Century & beyond: Nagaland’s oldest native passes away at 121

Guwahati: Nagaland’s oldest personF 121-year-old Pupirei Pfukha, for whose blessings many tourists used to come to Kigwema village near capital Kohima, passed away on Wednesday evening.
In the Nagaland assembly polls held last month, Pfukha cast her vote through postal ballot and election officials confirmed her age as 121, according to her voter card.
As she was laid to rest on Thursday afternoon, after all big organisations of the area paid their last respects, some of the locals said a DNA test can confirm her actual age, which may be even more.
Regarded as the grandma of the village that has 6,000-odd populations, her death came as a surprise for her great grand-daughter Arheno. Many of the villagers never saw her going to hospital for any medical treatment till her death. “She was not suffering from any illness. Her death took everyone by surprise,” said Arheno.
Pfukha was a witness to World War II when Kigwema village was turned into a camp of the invading Japanese soldiers. She took all possible care of the children and temporarily shifted to another village to save the family from any possible confrontation.
She is credited for bringing an environment of education in the village as her elder son was the first matriculate and graduate from Kigwema.
“Even after crossing 100 years, she could narrate her childhood days, the trauma of losing villagers in the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic which devastated the then Assam in 1918 and parts of present Nagaland,” said her neighbour Neisato Neihu, who works in Infosys.
As her eyesight dimished when she turned 100, she recognised the family and neighbours by their voice, he said. “Five years later she lost her hearing but still could recognise us by touching our hands,” added Neisato.
Her husband, who was also from the same village, passed away in 1969 while their four children also predeceased her. She is survived by 19 grandchildren, 63 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren. Family members said she would eat normal food till death like any other Angami Naga family — hardly any sugar and no oil in the meals.
Assistant election officer, Kohima, Olivi Thurr, told TOI that Pfukha was a role model for the voters this election. “She was the oldest voter to cast her vote at 121. We took the ballot to her home in Southern Angami constituency as per the election norms for the voters above 80 years,” she added.