Ziona

Aizawl, Nov. 23: A couple of years back, cult leader Ziona had turned down a sure-shot offer for a world record. He refused to be photographed by the Guinness Book of World Records team as the man married to the most number of women.

This week, however, The Telegraph persuaded the husband of 50 wives and father of over 100 children, to happily pose for photographs and answer questions about the cult his father propagated.

Believed to be the largest joint family on earth, Ziona lords over 180 members of a religious cult that was founded by his father Chana Pawl. The cult’s habitat, a hillock at Baktawng village, is about 80 km from the state capital.

The latest addition to this huge family arrived only six months back.

The cult members don’t mind being called a religious sect as they take pride in nurturing the legacy of Lalpa Kohhran (God’s Church) founded by their “godfather” Chana in 1966.

The separation from the predominant Presbyterian Church took place in the1930s when the church headed by the Welsh missionaries banned the Mizo traditional drum as an instrument of worship.

In utter disgust, Chana and his brother Khuangtuaha left the church with their followers and till date, their descendants carry the faith of their forefathers.

Ziona’s father Chana, who was said to have married over 20 women, died in1997 and after that the legacy of Lalpa Kohhran was carried on by his eldest son Ziona.

Like his father, Ziona is “responsible for the spiritual, social and economic welfare of all his family members”.

“Our society is tolerant of differences in views and thoughts. Mutual love and respect are its hallmarks,” Ziona told The Telegraph after posing for a photograph.

“To expand my sect, I don’t mind even going to the US to marry,” he said.

His first wife Zathiangi (66), the matriarch of the cult, said, “I am proud to serve my husband and my sisters (other wives of Ziona) throughout my life.”

“We are a very happy and self-sufficient family,” she added.

According to the villagers, Ziona got married to at least 10 women this year alone. His latest wife, Huntharnghaki (26), is the proud mother of the six-month-old infant.

“Mutual love and respect are the essential ingredients for a family’ success. That’s what we have been practising here,” she said.

Despite his busy schedule, Ziona is able to maintain the whole family without any hardship.

Nunparliana (44), his eldest son, said, “A headcount of all my father’s children is a tough job. The last time we counted, we were about 110. Many got married and settled elsewhere while some passed away. Of my father’s 50 wives, three passed away and three left him. All of us are happy and living a secure life here.”

The family has its own school called Chhuanthar Students Home where students are admitted from Class V to Class X. There’s a playground called Chhuanthar Stadium. Besides carpentry workshops, the family has agricultural land, a piggery, a poultry farm and a garden big enough to feed the entire family.

Nearly 20 kg rice and no less than 10 chicken are cooked daily to feed the family.

“We haven’t received any aid from the government. Even the stadium was built by members of our sect. The teachers, too, are from our own people and they work voluntarily,” Nunparliana said.

The family’s main source of income is from carpentry.

“From window frames, almirahs, to almost anything that can be made of wood comprise our products,” Nunparliana said, adding that 60 per cent of the window frames used in Aizawl are made by them.