Shyamal Datta

Kohima, Feb. 1: The people of Nagaland bade farewell to Shyamal Datta, the “people’s governor”, with heavy hearts today.

Several organisations and individuals said they consider Datta to be the best governor the state has had so far. During his tenure of five years, he has been down-to-earth and a strong proponent of peace and unity.

Relinquishing his office, Datta said the Nagas need more men and women who can dream of solutions to the problems and difficulties facing the state today. “We need a greater number of men and women with dreams rather than with memories to make a difference,” the popular governor said in his final message to the people.

He said a bright future awaits the Nagas if they work collectively to ignite ideas and create dreams to move forward. He expressed the hope that one day the Nagas would “rise to conquer all their problems and difficulties” for a better society.

Datta also said “power-driven government” helps bring out the best in an individual, community or state. He called for a leadership propelled by wisdom and moral vision since such a leadership rises above all infirmities and selfishness and leads the people from the front. Datta called for more entrepreneurial skills among the youths which, he said, were a must for growth and development. He identified the fields of farming, tourism, handloom, handicrafts, music, art and sports as having potential and stated that if harnessed fully, these will provide real scope for generating employment opportunities, which would tackle backwardness and, at the same time, fulfil the aspirations of the youths and women.