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A
64-year old, Ziona is married to 50 wives, a father of over 100
children, still counting, known to his people as the head of the
largest joint family in the earth, with over 180 members at
Perching on a hillock at Baktawng village, about 80 kilometres
from the state capital.
However, they don't mind being called a religious sect, the
pride of nurturing the legacy of 'Lalpa Kohhran' (god's church)
founded by their 'godfather' Chana in 1966 is what that binds
them. The seclusion from the predominant Presbyterian
denomination came in the 1930s when the Church headed by the
Welsh missionaries banned 'khuang' (Mizo traditional drum) as an
instrument of worship.
Chana and his brother Khuangtuaha rebuked the church's ban and
left the church with their followers, and till date the
descendants carried the faith of their forefathers. Ziona's
father Chana, who was said to have married over 20 women died in
1997; after him the legacy of 'Lalpa Kohhran' was carried on by
his eldest son Ziona. Like his father Ziona is responsible to
the spiritual, social and economic life of all his family
members.
''We
build a society that is more tolerant of personal differences in
views and thoughts and where people appreciate and carry forward
the value of mutual respect, love and co-operation'', Ziona
said. "To expand my sect, I don't mind even going to
America to marry a woman", he added.
66-year
rpt 66-year old Zathiangi, the first wife of Ziona, said "I
am proud to serve my husband and my sisters (other wives of
Ziona) throughout my life". "We are very happy and
self-sufficient family", she added.
Interestingly,
the 26-year old Huntharnghaki, the latest one, who got married
to Ziona this year and a mother of six months old kid said ''If
a family system is laid on the founding stone of mutual and
genuine love and respect for each and every member including
children then the system is guaranteed to be a success, this is
what we have been practicing''.
According
to the village people, Ziona got married to atleast 10 women
during 2006 alone.Despite his busy schedule, Ziona could able to
mainitain the whole family without any hardship. Nunparliana,
44, the eldest son of Ziona said ''a head count of all my
daddy's children is a tough job, the last time we counted we
were about 110, some got married and settled elsewhere, some
have passed away"
'Now
my father has 50 wives, three of them have passed away and three
have left him, all of us are happy and having a secured life
here", he added. The administrative of the settlement is so
complete, besides the religious aspect of the unit, the Lalpa
Kohhran family had their own school (Class V to Class X), a
playground they called Chhuanthar Stadium, carpentry workshops,
piggery farm, poultry farm, paddy fields and a vegetable garden
big enough to feed the entire family.
About 20 kilos of rice and atleast ten chickens were cooked
daily for the whole family. "We have not received any help
from the Government, even our stadium was built by the members
of the church, even teachers working in our school belongs to
our church, its completely a voluntary job,'' Nunparliana added.
The family's main revenue source is carpentry. ''Window frames,
almirahs, perhaps anything that can be made out of wood,''
Nunparliana said adding that 60 percent of the window frames
used in Aizawl was their product. ''We often received scournful
comments from people who have visited us; they called us a
religious sect that is bound to perish,'' a young girl who is a
granddaughter of Ziona said.
Village
people also underlined that Guiness officials' bid, to put Ziona
into the books for getting married to most number the women in
the world, went vain because the cult leader refused to pose for
a photograph.
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