Character Assassination in Chigitchakgreni Nokma

“Chigitchakgreni Nokma is not just a story; it’s a warning about how easily reputations—and lives—can be destroyed by words alone!”

 

Introduction

Character assassination—the deliberate destruction of a person’s reputation through rumors, insinuations, and false accusations—is a psychological weapon as old as human society. In Chigitchakgreni Nokma by Icylian R. Marak, Nabat becomes an unwitting victim of this social attack, not because she is guilty, but because envy, gossip, and cognitive biases combine to make her seem guilty.

This short essay examines how Notjeng uses gossip as a weapon, how Kaling’s insecurity makes him believe the lies about his wife, and how societal complicity allows character assassination to thrive.

Notjeng’s use of character assassination follows a classic three-step method:

1. Planting the Seed – Rather than making a direct accusation, he subtly introduces the idea by stating, “There are rumors in the village…” (ching jolode nang’ mandekode mejaonin maiba inesa jing·jangengjok). This phrasing lends credibility to the falsehood by making it appear as common knowledge.
2. Staying safe – He claims he’s just repeating what others say, avoiding direct responsibility.
3. Strategic Timing – He tells Kaling when he’s vulnerable (after a long trip, tired, away from home).

The Psychology of Believing Rumors

Several cognitive and cultural factors contribute to the acceptance of rumors:

• Social Proof Bias – When an assertion is widely repeated, individuals tend to accept it as true without requiring substantial evidence.
• Missing Evidence – Notjeng gives no real proof, forcing Kaling to imagine the worst.
• Cultural Triggers – In male-dominated societies, female infidelity is a triggering accusation, bypassing rational scrutiny.

Social Complicity

The story unfolds as a masterclass in character assassination, where Nabat, an innocent woman, is slowly destroyed not by facts but by the dangerous combination of envy, rumour, and social complicity. Normally, social complicity means as people staying quiet when they should speak up. However, in Chigitchakgreni Nokma, the silence (social complicity) is circumstantial. When Notjeng first introduces the rumor to Kaling, it becomes the only available narrative. Since others have not yet heard it, there is no counterpoint to refute it, thus enjoying unquestioned epistemic space as the first narrative. People can’t speak up because they don’t yet know about the rumor. This accidental silence makes the rumor more powerful. This creates a scenario in which “silence that is not truly silence” allows the falsehood to solidify as truth, thereby making it a case of social complicity.

Notjeng, the rumour’s architect, applies a time-tested strategy of destruction—he never directly say Nabat is unfaithful, but instead plants the deadly suggestion that “people are talking.” This vague yet devastating play of words transforms village gossip into an unassailable truth in Kaling’s mind, showing how character assassination works through hints, not evidence.

Character assassination requires three groups to succeed. In the story:

• The Village Gossips – Their laughter (“Nokmade jadade gam chimonge jamangengjok inesa mandeskade ka·dingtokengjok) makes the rumour credible.
• The Believer – Kaling would rather believe the lie than risk looking like a fool.
• Nabat’s Isolation – There is no one to defend her. Even her caution (avoiding Kaling while he’s angry) is twisted into “proof” of guilt.

What we see here is character assassination doesn’t need to be loud—it spreads and succeeds through whispers, subtle looks, and silent agreements.

Psychological and Social Consequences

The devastating impact of character assassination lies in the ease with which misinformation becomes accepted truth. Kaling, already burdened by insecurity following his long absence, unknowingly becomes an enabler of Notjeng’s deceit. His perception, tainted by suggestion, leads him to reinterpret ordinary interactions—such as Nabat speaking to their servant or hesitating before greeting him—as evidence of betrayal. The community’s silence, stemming not from complicity but from ignorance, paradoxically legitimizes the falsehood.

Nabat’s plight intensifies as the rumor becomes entrenched. Even her attempts to assert her innocence prove futile, as Kaling has already internalized her guilt. Every action she takes (giving him space when he’s angry) is twisted into further proof against her. This shows how character assassination traps its victims in a paradox where their every action, even innocence itself, becomes evidence against them. The physical violence that follows is almost secondary to the psychological violence already done; by the time Kaling strikes her, Nabat’s reputation has already been damaged beyond repair.

Decades later we see the lasting harm of character assassination—its wounds never fully heal. When Kaling returns as a broken old man, he finds Nabat living in the ruins of the life his distrust created. Her bitter rejection of him speaks not just to personal hurt, but to the irreversible damage done to her place in society. Where once she was a respected wife, she became—and perhaps still is—the subject of village whispers. The child Kaling, now a nokma, carries both physical and social scars from the lie that destroyed his family.

Ultimately, Chigitchakgreni Nokma serves as a timeless warning about the destructive power of unchecked rumours. In an age where reputations can be demolished by social media posts as easily as by village gossip, the story’s message resonates with painful relevance.

Let us look at the real-world parallels; how the tactics in Chigitchakgreni Nokma mirror modern cases:

• Political Smear Campaigns – The strategic use of vague accusations (e.g., “Many people are saying…”) to undermine opponents.
• Workplace Sabotage – Professional rivalries leading to the spread of baseless rumors to hinder career advancement.
• Digital Misinformation – The amplification of unverified claims on social media, often leading to reputational harm before facts can be established.

A recurring pattern emerges: “the victim’s actual character doesn’t matter, but what people believe.”

It reminds us that character assassination requires no weapons beyond human weakness—our tendency to believe the worst, our reluctance to demand proof, and our cowardice in confronting slander. Nabat’s tragedy wasn’t that she committed a sin, but that a society hungry for scandal decided she had. The real horror lies not in Kaling’s hands that beat Nabat, but in the slow poison of words that made him raise his hands against her.

Character assassination is social murder. Unlike physical violence, it leaves no visible scars—but its wounds last generations.

Chigitchakgreni Nokma isn’t just a story; it’s a warning about how easily reputations—and lives—can be destroyed by words alone!

— MC/

Keywords: character assassination, social complicity, epistemic vulnerability, cultural trigger, anchoring bias, cognitive bias, chigitchakgreni nokma, notjeng’s manipulation, kaling’s cognitive distortion, workplace mobbing, cancel culture, hashtag activism, memetic warfare