Epitaph

MY BELOVED PAPA

Late Rev. T. Kamzakhup Zou

(1930 – 1979)

My beloved papa is the eldest son of my grandpa, Pu Awnkhawm. He was born in 1030 at T. Singtam Village, Churachandpur District, Manipur. When he was only 20 years old, he becomes one of the founding Executive Member of Simte Christian Association and later Evangelical Christian Association. He shifted to Daijang Village searching for a better livelihood when he was about 30 years old.

In 1954 February 20, he becomes the Founding General Secretary of the Jou Christian Association (JCA) at Daijang Village. This JCA’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated on 20th February 2004 at Zomi Colony.

On May 21, 1957 he become an evangelist. In 1959 he married my lovely mother, Niengzadim. He finish G. Th. under The Aizawl Theological College in 1973, He was ordained as a Pastor in 1978.

Not long after his ordination as a pastor, on May 3, 1979 he left this suffering world for his heavenly abode.

Sons & Daughters

Niengkhanman  w/o B. Chinzalam (Daijang, The Bethlehem of the Zos

Dimneikim  w/o Zamkhogin (Laphelpat, Imphal)

T.  Khamzahau (Died) (Unmarried)

Vungsuonching  w/o Lielien Gangte (Langol, Imphal)

Lamneichiin  w/o William Das Fransis (Madanriting, Shillong)

Zamlunmang h/o Irene Mary (Delhi)

Tunu Naomi Haumuonching (The most sweetest)

FAMILY PHOTO (1979)

Ode to my father

Ka Zuo It

(MY BELOVED FATHER)

Senpa’n momnou zuo mel mu lou,

Tunnu’n anglai nau bang hing pom e;

Lai ah na sa’ng sangga zuo pomkha lou,

Zal mang laukha’n ka sieng hing kawm ve aw;

Sangga momnou in lung zuon man in,

Vaimang siemsil tung a tutkhawl,

Tong kup theilou na sahmel vel vel veng e.

Zuo aw tuong nung na’ng sia apa’n,

Na min thei bang lou lou veng e;

Lou chim la’ng e, pienna ka zuo aw,

Tuong nung na’ng sie apa’n;

Vangkhuo limlien sausuon dai in damta e,

Mim bang pienna ka it tuunnu toh;

Tuonglam sa bang vaimaw ung e.

Pienna tuun-le-laizom teng toh,

Sangga genlieng siel siel ding a;

Zuo aw tuong nung na’ng sie a hiei?

Zuo aw tuong nung na’ng sieh apa’n,

Sen puseite’n sen momnou paibang pom vang;

Sien ni-nu toh sawn momnou sangga paibang pom vang chi e.

Sen puseite’n sawn momnou pai bang pom e,

Pai bang pom in, sawn momnou siel bang sangga kile in;

Tuun lungzuong leh laizom teng nun in nuom e.

Tuun lungzuong mu bang ka ngai ma’n,

Von momnou in mal bang kou kou ing e;

Tuun lungzuong simlei-le-thangvan kal ah mubang laam in,

Tuonglam zawtlou, India khopi Delhi tuol ah nga bang leng ta e.

Sangga momnou kiil bang khang in,

Tuun lungzuong leh deizawn angkawi lianu toh;

Saunuom sungah hou lung kum e,

Kum chimlou e, nuichiem leel in;

Nunnuom laituol leeng leeng ung e.

Written by Tungnung, Zamlunmang Zou

(Youngest son)

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Local Church Movement under JCA le by (L) T. Kamzakhup Zou

The new Zou Christian converts joined different dialectal groups, especially the Paite and Thado Christian groups. To stem the tide of this social crisis, some intelligent Zou youngsters organised on 20 Feb. 1954 the first Zou Conference at Daizang village. The JCA (Jou Christian Association) conference deliberated on issues related to the social and religious life of the community. The JCA agenda was not exclusively religious. Besides Pu Kamzakhup, the pillars of the JCA in its initial days were the three educated figures of Pu Thawng Hang, Pu Sem Kho Pau, and Pu Kai Za Kham. The triple leaders were still students at Imphal at that point of time, and they were entrusted with the task of drafting a ‘Constitution’ for JCA, which was finally adopted at the Daizang assembly.

However, there seemed to be a lot of spadework before the JCA assembly could be convened on 20 February 1954. A preliminary meeting was held at Tuaitengphai village on the occasion of ‘Haitha’ (First Fruit) festival in which the villages of Daizang, Boh Lui and Khianglam were scheduled to participate; but the last two did not turn up. A migrant from Mawngawn village, Pu KamzaKhup became a resident of Daizang village since 1951. His arrival in Daizang made that village a hub of Christian activities in the 1950s. Despite his humble occupation as a peasant, Kamzakhup appeared to be a born reformer. He was consumed with zeal to initiate a local church movement among his tribespeople – the Zou dialect community. When he moved into Daizang in 1951, there were reportedly just four Christian villages out of the total sixty-six Zou villages. Enthused with the challenge of initiating a new movement, this layman would share his social vision with his confidant named Thawngzakhup. Both jointly managed to bring the village elders for a public discussion at Tuaitengphai in 1952. But nothing concrete came out of the meeting. Still undaunted, Pu Kamzakhup continued his campaign for a cause close to his heart. The reformist duo (Kamzakhup and Thawngzakhup) would excitedly talk about their future project even while working in the wet rice field. The first important outcome of all those untiring discussion and persuasion was the staging of a partially successful joint meeting between Daizang and Tuaitengphai in 1953. That, in turn, provided a solid foundation for a more spectacular success. It actually became a prelude to the historic JCA meeting at Daizang on 20 February 1954 (see JCA Minute Book).

Finally, one may wonder: where did Pu Kamzakhup catch his Gospel fire? The clue lies in his early residence at Mawngawn village. The social environment of Mawngawn in the 1940s – swept by waves of Christian conversion – must have contributed significantly to the making of this Zou social reformer.

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MY BELOVED BROTHER

Late Tungnung Khamzahau Zou
(March 29, 1968 - August 29, 2004)

Memory of you

You are but a memory to my dear heart that dwindles as each day passes me by. My heart yearns for you, but you’re not there, only your memory is, and that hurts even more.

The tears are all too real and they follow the pain, my heart feels when it misses you so. Memory upon memory floods the gates and soon I begin to drown in them.

Each better than the last but all so sweet and real. The memory is real but its fading too fast its uncontrollable, and it's evaporating like dewdrops in the sun.

I try to gather them up quickly, place them in a jar, but the time is quicker than I, and it speeds up the sun’s steal. O I wish you could be here and not just your memory because you are by far better than the thought of the past.

As each sunset brings forth a new day, I think about the memory, and the pain it brings is too immense but the tears are even bigger. You are but a memory that is quickly fading and only you can fix that my dear.

Though my heart hurts so much from the pain only you can save me. Like each sunset brings forth a new time, this sunset will bring you to me. And love back into the mourning heart.

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In Our Hearts

We thought of you with love today.

But that was nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday.

And days before that too.

We think of you in silence.

We often speak your name.

Now all we have is memories,

and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake.

With which we’ll never part.

God has you in his keeping.

We have you in our heart.

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THE TESTIMONY OF MY BROTHER

When Everything Seems Gone, The Gospel is still there!

This is the testimony from my deceased brother. I wanna share this great testimony with the whole world.

My brother, that is my elder brother (L)  Tungnung Khamzahau Zou was a good and kind-hearted person. He was the kind of person who cannot say no to drugs. When he was in high school, he comes to contact with his school mates.  One day his friends invited him to have something that he has not to touch in his life. He could resist in the first time but fall to its trap in the following days. He keeps on doing it and become 100%, drug addict.

He try to behave himself in front of our mother, he, however, failed one day. After a few years of his practice. His days were counted on the bed. He regretted but useless. My mom keeps on praying that he might be born again. He even said that everything is gone and the world is meaningless to him.

One day on his sickbed, he wanted to pray to God and ask for his forgiveness. He did and after two days of his intense thinking about his worthlessness, he suddenly burst out of joy and said “God is good, he died for me and saved me” after that he closed his eyes and died.

Here is my point: Everything seems to be meaningless and you may be thinking of ending your own precious life, maybe you hate your life and wanted to kill yourself. You may think that no one in this world loves you. You may think that the world hates you. But, there is a big 'BUT' because of the Loving God. He is always there for you. God is there for you even the world turn its back from you. God loves you even when your friends, families and church hates you.

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