UNI 
 
AIZAWL, Nov 20: Sixty-four-year old Ziona is married to 50 wives, a father of over 100 children and known to his people as the head of the 'largest joint family on earth' with over 180 members at Perching on a hillock at Baktawng village, about 80 km from Aizawl, capital of Mizoram.

However, they do not 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.

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 with their followers. Till date the descendants carried the faith of their forefathers.

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 for 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 said.

His first wife, 66-year-old Zathiangi, 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.

Interestingly, 26-year old Huntharnghaki, the latest one, who got married to Ziona this year and is a mother of six-month-old baby, 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.''

According to the village people, Ziona got married to at least 10 women during 2006 alone.

Despite his busy schedule, Ziona is able to maintain 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 died and three have left him. All of us are happy and are having a secured life,'' he added.

The Lalpa Kohhran family have their own school (Class V to X), a playground they called Chhuanthar Stadium, carpentry workshops, piggery and poultry farm, paddy fields and a vegetable garden big enough to feed the entire family.

About 20 kilos of rice and at least ten chickens are 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. Teachers working in our school belong to our church. It’s 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, 60 per cent of the window frames used in Aizawl was their product.

''We often received scornful comments from people. They called us a religious sect that is bound to perish,'' said a young grand-daughter of Ziona.

Village people also underlined that Guinness officials' bid, to put Ziona into the books for getting married to the maximum number of women went in vain because the cult leader refused to pose for a photograph.