Sometime in the Eighties, a desperate husband had carried his wife hundreds of miles through jungle paths to reach the Upper Assam town of Margherita to ensure that she received proper medical treatment for a serious illness. Years later, the overwhelmed wife has become the stabilising factor in the life of S.S. Khaplang, who heads the NSCN (K).
From ensuring a constant supply of lukewarm water ? which Khaplang claims keeps him refreshed all day ? to managing his ?home? deep inside the jungles of this Tenup Tephak Joku Valley in Myanmar, the insurgent leader?s wife makes sure that he is never short of material and emotional support.
Though he is the ?president? of the NSCN (K)?s Government of the People?s Republic of Nagaland, Khaplang?s lifestyle is a far cry from that of heads of states. He lives in a thatched house, albeit one guarded by NSCN (K) cadre armed to the teeth.
The leader of one of Southeast Asia?s dreaded insurgent groups describes himself as a private man ?when with my family?. It was after much cajoling that he posed for a photograph with his wife, whom he married in 1966. On being asked what her name was, he offered a shy smile.
Khaplang is also a caring father of five children ? four sons and a daughter. All five are studying in institutions in Myanmar and India. ?Once they complete their studies, they should join the struggle,? he said.
In the mild and amiable disposition of Khaplang, there is no hint of rebellion despite the fact that he has been the scourge of security agencies of India and Myanmar for over 40 years now.
Dressed in a suit, the Hemi Naga from Myanmar revealed that his formal education ended in Class VII. But his measured words revealed the knowledge he had assimilated over the years. Apart from being adept at guerrilla warfare, he is well versed in world politics and economics. ?Economic policies cannot be determined beforehand. They have to be evolved, based on the needs of the hour. China is changing its economic policies, so is India,? he said with the authority of a veteran statesman in response to a query on what his economic policy would be if he achieved his goal of ?sovereignty.?
However, in the jungle there are no newspapers or cable TV, and Khaplang?s only contact with the outside world is his transistor and, of course, the satellite phone and the radio-telephone set through which he controls his organisation.
?Did you listen to today?s radio news? What?s the latest on the US? standoff with Iraq?? he enquired from an aide. He then held forth on how the US had created ?Frankensteins? in the form of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
After politics and guerrilla warfare, the sexagenarian insurgent leader has a penchant for chess. And he regularly plays badminton to keep himself fit.