PREPARING FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE GOSPEL CENTENARY IN CHURACHANDPUR, 1910-2010

PREPARING FOR THE

CELEBRATION OF THE GOSPEL CENTENARY

IN CHURACHANDPUR,

1910-2010

Lal Dena

The coming new year-2010 is going to be the Gospel Centenary Year for the Hmar and its allied Churches in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar today.  Let us first look at how the Gospel first reached Senvon village in South-west Manipur in 1910 and  spread like wild fire in that area.

Being singled-handed and preoccupied with his works in Ukhrul and some parts of the Imphal valley, William Pettigrew, the first missionary in Manipur, could not spare time to visit the southern hills of Manipur bordering Mizoram even after his fifteen years’ stay in Manipur.  Eventually and miraculously, the light of Gospel had to come to the Hmar people of South Manipur, not from William Pettigrew, but from the least expected quarter- from a young man called Watkin Robert Roberts, Carnaevon, Mid-Wales, UK who was then working with Dr Peter Fraser, the Welsh medical missionary to Mizoram from 1908 to 1912.

How and why Watkin Roberts came to this untrodden part of Manipur state is a fascinating story. While assisting Dr P.Fraser at the Welsh Mission clinic at Aizawl, Roberts personally bought copies of the Gospel of St John in Lushai dialect which he sent to various village chiefs in Mizoram whenever someone from these villages came to their clinic to collect medicine. Along with the booklet, he sent a letter explaining the way of salvation through Christ and requested them to read carefully the third chapter, verse sixteen. He also asked them to acknowledge receipt of the booklet and let him know what was being done with it.

One day a stranger from Senvon village, Manipur, came to the mission clinic at Aizawl. On learning from the stranger that no missionary work was ever done in that part of the region and that the chief of that village could read Lushai dialect, Roberts sent one copy of the Gospel booklet to Senvon. Kamkholun, chief of Senvon was pleasantly surprised by this strange gift. Not knowing what to do with the booklet, he sent it back to the sender with a note of request on its back cover, “Sir, please come yourself and explain about the book to us.” The booklet was carried back by his four friends who were then going to Aizawl to learn tailoring. Since safe delivery of the letter was the order of the chief, they took utmost care and the youngest among them was told to keep the booklet in his shirt’s side pocket. He pinned it carefully fearing the loss of it might land them to punishment in the form of salam (fine).

 One evening Rev D.E.Jones, the first Welsh missionary at Aizawl, announced at a church meeting the receipt of a copy of the Gospel of St. John from Manipur with a request for a missionary. Prima facie, Roberts immeditaely knew that it was the one that he had personally sent it to Manipur, and that the request was for the sender personally to visit the country and open up work there. It was, indeed, a Macedonian call: the call of a land and people still in spiritual bondage and darkness! Enthused and excited, Roberts contacted Lungpau and Thangkhai who were then studying at Aizawl under the sponsorship of Dr P.Fraser. Lungpau and Thangkhai, being from Manipur, were well familiar with the topography of the hills between Manipur and Mizoram. With some native porters, Watkin Roberts and his party lost no time in preparing for the journey.

On Sunday, 30 January, 1910 D. E. Jones offered special prayer at the Church service for the safety and God’s blessing for the mission. The next day on Monday, 31 January, 1910 Roberts and his two guides, Lungpau and Thangkhai accompanied by porters set out on their journey towards Manipur. After passing through several villages on the way, they reached Senvon on Saturday, 5 February, 1910. Recalling this momentous event, Watkin Roberts himself wrote in his letter, “Our first two converts from South West Manipur were my beloved Thangkhai and Lungpau (both Vaiphei). I well remembered the place where they accepted the Lord in a house in one of the Hmar villages in Lushai Hills as we returned to Aizawl in February, 1910 after my visit to Senvon and the surrounding villages”. The spark of the Gospel which started from Senvon soon transformed into a mighty tornado and engulfed the whole of the southern hills of Manipur in no time. Amazing indeed!

As a matter of fact, all the major present church organizations in Churachandpur are the fruits of Watkin Roberts’ love-labor. Dozens of different church groups had emerged even within the Hmar community during the past hundred years. Of late, these church groups have formed a common platform called the Hmar Christian Leaders’ Forum (HCLF) to coordinate issues concerning the Hmar Churches. The HCLF in one of its executive meetings made two important resolutions regarding the celebration of the coming Gospel Centenary in 2010: first, each and every church organization within Hmar community should have first arranged to celebrate the Gospel Centenary at its own convenience during its general assembly or synod meeting in 2010; and secondly, all the church organizations under the HCLF should jointly celebrate the Gospel Centenary in November, 2010 at Senvon, the very place where Watkin Roberts first preached the Gospel.

 Following the direction of HCLF, the Independent Church of India (ICI), one of the  leading churches in Churachandpur which is deeply rooted to the apostolic principles of self-supporting, self-administering and self-propagating, has thus decided to celebrate the great occasion at its mission headquarters at Sielmat, Churachandpur from 5-7 February, 2010. To participate in the celebration, some prominent church leaders from USA, Wales (UK), Canada, South Korea and mainland India are being invited. David and Evelyn Roberts, grand children of Watkin Roberts from Toronto, Canada are believed to have confirmed their participation in the great celebration. Christians survivors from Kandhamal massacre in Odisa, the four orphans with their pastor are also expected to join in the centenary celebration as special guests.

The Gospel Centenary Celebration Committee (ICI) is planning to hold community feast for about fifteen to twenty thousand people throughout the three days’ celebration. The estimated cost of only one day’s feast is in terms of lakhs. We read in the Bible that 12 disciples of Jesus Christ can feed 6000 people excluding women and children. Can a dedicated 100 cooks and their 900 helpers do the work?

More concerned with the spiritual aspect of the celebration, the organizers have launched the Gospel Centenary Revival Crusade (GCRC) in every nook and corner of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, North India, Tripura, Bhutan and Myanmar during the last two years. The main focus of the crusade is spiritual rejuvenation and Christian maturity. Along with this crusade, a non-stop 100 nights prayer was launched from Senvon village (Tipaimukh) from 8^th may, 2009 and it was concluded  at the Roberts’ Memorial Chapel at its General Headquarters, Sielmat on 17^th Aug. 2009.

Yet another notable preparation which needs special mention here is the construction of a four-storeyed Gospel Centenary Building just at the entrance of Churachandpur town, Light House Lane, purely on the voluntary contribution of the members of the Church. The construction is now nearing completion.

As the Gospel originally came from Aizawl, Mizoram, one Mizoram Presbyterian Chapel in Aizawl, will give out the Gospel Torch which will be carried throughout North Mizoram retreating the footsteps of Watkin Roberts and then to Senvon, Tipaimukh, where a solemn service will be conducted. David and Evelyn Roberts are being assigned to receive the Gospel Torch when brought to the Centenary Hall at Sielmat on the evening of the 4^th February, 2010. From the main Torch, other torches will be lighted and be distributed to all the delegates of the Independent Church of India Mission Fields in India, Bhutan and Myanmar. This ceremony will be followed by a thunderous Hallelujah Chorus from 1000 Voices while the sky over the mission headquarters is being flooded with shooting and sparkling lights of different colors.

The next day, the 5^th February, 2010 begins with the inauguration of the Gospel Centenary Building, dedication of Watkin Roberts’ bust by David and Evelyn Roberts, hoisting of the Centenary Flag, Ringing of the Centenary Bell-100 times to be followed by Gospel Messages, Appreciation and Recognition, Women Focus, Mission Focus, Youth Service, Ordination and Pension Service. The Celebration will be closed on Sunday night, the 7^th February, 2010 with CHIBAI MANGTHA & ANNYANG HASEIYO!

What a Grand Celebration will it be? Because as for the present generation, there will not be another Centenary Celebration.

TIPAIMUKH REVISITED

TIPAIMUKH REVISITED

                                                                    Lal Dena

           

            Tipaimukh which once produced consul generals, ambassadors, internationally renowned missionary, dozens of central service officers, doctors (medical and academic), not to mention the state service cadres, has become perhaps the most backward area of the state today. What I saw there recently with my own eyes is really appalling and at times nauseating.

            There are at least twelve different government departments, namely, medical, electric, P.W.D., agriculture, water-supply, soil conservation and horticulture, education, forest, sub-post office, police, bank, social welfare and veterinary at Parbung, the sub-divisional headquarters of Tipaimukh. Believe it or not, none of the employees of these departments except the dilapidated and unoccupied buildings can be seen today.

The sub-divisional officer, and his staff members who are supposed to be there, have been operating at their make-shift office at Churachandpur town for the last many years. The S.D.O. quarter was deserted ten years ago. His office just the opposite of his quarter is something like the white-washed sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Once you get inside, you will see tables, wooden- shelves and chairs lying like unwanted corpses with files and papers scattering here and there. More disgusting is the smell of cows’ and goats’ urine and strewn cow-dung all over the floor of the office.

           

            Another impressive structure at least from a distance is the inspection bungalow. As you enter the rooms, you will see the broken and falling wooden walls. Day time you can see the blue sky or count the stars at night through the holes of the roof. I was told another construction was to come up nearby for which sanction was already made. Where did the money go, it is everybody’s guess.

            Once upon a time, there was a police station headed by a sub-inspector. Today only the empty buildings and quarters can be seen. The sub-post office is no longer functioning. The UBI branch was also withdrawn long ago, maybe because of security reasons. This is of course understandable. Compare to Manipur, Mizoram has much less resources. But all the villages in Mizoram just the opposite of Tipaimukh have electric lights, whereas the Tipaimukh area is still groaning amidst encircling gloom and darkness every where. Kerosene is not easily available; if available one can only get it at an exorbitant rate.

            The most important department is the so-called community health centre which was inaugurated by the former chief minister Shri W.Nipamacha Singh three years ago. As per the governor’s order number 3140, dated 20-3-85, there were at least twenty one employees besides three doctors of whom two should be specialists. I could meet only one grade IV employee who told me that ‘he was all in all’ meaning that he is a doctor, a nurse, everything.  What about the rooms inside the centre? You will be welcomed by worst sights than that of the SDO office. Before you enter the rooms, you better close your nose. Other details better be left unsaid.

            Today there are about six high schools there. You will be surprised to know that many teachers who are on the register are not to be seen. They have been enjoying life somewhere else by engaging unqualified local hands out of their salary. There are no mathematics and science teachers. In some schools the number of students is almost equal to the number of teachers. Once upon a time, three Meitei teachers were posted there. One of them married a local girl. The three teachers spoke the local dialect and identified themselves as the local people. May their tribe increase! But they were now transferred or retired. The high school where I passed matriculation used to produce cent per cent successful candidates in the matriculation examination under Assam board. But today those schools fail to produce a matriculate, maybe one or two during the last fifteen years. Different churches compete to have their own schools in almost every village. Their teachers who are poorly paid most of the time do not get their pay for months and months together. You talk about  quality education here. There is  no education in Tipaimukh today.

            Only the redeeming feature of life there is that the village authority members carry on their administrative works sincerely. Even here they are so much lagging behind of their counterparts in the valley. The pradhans, up-pradhans and members of the gram panchayats get salary and allowances. More important, there has been gradual devolution of powers in the panchayati raj institutions. Elections are held as per scheduled, whereas in the hill there has been no election for ages. The authority members do not get any allowances. I happened to be one of the members of the high-level advisory committee on social policy constituted by the government of Manipur. Of our several recommendations, only the state human rights formation was implemented. The committee felt that the village authority act was outdated and recommended amendment of the act. It even drafted a new framework. But nothing is done so far in this regard. Though the district council act was passed, who knows when this act will come into force! There is a need to strengthen local self-governing institutions every where. With this object in view, the 73rd constitution amendment act was passed and in the light of what is being practiced in the gram panchayats, the hill administration also need overall reorganization and changes.

            Before I conclude, must I mention about the condition of the road which was declared recently as national highway number 150. The road defies imagination. In most places, the black-tops are washed away. If you travel by truck, you move at a snail’s pace and willy-nilly you have to spend one night on the way. Still private trucks go to Tipaimukh once a week for some small business. But no government trucks are willing to go to deliver essential goods and commodities. For all these things, the local people have to depend more on supplies coming from Mizoram. Exasperated at government’s apathy and willful negligence, one senior village leader said to me, “We are practically having our independent life here. If this sort of negligence continues unabated, who knows, we may also take up arms one day”. Patience has a limit. Before people’s patience goes out control, some immediate corrective measures may be taken up. The sooner it is done, the better will be.

Tipaimukh Dam and the question of our survival.

Tipaimukh Dam and the question of our survival.

By Lal Dena

Flow forever and live forever,

Thou Barak, our mother,

We shall cling to thee,

As we cling to Supuinu.

            The forefathers of Hmars used to chant the above song as they immersed into the deep blue waters of Barak by invoking the blessings of Supuinu who was believed to be the mother-waitress of the Barak River.  In the pre-Christian era, Supuinu was believed to have a controlling power over the current and all living beings in and around the river. If she was pleased, the people enjoyed bountiful harvest and longevity; if she was not pleased, she stretched out her ugly arms thereby causing untold suffering and destruction in the form of earthquake.

            For the Hmars and other tribes who have been living on the bank of Barak river for the last three hundred years or so, the river has been from generation to generation the only means of transport and communication. The perennial flow of water carried uncountable source of income and wealth to the people. As the Nile serves Egypt, the Barak serves this area and it can be rightly called “the Gift of the Hmar area”. In view of its economic potential and navigability throughout the year for transportation of goods from Tipaimukh to Silchar, the Barak is the pride of the people. The fact that the river gives us all our domestic needs is clearly reflected in our folksong which runs thus:

            Flow slowly, thou famous Barak,

            To west where businessmen swim;

            Flow slowly, carrying the sweet scent of Hmar hills,

            Thou carry the boat loaded with gingers and chilies,

            Til-seeds(sifung) and cotton thou carry to Silchar,

            A big bellied mahajon is happy, saying,

            ‘Ami loibo, dibar mon ni;

            Dor bhalo, oile dibai;

            The economic activities of the people entirely depend on this river. The people sell their agriculture products in Silchar and carry back their domestic needs through this river. The alluvial and sediment soils deposited on both sides of its bank are, indeed suitable for the cultivation of different cash crops, and as such, the river is really a boon to the people living there.

            Against this background and context, we are looking forward to the construction of the proposed Tipaimukh High Dam (THD) with anxiety and fear. We are closely associated with all the survey works conducted on the moveable and immovable properties to be affected by the dam right from 1982. Detailed survey program was served to all villages of the area and public meetings were held where free and frank public discussion on the proposed dam took place. Survey of all gardens, paddy fields, lands, houses, etc. was done carefully with the help of concerned village authority members of the area. Enquiry reports were submitted to the EE (CWC) batch by batch in proper forms and the first survey work was completed on 23 November 1982.

            After the completion of the survey work, most of the farmers began to lose interest to look after their gardens and left them uncultivated ; after 21 years, these  lands and gardens are covered with bushy plants and trees. Some villages, namely, Bejol, Rapvadung, Dampui, etc. were shifted to safer places. Some houses including shops particularly at the Tipaimukh village were also shifted to other places. Even before the start of the construction of the dam, a good number of people have already been displaced. Who is responsible for this sorry state of affairs? Fear and anxiety are now looming large in our minds. We, the poor farmers, collected donations and sent our representatives to contact the concerned authorities at Shillong in 1983. Accordingly, we met CWC high officials, planning advisor, ministry of home affairs; including Shri. S.C. Nath, the then EE (CWC) NE investigation and other concerned officials and had several round of discussions on the issue of rehabilitation, compensation and other related issues. We returned home, of course, with tall promises that our grievances would definitely be given due consideration. When we talked about compensation and rehabilitation for displaced persons, we are clear in our mind that there are two categories of displaced persons: physically displaced persons and those persons whose agricultural land are to be submerged. Job reservation and special concessions are also to be made on this criteria.

            We know that an MOU was signed recently between the Government of Manipur and the NEEPCO, Shilllong on 9 January,2003. We cannot block government’s decision for the construction of the dam as we cannot stand against the strong current of the Barak river. But we make it clear that what concerns us most above everything is our treasured land. Our society, in contrast to the industrialized or advanced societies, is a communitarian social system which does not recognize individual permanent ownership of land from time   immemorial. History is our witness. Rochunga Pudaite, in his “The Education of the Hmar People, 1963:51 rightly comments on land ownership among the Hmars thus,” Significant among the Hmar system of village government is the fact that the land belongs to the people. It is the common property of the people and the chief and ministers (councilors) are trustees with the power to see to the rightful use and distribution to each homestead for cultivation. No one can claim full ownership of land. It belongs to him as long as he uses the land, and ceases to be his when he moves or abandons the land.” There was no patta system in the hill areas. John Shakespeare, after his transfer from Mizoram (Lushai Hills) to Manipur as political agent in 1905 during the British rule, traveled throughout the length and breath of the hill areas and started demarcating lands under different tribal chiefs and this is called in local term ram lekha (boundary paper). It does not covey any private ownership of land. As a matter of fact, land management in our areas has been solely in the hands of the democratically constituted village authority members. The MOU has talked about land acquisition and transfer or sale of land. So long as land right is within the community, we prefer to lease or rent our land for specific and for purpose on definite conditions.

            Lastly, the MOU has also envisaged elaborate security arrangement for the dam site. We endorse the view expressed by the leaders of the Hmar Student’s Association (HSA) Joint Hqrs, Imphal in their memorandum to the chairman, NEEPCO, Shillong, dated 17 March, 2003 which says: “The heavy militarization in the dam site will not augur peace and development; instead, it will definitely have a serious impact on their culture and custom and also leads to massive human rights violation.” For any project or scheme, people’s support is the best guarantee of security. There is no substitute for it.

                                                                                     

THE WELSH CONNECTION: The coming of Christianity in the South Manipur.

THE WELSH CONNECTION:

The coming of Christianity in the South Manipur.

Prof. Lal Dena

          Constrained by the love of Christ, the pioneer Welsh missionaries criss-crossed various continents and oceans of the world and without any forethought one of them happened to come to the dark distant hills in Manipur, a principality which had been closed to outsiders hitherto. The neighboring hill countries-Mizoram and Meghalaya were clearly potential Welsh mission fields. On the suggestion of the Rev. Jacob Tomlin, former missionary of the London Missionary Society, the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Mission Society took over Meghalaya from the Serampore Mission under Baptist Missionary Society on 22 June 1841. Envisioned to extend the horizon of their mission areas, Rev.William Williams, a Welsh missionary to Shella, Meghalaya, visited Mizoram in early 1899, and hastened to appeal to the Welsh Mission Directors through the Goleuad, the Welsh Presbyterian periodical magazine for opening a new mission station there. By resolution of the Machynlleth General Assembly, June 1892, Mizoram was adopted as a field for Welsh missionary operations. It was from Mizoram that God’s miracle worked and the forbidden gate of South Manipur was opened for an ambitious young man from Carnaervonshire, Mid-Wales, who was not formally trained or selected to be a missionary.

         

This young man was no other than Watkin R. Roberts, who was born on 21 September 1886. Burdened so much for lost souls, Roberts later dedicated his life ‘to serve the Lord in any capacity in which He ordains me to serve.’ At one afternoon meeting of the Keswick Conventions in 1908 before coming to Mizoram, he listened with rapt attention to Dr. Peter Fraser’s passionate plea: ‘Hundreds of tribes in Assam and North East India are in utter darkness. They need the gospel. They need Jesus to save them from their heathen darkness.’ The words inflamed Roberts’s enthusiasm. Placing himself at his Lord’s command, he began flying over mountains and oceans in wishful imagination. Amazing!

          Knowing not what his Lord had planned for him, Roberts, a chemist, accompanied Dr Peter Fraser and his wife, the first medical missionary to Mizoram on 14 October 1908 to help them in their clinic. Both Watkin Roberts and Dr Fraser belonged to the same place and attended the Castle Square Presbyterian Church of Wales, Carnaevon, Mid-Wales. They left behind the conditions of ease, comparative luxury and comfort of their homes in Wales

         

There is nothing too small for God. It was the small gift of five pounds sent to Watkin Roberts by his lady friend Ms Emily Davies who was, according to Roberts, ‘a great prayer-warrior’. Having prayerfully considered how the money might be used to the best advantage for the furtherance of the gospel, Roberts decided to purchase enough bound copies of the gospel of John in Mizo language to present one to each village chief in Mizoram. One copy of the gospel booklet cost only eight cents. Presentation of the booklet was made to most of the village chiefs in Mizoram along with a letter explaining the way of salvation through Christ, suggesting that the recipient should read carefully the 3^rd chapter, verse 16 of St.John and also asking each one to acknowledge receipt and let Roberts know what was being done with the gospel sent to them. By chance, one stranger perhaps from Senvon village, Tipaimukh, Manipur, happened to visit the mission dispensary at Aizawl. On being told that no missionary work was done among their tribe and their chief could read Lushai dialect, Roberts also sent one copy of the booklet through the stranger to the chief of Senvon.

Knowing not the content and meaning of the booklet. Kamkhawlun, chief of Senvon sent back the same booklet with an appeal written on the fly-leaf. ‘Sir, come yourself, and tell us about this book and your God’ through Kailienhrawng, son of Lienhrawng, and his two friends who were then proceeding to Aizawl to learn tailoring. Several months passed. One evening at a church meeting D. E. Jones, the first Welsh missionary, publicly announced the receipt of the gospel of John from Manipur with a request for a missionary. This arrested Roberts’s attention. Prima facie, Roberts knew that it was the one he had personally sent to Manipur and that the touching request was for the sender to visit the country personally. It was, indeed, a Macedonian call: the call of a land and people still in spiritual bondage and darkness! So enthused, Roberts then looked for people who were familiar with the topography of the land between Mizoram and Manipur. Lungpau and Thangkhai who were studying there volunteered to accompany Watkin Roberts for such aggressive and dangerous journey. Despite the perils and hardship involved, Roberts could see the rich harvest ahead and his team, after a very hazardous journey on foot for several days, arrived at Senvawn on 5 February 1910.

The Lord worked wonders. Leaving aside their heathen practices, five people including the chief turned to the true and living God. The young converts went about telling other people of the unspeakable joy that was theirs. The good tidings soon swept across the mountains like a mighty tornado. Amazement and awe filled the hearts of all who heard it.

          How could all this happen? It started with a humble but prayerful gift from a lady in Caernarfon. It was indeed an imperishable monumental work for the glory of the Lord. Roberts was simply an instrument and the lady spoke indirectly from her home in Wales to the hungry souls living thousands and thousands of miles away. It is not wonderful? Paul planted, Apollos watered and God gave the increase so that both he that planted and he that watered are one.

                   The north-east of Manipur hill territory had already been illuminated with the light of the gospel. This was as a result of the tireless efforts of the Rev. William Pettigrew who had formerly worked for the Arthington Aborigines Mission (named after Robert Arthington, a millionaire from Leeds) but who later joined the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. The darkness of centuries passed away, and a new dawn of hope and love glowed brightly over the hills and mountains. The churches grew and flourished in the best tradition of apostolic times - self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating. This was the secret of the success of the missionary movement in this part of the world.

          The apostle Paul has said that the gospel is ‘the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes’ (Rom. 1:16). It was not British imperialism nor western civilization which changed the people. It was the gospel which conquered the unconquerable. It was the power of the gospel of Christ which marvelously transformed the ignorant into enlightened ones. What a victory! For revenge, the missionaries taught forgiveness; for hatred, love and for cruelty, kindness. Filled with the love of Christ, the missionaries devoted their entire lives at tremendous personal sacrifice to service among the people. For the sake of the cross, some missionaries laid down their lives and were buried in our country. It was the blood of those who died and the dedicated services of those who are still alive which united the distant hills of Northeast India with Wales (UK). More important, it is the precious blood of Jesus Christ which made us one - yes, we all are one in Christ Jesus.