REMEMBERING A. P. SHIMRAH: A LIFE OF LEADERSHIP & SACRIFICE
– Maj. (Retd.) Johny T. Dilbung
Kilonser, Art, Culture & Tourism
In the first week of January 1987, I met the late A. P. Shimrah for the first time at Khangkhui Security Camp and spent two weeks there with him. In the third week of January, he presented me with a Tangkhul shawl (Changkhom) and Rs. 2,000, and sent me off to Eastern Nagalim with encouraging, heartfelt words. I recall those precious moments with nostalgia, remembering his love for me and the way he instilled in me a nationalistic spirit, urging me to become somebody in the national movement for freedom.
During my stay with him, I came to know his exemplary way of life. He was a well-read man with a strong revolutionary spirit, a man of principle, a strategist, and a strict disciplinarian, committed and devoted, sincere and full of integrity. He was hardworking and punctual by nature, and always planned the day’s work before dawn.
He not only taught us how to be true revolutionaries but also inspired us to be more patriotic by showing us the sacrifices others made for their motherland through films such as Omar Mukhtar and The Killing Fields. From then on, he became the source of my knowledge, my guide, my master, and mentor until he breathed his last.
At that time, I was a Section Officer in the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the East, before the split of the NSCN. Right after the crisis of 1988, in April, I went in search of him, Sir A. P. Shimrah, whom we also call Sir NG, and was fortunate to find him at Paoyi Security Camp. Amid all the trials and hardships, I was at my wits’ end and had lost all hope, thinking that all the leaders, including the Collective Leadership, might have been killed. However, my master, Sir NG, with his unflinching spirit, boldly advised me not to be swayed by the evil designs of our adversaries, but to wait a while and then stand firm with renewed vigor to face whatever came. He assured me that there were still able leaders like him to lead us forward. Strengthened by his thought-provoking advice, and with the Rs. 5,000 he gave me, I left for Kohima, where I stayed for some time, anxiously gathering news of the latest developments.
Meanwhile, in August 1988, much to our relief, we learned that the Collective Leaders were alive. Compelled by circumstances, an emergency meeting was held on 20 August 1988 at Operation Salvation Headquarters under the able leadership of A. P. Shimrah, where 427 National Workers participated.
At that meeting, the MANIFESTO of the GPRN was adopted, along with important resolutions and decisions to vigorously renew and rebuild the Organization. These resolutions were passed during one of the most critical situations in the history of the Naga freedom movement, which I personally experienced. It was overcome with a strong, renewed spirit of nationalism under his able leadership.
Though we sometimes served as colleagues, I always regarded him as my mentor and master. From 1989 to 1990, we worked together with the Collective Leadership in Bhutan. As the mission progressed, he made the maximum contributions in framing foreign strategies and diplomatic policies. He also mobilized people across different regions, including the Far East, in the quest for foreign support. He was the architect of the GPRN’s Constitution and its Manual of Office Procedures. I am proud to say that, under his unmistakable guidance, I successfully served as Commander in various missions. I also went with him to other north-eastern states on diplomatic missions to chalk out strategies with the North Eastern Allied Forces. Until the last part of 1990, I was with him.
A patriotic and well-read gentleman, he maintained the same revolutionary spirit whether in the deep jungle or in a glamorous city with a civic lifestyle. By virtue of his extraordinary qualities and efficiency in different fields, he earned the status of (a) Foreign Secretary, (b)Kilo Kilonser, (c) Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, and (d) Secretary of the Steering Committee, and he shouldered key roles in the GPRN.
We served together as Cabinet Kilonsers. In the Steering Committee, I served as Steering Executive Member while he was the Secretary. Yet my respect and honor for him always remained that of a student for a teacher who shaped and guided me to this day. When my mentor and master passed away, he was a Cabinet Kilonser, and I was in my present position as Kilonser for Art, Culture & Tourism. During his prolonged illness, instead of lending him a helping hand, I kept burdening him by seeking his advice and knowledge, for I always needed his wisdom. The vacuum caused by his demise at this crucial juncture will be very difficult to fill.
The love of the Naga people for him as their beloved leader, irrespective of tribe, was evident at his funeral service. People from all walks of life thronged Hebron, mourning, and followed his body all the way from Hebron to his native village, Paoyi, as a token of their last respect and honor.
His remarkable achievements and incomparable selfless service to the cause of the Naga Nation will ever be remembered and cherished by generations to come.
Courtesy: Nagalim Voice
November 2026
