This has never happened in the history of independent India. For the first time, three Naga Women had been selected among the Top 30 Contestants for the Femina Miss India Competition 2026; Mariam Longri, a Tangsa Naga (Konyak Naga) from Changlang district, Arunachal, Nikali K Shohe, a Sumi Naga from Nagaland and Chanchui Khayi, a Tangkhul Naga from Manipur.
Out of the Top 30 Contestants, 29 of them represent 28 States and the NCT( Delhi), and the rest of the 8 Union Territories combined have one contestant (Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir).
THE RATIO OF NAGA POPULATION IN INDIA
The Naga population of India is less than 4 million in a country of above 1400 million population. Which means, there is only One Naga for a population group of 350 Indians. And it means that Nagas of India constitute approximately 0.3 percent (%) of the country’s population (1/3rd or one-third of one percent).
PERCEPTIONS OF FOREIGNERS ON NAGA WOMEN
More than a dozen years ago, a foreigner I had befriended and later on became a close friend, once told me that before he even arrived in India it was already known/educated to him that Naga women in India were very “beautiful and gorgeous.” And let me confess ; I didn’t start the conversation on this topic.
FAIRNESS & IMPARTIALITY, DEFINES MANIPUR BEAUTY PAGEANTRY
Whereas, some members of the commentariat in the Social Media Space had rightly and with legitimate reasons, complained that all the winners of the Beauty Pageants of Manipur in the last 10 years had always been either a Meitei or a Tangkhul, it may be fair to conclude that the Meiteis had been magnanimous or generous in sending off Miss Chanchui Khayi, a Tangkhul Naga, for the second time to compete at the national pageantry. It may also be highlighted that the Meitei population of Manipur is 7 times the Tangkhul Naga population (3 Lakh approximately ) and it would not have been possible for the Tangkhuls to win Competitions in the state without the magnanimity of hearts, grace and fairness/ impartiality shown by the Meiteis. If my memory serves me right, 4 times have Tangkhul women won the Miss Manipur Beauty Pageant (Phapha Gachui, AR Mathing, Chanchui Khayi and Esme Shaiza) in the last decade.
TRAILBLAZING NAGA WOMEN
Be that as it may, it is one of plausible undeniability that the Tangkhul Naga women had always been trailblazers in the state of Manipur, having accounted for the first two (2) women MLAs of the state (Shiningla Keishing, 1967 & Hangmila Shaiza, 1990), the first woman Doctor (Pamleiphy Shaiza, 1958), the first woman direct IAS (C Raikhan), the first woman direct IFS (Primerose Raikhan), the first woman Colonel (1988, Paishola Keishing) and even the first woman Air hostess/stewardess for the British Airways (Lungshimla Keishing, 1973).
Naga women of this generation are now walking down the corridors of some of the most impressive educational institutions on the planet ; ranging from a full fledged Professor at UCLA (Dr. Dolly Kikon, Ph.D at Stanford) to post-doc fellow at Harvard (Dr. Sophronea Tuithung ) and quite a few of our women having attended graduate studies at the Premier Universities like Oxford and Cambridge(UK).
And in the world of arts, we also have Awon Keishing Golding whose creative designs have catapulted her to the list of the Top 5 Milliners (Hat Designers) on the planet (Vogue, UK) and another Tangkhul Naga Fashion designer having her own showroom in NYC (Manhattan) selling/ showcasing her own creative designs.
CONCEPT OF BEAUTY / AND FASHION FOR NAGA WOMEN
In the North East Region, the journey for Beauty Pageantry was trailblazered by none other than Madam Angeline Kevichusa (Angami Naga) who secured the Second Position (First Runners up) during the Miss India Contest, organised 51 years ago in 1975. Madam Angeline Kevichusa was the first non-Bengali/indigenous Contestant from the North East Region to secure such a high-level position in the Femina Miss India Contest. The second Tribal woman from the North East to secure a Position in the Top 3 was Miss Imlibenla Jamir (2017), only to be followed by another two other Naga women from Nagaland whose names figured in the Top 5 during the National level Competitions; Zuchobeni Tungoe (Lotha) and R. Whiso (Angami).
WONDROUS PHENOMENON IN SOCIAL ENGINEERING AMONG THE NAGAS
One remarkable phenomenon within the Naga Society as part of our social engineering process is the emergence of the erstwhile backward tribes into the forefront of development and progress; examples are the Sumi Nagas in Nagaland and the Poumai Naga tribe in Manipur.
Almost 15 years ago, I happened to travel on a long train ride (Rajdhani) from Dimapur Railway Station to New Delhi and a Sumi Naga elderly lady (probably 10 years elder than me) who accompanied me during the momentous journey said to me that “the Nagas look up to the Tangkhul Nagas and the Ao Nagas for leadership and guidance.” Fast forward it to 2026, she might have never viewed the long shot from a distance in 2011 and wondered that the Sumis would have travelled so much and so great a distance in the last 15 years.
A CHANCE TO SECURE A MEANINGFUL SOLACE
Once in a while, it is worthwhile to divert the attention of the public in the trouble- torn state of Manipur, away from the politics woven around violence and inter-community quarrels.
A few years ago, a distinguished Paihte/Zomi Public intellectual and retired former Ambassador from Manipur, who is no longer alive, but became a very close friend of mine in a miraculous way, once quipped ; “What is all the money and wealth in the world, except for a glass of wine with a beautiful woman.”
To the great citizens of Manipur, may we all have the blessing from God to find the courage and beauty of humanity in this great life. One day in the future, may we all have the strength and wisdom to secure that precious gift of peace and love unto ourselves and for our children.
I am always reminded of a particular sentence from an article in the Telegraph Online (July, 2023) written by a very prominent journalist in Manipur ; ” the Meiteis and Nagas have had bitter face-offs in the Past, but we never crossed the Red line.” May this very important message find resonance in the thoughts of all Political leaders, because not all objectives have to be necessarily achieved through Violence, unless your own homes are invaded and one’s security threatened.
Ngahanyui Zimik
(The views and opinions in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Rural Post)
