An intimate peek into the life of Ziona Chana and his 175+ strong family in Mizoram, India. An hours' drive away from Aizawl - the capital city of Mizoram, is Tlangnuam Baktawng village which houses about 300 families and 2000 followers of the Christian denomination known as the 'Lalramkawngpuizawhtu'. Under this sect, a man is allowed to have more than one wife or solemnize plural marriages on the basis of mutual consent, understanding, respect for each other and most of all -- love. The principle of 'Lalramkanwgpuizawhtu' bears a similarity with Mormon fundamentalism or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term 'Lalramkawngpuizawhtu' in the local Mizo dialect means 'The followers of God' and their place of worship is called 'Hnamthlanrunpui'. The head of this Christian sect is, a 69 year old practicing polygamist, surrounded by a gaggle of women round the clock. According to sources and family members, Ziona has 39 wives, 86 children, 14 daughters in-law and 34 grand-children all living under one roof in a huge mansion which they lovingly call 'Chhuanthar Run' meaning 'House of the new generation'. All together, the 174 members of the Ziona family live in Chhuanthar Run or in short (C.T.R), a rather military-like fashion. Chhuanthar Run is a huge four-floor building with 22 rooms. Once you step into the house,the kitchen to the left and a large spacious drawing-cum-dining room await you on the second level. While the married sons sleep in separate rooms attached to each other on the third floor, there is a dormitory exclusively for Ziona's eldest son. Ziona has his own plush and lavishly decorated room on the second floor. The younger wives sleep in a dormitory right next to Ziona while the older wives sleep farther away. The wives take turns to visit him when they are summoned. Ziona owns Tlangnuam Baktawng village, Chhuanthar Stadium, Chhuanthar primary school, Chhuanthar High school, poultry farms, piggeries and vegetable gardens but the bulk of his income comes from his profitable furniture business, for at the end of the day, Ziona is a carpenter. From building a simple house to building the roads in the village, Ziona is the mastermind. He leads full days from early morning to nightfall, working at his businesses, his belief and religious system, for his fellow villagers and for his family. One day he is involved with building the village road and the other day he gets occupied at his carpentry workshop. The family has three major furniture workshops and whatever profits they yield are handed over to Ziona. They readily share their hard-earned money with the head of the family as it is for the joint maintenance and benefit of the family as a whole. The furniture products are supplied to nearby towns, the main market being Aizawl itself. Meanwhile, the womenfolk of Ziona's family are occupied with rearing pigs, which are the source of a major portion of the family's earnings. Ziona's family eats the vegetables that they gro
