Vincent & his mean Machine...but it goes beyond just a biking passion

The sound of adventure excites him. It’s almost as if Vincent Belho cannot begin to measure the amount of thrills that biking allows him to feel. When he is riding, he gets the feeling of being one with nature, as the ride along the road brings him to contact with splendid things like the rain, wind, sunshine, open sky and beautiful landscapes; or even birds passing by, which makes him feel like he could just reach out and touch them.

His bike seat is his panoramic window to a world that he doesn’t know yet. And he goes on a voyage to explore and discover, learn and experience life beyond the place he calls home. By now, he has traveled the length and breadth of Nagaland on his bike, also covering all the International Trade Centres in the state- Longwa, Pangsha, Avangkhu, Mimi and Molhe Post. The plan to first cover Nagaland seems accomplished, because for him, it is incomplete to venture out and try to know a different world before that. After all, he insists, “I call myself a Naga, I am born and brought up in Nagaland.”

Biking, for him, is more than just one special thing! Apart from “Explore, Discover and Adventure” that he associates with the bike, he loves the fact that he gets to gel with people in some remote corner of the state, besides getting to learn and listen to their stories. Of course, it’s the passion for riding motorcycles that has taken him places, but his several expeditions have definitely drawn him closer to the cause of the people in the rural areas.

First off, health care, for the simple fact that basic medical care is something that he ardently wishes for these people. Each time he enters a village, it is his natural prerogative to visit a Sub-Centre or a Primary Health Centre. To his dismay, he has found that there is no sign of human habitation in many of the sub-centres and PHCs. Instead, there are deep green jungles, grass reaching up above his knees…the health centres sometimes nicely fenced, but no sign of a person walking up to that place.

 “I understand that there are many poor people who are not accessible to basic facilities in remote areas, and even if they wish and pray a thousand times, it won’t be possible. I feel the pain for these people who have to suffer, but another sad thing is that they do not know how to voice out”, he compassionately expresses. “If we are not able to use what is given to us, what is the point?” he goes on to say, but understands at the same time, that it takes a lot of effort both from the government and the community concerned to make things work, which is not always the case when it comes to the rural shores.

But one beautiful thing, he notes is the PHC at Wazeho even as he confesses, “I have not seen anything like it in the rural areas.”

One may wonder, how much can a biker do for health care in these areas? Well, his adventurous spirit has even led him to a Nagaland Tour on bike for HIV Awareness, giving impromptu talks and sensitizing the rural people on the issue. He had also gone biking on a North East Tour mostly covering Shillong, Guwahati and Sikkim, which he recalls more as a cultural exchange, since he interacted with people in the college and students from different schools, where they were very curious on learning more about the Naga culture and the Naga food habits.

Off to Darjeeling and further Nepal, it’s easy to see how he immensely enjoyed not only the ride but also sharing his knowledge about Family Planning and Contraceptives with the labourers in the Tea Gardens in Darjeeling.  One will see the professional side of him as the Branch Manager of Nagaland Family Planning Association of India, whose love for bikes always beckons him to ride any given holiday.

His latest travel diary consists of a ride in June that starts from Kohima, takes him through the road and a camping at Chizami, through Jessami, Akash Bridge, Matikhrü Village and Kanjang Village which is over 60000 feet above sea level and gives a bird’s eye view of a number of fascinating places.

To go on a ride, the rule number one for him is the helmet while he persists on protection gears depending on the season but normally includes a rain gear, riding gloves, knee guards, riding jacket (or in its place, elbow guard and shoulder guard),  and heavy & big shoes, because, he says, when you set out, there are sticks and bushes coming to hit you. And of course, protection gears always serve as a visual delight.

If you might wonder what a biker carries on a tour, it’s nothing for luxury, just basic stuff, saddle bags, fast food, two little basins to cook rice, kerosene, stove and the basic things.

There is no law and order problem in the state, but we are all aware of the insurgency and road conditions, he puts across. The sloppy, slushy and the muddy roads are only left to one’s imagination but he has been utterly surprised with discoveries of roads that serve as communication only by name. He does love the rush and the thrill of riding around these routes but mindfully says, “my pleasure should not be at the cost of the poor villagers.”

The best thing he loves about travelling is that “it opens up your mind”, and urges that young people should travel in any way or any form because in his words, “unless you travel, you will be just like a frog in a well.”

Biking seems innate in him. He first learnt to push a cycle as a small boy, ride a cycle and then he thought, he could ride a motorcycle, which, he definitely succeeded.  But what could you say of a child who was never exposed to television in his childhood but was still thoroughly fascinated by two wheelers and yet, understood even at that age, that his parents did not have enough money to buy him a cycle?

That, he waited till he was in a position to buy one himself, for decades together until he started working and earning, so he could view the world and taste the freedom, which only bikers can fully comprehend…

To hear of his finest experience, one must transport the mind from Phor to Sütsü, which he rode amidst the pines and a grand view of Mount Saramati clad with snow during January. As he shares his expedition, I feel like I also understand the excitement, the beauty and the thrill, the sense of rhythm and freedom, and the feeling of oneness with nature, which he describes with such clarity and passion.

He believes in riding for a long long time and that is also the reason why he strongly emphasizes on the importance of safety by wearing all necessary protection gears. “I wish all young people who have so much of energy get to ride for a long long time. I believe in being able to ride for a long time…and I ride with a purpose- to learn, explore and at the same time, understand the needs of people in the places I travel to…maybe I can be a facilitator for them.”

In the near future, he plans to cover a lot more places, although he says, “in motorcycle, there is no luxury, just the innate urge, desire and calling to ride these adventures.” “It’s always about the bike” for the motorcycle enthusiast, who is also a father of 3 kids, a manager, a documentary filmmaker (a current project being a documentary travelogue) and a health care provider, all rolled into one. 

Brewing with Creativity

Creativity’, for Betoka Swu, is the source of everything. He runs a coffee house called ‘Hiyo’ in the commercial hub of Nagaland, but beyond the beverage is a mind brewing with creativity. He has been capturing life in different shades ever since he discovered his love for photography although he feels he is a photographer by chance.
He recalls that it actually happened when he did a small project for NPMHR in New Delhi with his friends few years back and got a good response from the audience. Subsequently having done his first exhibition at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, he has also attended few workshops conducted by renowned photographers. Although without any formal training in this aspect, Betoka believes that these activities have helped him in becoming what he is now.
Delhi is the place where his encounter with the art first took place as he explored new horizons and got to know people. “And eventually things started rolling from there,” he says, as he goes back to remembering that he has been shooting since 2010.At the mention of the very word ‘photography’, his mind is easily connected with ‘capturing the moments’. Indeed, photography is the means through which moments come alive and memories of times long gone are revived.
Betoka has particularly been fascinated with capturing weddings, and so without a doubt his favourite subject is ‘Wedding Photography’, which, he also says, is his forte, although that’s not all that he’s good at. His images of artistes on and off the stage are also something to talk about.
He observes that photography is a new profession here. “Challenges come everyday, but the greatest challenge I feel now is getting our society to accept that Photography is also a profession like any other,” he emphasises.
The passionate photographer strongly feels that photography allows you to tell stories. Towards this end, he says, “I wish people could express their feelings through the lens and throw the light about Nagas’ ways of living to the other parts of the world.”“Art for me is discovering things and making it worth something. Making it sellable!” he goes on to say and, being even more practical, he adds that the part he likes most about his job is “the fact that I get paid for doing something I love.”
He is happy shooting and editing on any given day, but apart from these, he is also drawn to Graphic Designing, Music and Travelling. Fitting to his interests, the young, creative entrepreneur from Satakha under Zunheboto district manages Alobo Naga and the Band, “For the love of Music and travelling” as he puts it.The graduate from Patkai Christian College, who describes himself as simple, fun loving and living it out, however considers himself an average entrepreneur and feels that he is still struggling, and so, not living his dream yet. But it has always been his ambition to serve the Naga society in whatever capacity. Needless to say, he is already doing his bit by making use of his creative talents.

Betoka first Wedding picture featured in bigindianwedding.com

Nominated for TOP 100 bridal portraiture in weddingsutra.com

Few years from now, he would like to build a Home Studio, do more projects and travel some more. It also remains his hope that people start to understand the importance of photography.And his coffee house – Hiyo – well, it’s not just another coffee joint. Besides being his networking base for his photography passion, it has become one of the best known places where the most interesting events brew up a storm.

Neikhrietuonuo Linyü: Ain’t no mountain too high

The first Naga to have conquered the highest peak in the world...how does it feel? To be very honest, Neikhrietuonuo Linyü says, “I don’t feel any different from the next person walking down the street! The realisation that you’ve made it to the top of the world does not dawn on you when you make it there because you’re far too occupied with other things – ensuring your anchor’s in place, your pictures are taken, your oxygen cylinders changed, and of course, drinking and eating something just so you have enough energy to take you down the mountain.”
She adds, “In retrospect, I think about the only thought that was running through my head at that point in time was how cold it was! But honestly, getting there is half the experience and the fun. It’s something else to read about climbing Everest and getting to climb and seeing the obstacles you’ve read so much about and being a part of history because that is really what it is. If you climb Everest, your name is irrevocably linked with that of the mountain.”

If you ask her how the great expedition happened, she will tell you that the Indian Army offers one a lot of opportunities to explore one’s more adventurous and daring side, which, she enlightens is in addition to what you are employed for. “Mountaineering is just one of those ‘things’ one gets to do and that’s how I got into it too. Having grown up in Kohima amidst the hills and mountains of Nagaland, it’s not unusual for any of us growing up to be hiking up Puliebadze or Japfü or trekking to the Dzükou Valley and I probably had a latent adventurous streak that I could explore once I donned the uniform,” she elucidates.

But apart from that, she has proved that nothing is really impossible. When asked what words of encouragement she would give for aspiring Nagas who wish to leave a footprint globally, she is quick to say: “Today we have a number of Nagas who are doing very well both inside and outside the country and if you talk to anyone of them, I think they would all agree that hard work is what got them there. We Nagas tend to be very complacent and easily defeated. We have to learn to rise above our disappointments and learn to strive for what our hearts desire. Disappointments are, hard as it might be to accept, a part of life and one has to learn from them and emerge stronger from them.”
“I don’t know if quoting my own example would be appropriate but when I was declared ‘unfit for airborne duties’ the first time I underwent my ‘probation’ to become a paratrooper, I was devastated. I had been training so hard and for so long.”
With almost a tinge of longing, she goes on to say, “At a time when I was really low, my late brother asked me if I was going to give up just like that and gave me the example of he and his team playing basketball despite their losses and disappointments. He was 17 or so then and I was deeply affected to the point that I vowed that I would go through the whole process again. Sadly, he did not live to see the day I earned my Maroon and my paratrooper’s wings.”
Well, she volunteered to undergo probation, which is considered among the toughest ‘tests’ to become a paratrooper. Although she didn’t make it the first time, she volunteered again and was selected the second time, which is also the reason why she wears a distinctive coloured cap/beret which is referred to worldwide by all paratroopers as the “Maroon.”
Becoming a paratrooper, she says, was a defining moment in her life because it meant she was a cut above the rest, among the officers considered the best in the world! But, of course, it is not easy being a paratrooper even as she expresses, “You stand out like a sore thumb everywhere you go; everyone expects a little more out of you so you have to carry yourself that way and prove yourself too. But for me, being a paratrooper and a mountaineer has given me the most wonderful experiences of my life. I may not have dreamt of becoming either but I am living a dream!”
Believe it or not, she wanted to become a traffic policewoman as a child, because she says, “I used to think the traffic police personnel are the most powerful people in the society. All they have to do is raise a hand and thousands of cars come to a screeching halt! I probably had a thing for uniforms from a very early age.”
But her childhood dream, she confesses, was to become a vet, like her uncle. “As the eldest in the family, you are constantly reminded of the role you have to play in the family, of how you have to be an example to your younger siblings and things like that. I think at some point in my life, after I became a doctor and I felt I was old enough to make my own decisions, I rebelled! And that’s how I landed up joining the army,” she recalls.
She has been in the army for eleven years now, while still insisting that she got into it army by rebelling. But honestly speaking, she divulges that ‘most people say doctors have it easy in the army and I think that does have an element of truth in it’. “It is easier for doctors to get commissioned in the army because unlike the other arms and services of the Indian Army, they do not have a rigorous system of selection plus they do not undergo intensive training sessions before they are commissioned”, she explains.
However, any job is not without challenges. In the army, she says, “You are an officer first and then a doctor or engineer or whatever your qualification is and that means, having to learn to manage men, resources, dealing with seniors, civilians, etc. In short, you have to call upon all your management skills, exercise tact and diplomacy, display initiative and resourcefulness, and know how to control damage.”
But on the lighter side of it, she expresses that the most fun part of her job is getting to travel to all nooks and corners of the country and getting to know your country in a way no textbook can teach you.
The eldest of five siblings - four sisters and one brother (who, they unfortunately lost a few years ago) – she describes herself as very stubborn, which some people would interpret as determination. She says she is possessive, inherently curious and inquisitive even as a child. But also “very passionate” about everything she does in life. One can clearly see how that has led her to where she is today.
Talk about issues closer home and the Army Major by profession, who is at the same time a doctor, a mountaineer & a keen adventurer, feels: “We Nagas are fiercely protective about our children and tend to pamper them a little more than is necessary. In addition, we are very wary and distrustful of outsiders. The two combined make it a lose-lose situation for both our children and the society because we prefer to keep our children close to us where we can keep an eye on them and the youth are unable to obtain the right kind of information or guidance especially when it is crucial.”
“We ought to understand that it is only when our children are given the freedom to get out and interact with others that they will learn more about not just other cultures but about different careers and employment opportunities and things that will make a difference in their lives. It is the only way they will become independent and learn to survive in a competitive world like today,” she emphasises.
She also feels that “many of our youth today do not seem to have a sense of direction and purpose in their lives. They simply seem to be studying because they are expected to, and even take up lowly jobs only because they are so unsure of themselves. I think the main issues we need to tackle among the youth today are self-confidence issues mostly because we are no less qualified or no less capable than anyone out there in the rest of the world. We just need to get out and find out for ourselves what we can also do.”
So, what are her dreams for Nagaland? “I often joke with my friends that someday when I’m done with my job in the army, I will return to Nagaland and become the Chief Minister, set up a dictatorial leadership and instil some sense of discipline in our people! Jokes aside, our people seem to have become very lackadaisical and laidback, no one shows up for work on time; the work we do lacks quality and substance; nobody has any sense of respect for the law and order system. Those are just a few of the things I would like to change,” she puts across.
For her, becoming the first lady officer or the first lady paratrooper from the State was never part of her scheme of things. She believes that the Almighty had some kind of grandiose plan for her when He made her.
“As for me, I would like to climb a few more mountains, skydive and God willing, become the Chief Minister of Nagaland someday….but jokes aside, I would like to return to Nagaland one day and maybe join the State government in some capacity where I can introduce a few changes and hopefully, they will in turn, pave the way for bigger changes.”