Baby Maker

Mizoram Ziona is just like any other dad on this earth: he cooks, he cares for his children, he tends to his garden and house, he is truly a family man. The only difference between him and every other father in this world is that he has 180 PEOPLE IN HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY. That’s 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law, and 33 grandchildren. ALL STEMMING FROM ONE MAN

Mizoram lives in Baktawng Tlangnuam village in the Serchhip District in India and is said to be the head of the world’s largest family. The family all lives in the same location, and basically under the same roof, which can prove difficult, as you would imagine.

Mizoram lives in Baktawng Tlangnuam village in the Serchhip District in India and is said to be the head of the world’s largest family. The family all lives in the same location, and basically under the same roof, which can prove difficult, as you would imagine.

According the Chana followers, the origin of Chana Pawl is rooting in Chapter 20 of the book of Revelation, the 1000 years Jesus Christ spent on earth. It’s largest religious festival is “Bawkte Kut,” or “Festival of the Hut.” The festival takes place on June 12th every year to celebrate the founding of the faith.

As you could guess, polygamy is formally encouraged by Chana’s followers. Oddly enough, the religion isn’t a very widespread one, with only 2,000 followers total.

You would think with 38 wives, Ziona seeks out women to marry, but it’s actually the exact opposite. Women seek him out because they see him as an avenue to a better life. The area Ziona is from is notoriously impoverished, and the financial security that he provides is enough of a reason to jump ship with him.

Unlike some of the more sinister religious sects in the world, members of Chana are allowed to speak about the religion to outsiders. His wife Rinkmini says that she wasn’t forced to marry Ziona, but that he began to pursue her when they were both out for a morning walk. They would often cross paths after their first meeting, and when Ziona eventually asked for her hand in marriage, she happily agreed. “He is the most handsome person in the village,” she told the daily mail in an interview.

You might be wondering if the Indian government objects to Chana Pawl in the way that America government has rejected polygamous cults in the past, but the fact of the matter is that the family members act as model citizens. The local minister of rural development said, “They’re very good craftsmen and very enterprising. They’re also reputed to be honest.”

While the majority of people could do without 38 spouses, Ziona says that “Today I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after.” His followers are also happy with the situation, with C Lalringthanga, whose daughter is married to Ziona, says that the family, “diligently practices the values the gospel tells us — like honesty, hard work, helping the neighbors, simplicity, and equality.”

Ziona considers himself a lucky man to have such a large family, but he admits that it can be a bit endearing at times. If you have a family of 5 or 6, you can sometimes get by by “winging it,” but when you are managing 180 people under one roof, there are a lot of day-to-day logistics one needs to take into account. This management requires strict routines, and some of the children have gone on record saying that the home sometimes feels more like a military operation than a home.

The family’s two “managers” are Ziona himself and his first wife Zathiangi. Their mornings start with getting up before everyone else and determining what work needs to be done that day. Once they’ve agreed on the nitty gritty, the other wives are then summoned and given their instructions for the day. Everyone is involved in ensuring the home runs smoothly and in a way that is beneficial to everyone.

The homestead is in a very rural area of India, so they like to get an early start on the day. Most days the family will be out of bed and starting their day by 5:50am. Every morning the family does a group prayer to start their day, and they work until the sun goes down, which is when they have a large communal meal.

As you could imagine, feeding 180 people is no small task. On any given night, Ziona’s household can consume 100 pounds of rice, 44 pounds of pulses, and up to 77 pounds of meat. Imagine ordering 77 pounds of beef at the butcher!

All this cooking takes a lot of effort, and the clean up is just as difficult. Luckily there is a small army to help cook and clean every night.

The family really does live under one room, which is something that is still hard to believe. The family has built their own home into the mountainside by their village. Standing at 4 stories tall with over 100 rooms inside, the house is definitely a feat. Although when you look at it, the house would probably not pass most building codes if it was build anywhere else.

Interesting enough, the wives don’t get their own rooms, but instead share communal rooms. Outsiders think this is to encourage bonding among the wives.

The wives’ communal bedrooms are essentially barracks, long rooms outfitted with rows of beds. As you might expect as head of the household, Ziona has his own bedroom, with a single double bed.

And you might be wondering, if there are 38 wives, only one double bed, and one man, how does Ziona “do the do.” Well the family has actually produced a schedule for the wives, with each wife getting a scheduled week for bedroom time with Ziona. The wives insist that by this arrangement, none of the wives get jealous of each other.

Each wife is numbered upon arrival into the family, but apart from the first wife who helps in chore allocation, everyone is consider an equal. Lalruatkimi, who is wife 18, says ““Every wife, save for the post-menopause lot, gets to spend a week in Pu Ziona’s room. During this period, she takes care of all his needs.”

“All of his needs.”
We will leave that one up to your imagination.

While everything so far seems pretty egalitarian, there is one aspect to living in the household that suggests that might not entirely be true.

In the wives’ sleeping quarters, their beds are arranged by the wife’s age,with the youngest positioned closest to Ziona’s room, and the oldest the furthest. While the wives have assured outsiders that this is just merely a form of organization, it seems like there is some underlying pecking order.

While all of the wives bear children, the duty of caring for the child is usually given to the oldest women in the family. And after collectively caring for 110 newborns, they might know a thing or two about caring for children.

Surprisingly, this isn’t an odd practice in rural India. Often times the younger parents will delegate the majority of the child-raising duties to their grandparents so they can go work and provide for the family.