the Centre and Nagaland, respectively.
The governor was of the view that development can occur only with the imperative preconditions of peace in the state.