Rano M Shaiza

Rano M Shaiza Biography

Rano M Shaiza was born in 1928. Her father Sevilie Iralu was only the third  doctor from Nagaland and her mother Vitulie ii Iralu was the elder sister of AZ Phizo, founder of the Naga separatist movement. Rano Shaiza died in Kohima on April 1, 2015 leaving behind two daughters and a son.

She was also the first president of the Federation of Naga Women of the Naga National Council. Rano Shaiza came to limelite when she was imprisoned for 19 months during the early period of the Naga movement in the 1960. Rano Shaiza had also created a record of sorts by becoming president of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in a state where women hardly got recognised in the era when she was active in politics. As mentioned above she later became the first and only woman from Nagaland to get elected to the Lok Sabha.

Rano Shaiza, who was herself the first Naga woman to join the Science stream after passing out from high school, initially became a teacher but later forayed into public activism and politics Rano Shaiza was Nagaland’s only Woman MP. She in the process of founding the Naga Mothers’ Association had worked hard for total prohibition in Nagaland.  

Rano Shaiza defeated the then chief minister Hokishe Sema of the Congress party in the historic general election of 1977 on her way to 6th Lok Sabha. Shaiza, whose brother-in-law the former Manipur chief minister Yangmasho Shaiza and husband Lungshim Shaiza were both assassinated by the NSCN in 1984 and 1990 respectively, also played a crucial role in organizing a peace meeting between then Prime Minister Morarji Desai and her maternal uncle and NNC president AZ Phizo.

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Updated: May 09, 2015