Protestant Mission Ramri Kham

By Prof. Lal Dena 

            India ramah hin Protestant mission society tam takin rong an hung bawl a.  Anni inkarah inhrietthiemna thra lem a umna dingin inzatuona dan tlangpui (principle of the comity of Protestant missions working in India) an lo zam a. Chu dân dungzui chun India ram sŭng khaw lai hmuna khom mission pakhatin rong a lo bawl tah chun, rong lo bawl hmasatuhai le inbiek remna nei hmasa zet naw chun mission society dangin missionary thar dang tir lo ding ti a nih. Hi dân hi hmangin abikin India hmar sak ram chu hieng ang hin BIEL an lo insem a: Assam phaizawl, Garo Hills, Nagaland le Manipur chu American Baptist Mission (ABM) chan; Khasi Hills le Mizoram chu Welsh Presbyterian Mission (WPM) chan; Tripura chu New Zealand Baptist Mission (NZBM) chan.          

            Abikin eini Zohnathlakhai chengna Mizoram le Manipur tieng thlir bing inla. Rev.William Williams, Shella, Khasi Hills-a rongbawl lai mêkin kum 1890-khan Mizoram a hang sir a. Rev Williams rotna angin WPM chun kum 1892-a  Machynleth Inkhawmpui chun an mission field dingin an namdet nghal a. WPM chun Rev David Evan Jones (Zosaphlui) chu an missionary dingin an ruot a; a fe suok hmain D. E. Jones chun kum thum trening a la nei hri a. Kha hmaa Arthington Mission tirh J. H. Lorrain (Pu Buanga)  le F. W. Savidge (Sap Upa) hai ruolcham khan Mizoram chu WPM ramhuol a nih ti an hriet lawk ngei niin an lang. Aizawla umhmun khuora bangla an bawl thu kha hieng ang hin Lorrain-in W. Thomas, Liverpool, kuomah lekha a ziek a: “From the very beginning of building (the bangalow) we had in our mind the coming of your missionaries…”(J.H.Lorrain to W.Thomas, 1 October,1898). 

            Trening zovin D. E. Jones chu 31 August, 1897 khan Aizawl a hung chuong kai ve tah a. Thu khervei thaw nuom hai sien chu sulsutu le kum thum chuong hiel rongbawla lo um tah Lorrain-hai ruolcham khan hril ding an hau awm khop el. Kum thum tawp rong lo bawl tah an ni leiin Mizoram suoksan khom an rin hle. Mizorama um song theina ding a ni phot chun WPM-a inpêk khom an rin nawh. Amiruokchu, anni ruolcham kha Baptist kohrana mi an ni leiin, WPM-in a lâk nuom nawh.

            Hi lai thu hi Lorrain-in hieng ang hin a lo ziek a: “W. Savidge and I are very sorry to hear that your committee feel unable to accept us for your work in Lushai. We shall always follow the work of your agents in that land with the keenest interest and we trust that God’s richest blessing may rest upon their labours”(Lorrain to Thomas, ibid.). Thra taka inbein, mission le mission inkăra inzatuona dan ngir lai chu hre zingin, D.E.Jones kutah iengkim an inhlân vong a, thla ruk nêka tam an la umpui sungin an mawphurnaa ngaiin Lusei trong an inchuktir a, thil thaw pei dan ding le hma lak pei dan ding an hril a, D.E.Jones ta dingin zirtirtu, keihruoitu, thrangpuitu le sulsutu trangkai tak an lo ni ta lem a nih.

            Lorrain hai ruolcham chun Mizoram an suoksan a, Abor ram (Arunachal Pradesh), tu khomin rong an la bawl nawna rama chun an fe a. Kum thum an um sungin Abor trong an inchuk a, lekhabu khom an siem hman a nih. Pathien remtinain Mizoram sim tieng chu Baptist Mission chana inhlăn fel a hung ni phing leh, anni ruolcham bok kha Lusei trong thiem ta sa an ni bok leiin, Mizoram sim tieng biela rongbawl dingin an ko a, rongbawlna tran dinga  an suok khomin malsawmna’n D.E.Jones-in a’n thla a, malsawmna tam lem leh hlawk takin an hun tawp chenin Mizo rama bok rawng an bawl nawk ta lem a nih.

            Mission le mission inkâra inzatuona dan hi bawsiet a ni zen zen nawh. Amiruokchu, kum 1934 khan Mizoram chu WPM field a nih ti hre zingin Salvation Army chun hmun khuor ve tumin, a ram mi threnkhat le inthu kopin hma an lak a. WPM hotuhai lu an sukhai hman hle. Chuong laia misawnari um Rev Lewis Evans chun Borsap A.G.McCall kuomah a zuolkova, lekha sei tak el a ziek a.  Chutaka a ziek uor tak chu WPM ni lo, mission dang hrim hrim Mizorama lut phalna pek lo ding; pek an ni chun Mizo hnam lai inthrena le inkeibingna a ra suok ding a nih ti a nih. Amiruokchu, Mizo threnkhat le Salvation Army hotuhai lo inthuhmu tah le Calcutta inthoka an lo tran tah a ni leiin, WPM hotuhai chun an dang zo chuong ta nawh. Buoina tam tak nêr thlengin Salvation Army khomin Mizoramah hmun det a hung khuor ve ta tho a nih.

             Watkin Roberts khom khan mission society inkara inzatuona dan ngir lai chu a bawsiet tiin Manipur Biela A.B. Mission misawnari hmasa tak William Pettigrew chun a hêk nghé nghè a ni kha. “Manipur Simthlanga Chanchin hung lut dan le A.B.Mission lo dodal dan, 1910-1933” Thukna Ropui, 2010 –ah khan chieng takin ei tarlang ta a, chik nawkzuola sui nuom chun tiem dingin ka ditpui. Manipur sorkar khoma Watkin Roberts kha Manipur-a um a phal nawh a, a hnungin Mission Society-a inthok khoma muolpho taka hnotsuok a ni nghe nghe.

             Thil tlung tah (historical events) hai hi historian-haiin an sui hrim hrim chun, thil tlung kha ieng leia tlung am a na? Ieng leia khâng kher kher khan a tlung am a a na? Kha thil tlung khan a hnung peiah ieng am kakhawk a nei a? ti hai hi tukver hrang hranga inthoka thlirin, sir tina biin an chǐk hlak a nih. Histawri ziek dan kalhmang (trend of historical writing) khom hi a hung inthlâk pei a. Africa le Asia rama kha hmaa ram dang op dea umhai an hung suok zalena (decolonizing process) inthok lem khan chu ramper hlutsaktu pawl (colonial officials) le missionary-hai thilthaw dan chen khom fîp taka bi non (reassess) a hung ni tah a. Black theologian-hai lem chun, “Our Jesus is Black” an ti ta chu! Setan lim an ziek pha khom mingo hmêl an inputtir bok.

            A tu khom, Western missionary-hai khom ni hai sien, an thilthaw thrat le an thilthaw suolhai inhmai bik um lova a ni dan ang taka bi a, objective assessment thaw hi historian-hai sin a nih. Voisun chen hin mi tam takin Pathien ang thawthanga mingohai ngaina le biekna (colonized mentality) lungril ei la nei a, Saphai, abikin missionary-hai lem chu soisĕl thieng lo anga ngaina ei la nei a hoi. A poi khop el.  Hi ripa inthoka ei intăl suok a hun tah.

            Dr Fraser khan India rama Watkin Roberts hung thruoi phalna Liverpool-a WPM hotu lienhai kuomah a hni a. Hi lai thu hi original source hmangin ka tupa Jonathan Pudaite chun hieng hin a lo ziek a; “In reply to the letter, the secretary of the WCMFMS asked Fraser to inform Roberts to delay his travel and go out the usual way”, (Jonathan Pudaite; The Legacy of Watkin Roberts, 2009:14). Hotu lienhai thu awiin missionary intir pangngaiin, training zo thlapin Roberts kha WPM tira hung suok ni sien chu thil a danglam hle thei. Historian-hai chun thil tlung hrim hrim, a sie le a thra, hi hnung peia kakhawk an nei dan lung nona thrang loa objective assessment thaw hi an sin tak a nih.

(Canchipur, 8^th February, 2013).