An Autobiography of the Daughter of R. Dala

My father is Ralzadala, popularly known as R.Dala. My mother is Lalthangpuii. My father was from Aizawl (Mizoram) and married my mother, a widow's daughter from Bunghmun and he married her because she was the daughter of the first Christian there. They were married at the Mission Veng Church, Aizawl. Thus, I, the eldest daughter was born on the 8th May, 1912 (Wednesday) at 1 pm with the assistance of Dr, Fraser. My father left for London with the Englishmen in late may the same year to assist Dr.Fraser who was very ill and he was the only English speaking person around.

When he returned, I had already learnt to talk.In 1914, my father was sent to Senvon as a Christian Missionary and my family moved with him. In that same year(1914) in April, my sister Lallianpuii was born; in March 30, 1916, my brother Lalthanliana (now working in Myanmar (Burma) as a missionary) was born. On October 18, 1918, my sister Lalsiamliani was born and in December 1, 1920, my youngest brother Lalthuamliana (now at Mission Veng, Aizawl, Mizoram) was born.In 1921, because of some problems arising out of the people of Senvon and their chief, we could not stay there anymore. We moved to Tinsuang, accepting to the request of their Chief and established a Mission Centre with a school, a boarding and a church building. There were always around 40 students, which included me. I was quite small then.

Our headmaster was Thuama, from Hlimen, Mizoram and other teachers : Liantinkaia, Than-ngura, Lianbawnga etc. Since there were no facilities for a lower (possibly Class I standard) examination in Manipur, I, along with two friend, went and cleared this examination at Mizoram.We were quite silly. We made a large hut and used to play-act things we've seen in Church services and in school. This was around the year 1924.We'd grow vegetables like pumpkins etc., adjoining our playhouse and pluck the leaves and gift them to our teachers. We did not know if they ate them or not. I loved living organisms and insects. My friends would bring baby-rats, baby-birds and I would buy them with "leaf money". I also would catch and tie together caterpillars and carry them around. I once forgot my bunch of caterpillars at a neighbor's house whose wife was very scared of them. I was not allowed into that house for quite a while. Among all flowers, I was fond of a particular variety which flowers in the afternoon. I'd get up early in the morning and wait for the flower to bloom and by the time it is almost afternoon, I'd get tired and go home. I never did manage to get that flower myself all my childhood.

We were also fond of scaring each other with ghost stories and the like and we'd get so scared ourselves that our mothers had to come and take us home from wherever we were.We built ourselves a house at Tinsuang but were able to stay in it only for one night. The next day, me, my brothers Thana and Thuama, my parents and some other people left for Zakra, on the bank of the Tuiluang river (a local river) for a conference of the Presbyterian Churches in the area. We traveled by raft and stayed overnight at Sartuinek. Unfortunately, my father was afflicted with diarrhea and quickly got serious.

We managed to reach the place of the conference and my father could hear the Church bells pealing, announcing the beginning of the Conference not far from the riverbank. But he had no strength to get off the raft. He asked my mother for rice-water which was quickly prepared. But by the time it was ready, my father had already left us. He was brought to the house of one Mr.Hluana where he was buried the night itself for the people feared that my father was suffering from Cholera (Tuihri). Me, my brothers and my mother were not even allowed to approach the dead body. It was a very long night and a very harrowing one. The Conference itself was held but we were not very much enthusiastic or involved. We left for home after the conference and my mother wept all the way. I could not really understand it then, but it was very unpleasant.Upon reaching our village, Tinsuang, my mother immediately sent people to retrieve my father's body but the villagers of Zakra did not allow them for fear of contamination.

She sent men again the next year and they brought my father's uncorrupted body and was buried near our house.Thus, after my father's death, living conditions became more difficult. But by God's grace, the Presbyterian Mission supported me and my siblings with an allowance of Rs. 2.00 per month (around US $0.045 by today's exchange rates) and my mother was also employed as a female mission worker earning Rs. 30.00 (US $0.67) per month. In 1926, with my father's family's approval, my mother married a missionary co-worker Lianhawla, a Bible graduate. I had three more sisters and two brothers, among whom , Darhmingthangi and Lalzoliana are still alive today. So we became again a complete family with twelve (12) members. In 1926, I went to Lakhipur (Assam) and then to Calcutta to train as a nurse mid-wife sponsored by one Pu Dohnuna. But due to my ill-health, my father Lianhawla came and asked me to stay at Lakhipur. I stayed there for about 2 years and went back to Tinsuang in May, 1930.

My father had by then been asked to head in Bible Studies elsewhere. So we left Tinsuang in December and arrived at Churachandpur on the 24th December, 1930. We stayed there for a long while doing the Lord's work.On September 2, 1933, I was married to Tonsing Thangkhai, who was a mission worker under Rev. Paul Rostad and we were married by him. My husband could best be described as an odd-jobs man around the Mission Headquarter. He took charge of all work when the foreign missionaries went on furloughs. At times, he was a school inspector. On August 11, 1934 at 1:00 pm, my eldest daughter, Colesap-pawlruali was born. On March the 12th, 1936 (Thursday) at 4:00 pm, my eldest son Lalthanchhunga was born. On the 24th June, 1938 (Friday), Suakhnuni was born at 4:00 am. Then on the 12th July, 1940, my youngest son, Vungkhamthang was born.

Then, on May 14, 1942 (Friday), my husband saw Pi Roi bitterly crying. On being asked the reason, she told my husband that the Japanese have bombed Imphal (66 Kms. from Churachandpur) and that she was scared and wanted to get away. Since there was no-one to escort her, my husband volunteered and the next day, we left home. After five days of walking, we reached Tuiluang river, from where we rafted down the river upto Lakhipur. From there, we motored to Silchar (Assam) and from there we went to Lucknow by train and then on to Bareilly in U.P (United Province, now Uttar Pradesh) and then on to Sattal (U.P.) where we were to stay for about two years. This was the 4th of June, 1942 [ This war was the second world war, the Manipur chapters ]

Sattal is a forested area and the animals there were protected by law. But we secretly made traps and had enough meat to eat all through our stay there. While there, my third daughter was born on the 24th October, 1942 and we named her United Province Sattal Lalrampari (Pari).

We left Sattal in 1944 and we went to Silchar (Assam) where my husband Thangkhai Tonsing worked as a censor for the Government. In the latter part of 1944, we went to holiday at Hmawngchhuan (Tripura) where my daughter Suakhnuni died of Pneumonia in October. We went back quite empty. On the 22nd January, 1945, my youngest daughter, Vialzaching was born.

In October, 1945, the war being over for most part, we went back to Churachandpur, Manipur where the Chief of Lamka Pu Phungkhothang was very kind and we enjoyed his hospitality for the remaining part of the year. My husband wanted to found a village and requested permission to do so from the then President of the Manipur State Durbar (Hills), Major F.F.Pearson. He was granted the necessary permissions and it was in his honour that the name of the village was taken form this president's name calling it Pearsonmun (mun=place). Thus in January, 1946, we went and gave thanks to the Lord at the present site of Pearsonmun. In April 2, 1946, we built the first structure of the village which was the Church Building { which still stands in its original place today}. Only after completing this building, did we start to build houses (huts actually) for ourselves. Some youths who came to help us at that time who were my husband's first villagers (Tual-nah-phah-pih) were (1) Thuamkhanthang, (2) Thangkhum, (3) Phungtual, (4) Thangbika, (5) Siamkham, (6) Chinzathang, etc. Nearby villages like Nghathal people came and helped us a lot too.

We lived happily for barely seven years thus, when my husband, Thangkhai Tonsing caught pneumonia and died at the Churachandpur Civil Hospital. Dr. Nanda who was looking after him did all that he could but my children's father was beyond help. He left us to join his heavenly father on the 3rd July, 1953 at 9:30 am. The people of Churachandpur Valley mourned with me and erected a huge stone memorial in front of our house, which still stands today. My children being yet small, it was quite a difficult time indeed.

We lived without a father at Pearsonmun. My husband being the chief, had responsibilities to the villagers which could not be ignored. Being the head of a family of growing boys and girls and at the same time being the administrative head of the village takes a lot of courage, patience, wisdom, strength and faith : qualities which are very hard to come by and which I had in very little measure. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel came in the form of a dream. In that dream, I had asked my husband " How can we survive without you?" He had answered, "Don't worry. Sow paddy/rice in our garden and you will survive." We did exactly that and we had bumper crops that year and the succeeding years. That patch of land is still the most fertile area even to this day.

Now, my children are all grown and I am already a great-grandmother. I am very proud to have my five children alive today, 23 grand-children and 29 grand-children. God has blessed me and my family bountifully. Now I can peacefully close my eyes and join my husband and my parents where they are waiting for me, in my father's kingdom.