Unitarians in Bangladesh

The Khasi Pnars has been living in Bangladesh since time immemorial and there is a sizeable population of the Khasi Pnar in that country. As a matter of fact close to the hills a small track of land in the now Bangladesh was once rule by the Jaintia King and the Kingdom’s winter capital was in a place now known as Jaintiapur which is now part of Bangladesh.

You can click on this link or open this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-Og2NktTQ to see a documentary posted on youtube to get some information about the Khasi Pnar in Bangladesh.

The Unitarians in Bangladesh are the Khasi Pnar who lives in the country, they are basically pan leaf farmers and they have not been able to organize themselves. There was once a fellowship in the border village name Mukam and I visited the place to conduct a funeral of one of the member of the fellowship. Because of the porous border I was able to visit the place illegally simply by bribing both the Indian and Bangladesh border guards. There are 3 (three) Unitarian families in this border village.

The beginning of this organized Unitarian group in the country started independently on the two sides of the country. On one side we have Tyngshain Khongjoh who is originally from Mawlat and migrated to Bangladesh with his uncle when he was just a young boy. He is now a grown up man with a family. He has lost touch with his Church since he migrated to   Bangladesh and he would have completely forget his church if it is not for this one incident. He is married to his wife who is a Presbyterian and he was ready to convert to Presbyterian if he was not asked to be baptized again. Tynshain remain adamant that he can only be baptize once and rejected the idea of him being re-baptized. By doing so Tynshain remains a Unitarian and that let him to look for fellow Unitarians in Bangladesh, he met Jill Lyngdoh from Nongtalang (India) who frequently visited Bangladesh to accompany his wife visiting her ailing mother who live in Bangladesh. Tyngshain Khongjoh live in Srimongol road and his address is :

Tyngshain Khongjoh

C/O Shri Laxmi Store

Shrimangal Station Road

PO 3210

District Moulvi Bazar

Bangladesh.

Then on the other side of Bangladesh a Unitarian family from Nongtalang migrated to Bangladesh long time ago, but their children remain in Nongtalang for their education. Now the children are grown up and return to Bangladesh they conducted a regular Sunday worship where they live. The Pohrmen family lives in the Sylhet District of Bangladesh and their contact address is :

Miss Molika Pohrmen

P.O Bolekha

Village Agar

District Sylhet

Bangladesh.

Then we have two other Unitarian families originally from Padu who had migrated to Bangladesh, one of them live in Husnabad in Shrimongol District and her name is Ainbah Mukhim her contact number is 008801733629026 and the other Unitarian family are the children of Tress Mukhim of Clawra District of Moulvi Bazar.

I plan to visit my fellow Unitarian brothers and sisters in Bangladesh this coming winter but this time I am going to go by the book and visit the country legally.  

New Unitarians in India Chalices

ICUU Founders Vision

In commemoration of the 15 years of its existence, the International Conference of Unitarian and Universalist the global organization of the Unitarian and Universalist decided to honour15 individuals UUs from around the world with the ICUU Founder’s Vision Award.

Rev. Carlywell Lyngdoh of the Unitarian Union is one of the 15 recipients of the prestigious award. The Award was presented to him by Rev. P.G.Marbaniang during the 146 Birth anniversary celebration of H.K. Singh. 

H.K. Singh’s 146 Birth Anniversary Celebrated

H.K.Singh 146 Birth Anniversary was celebrated on the 15 of June at the Unitarian Church, madan Laban Shillong. The service was started at 1 PM in the presence of a large gathering of Unitarians and well wishers. The solemn ceremony was conducted by Rev. P.G. Marbaniang who light the chalice to welcome the entire congregation and the service was led by Riana Nongbri.

Students of the H.K. Singh Secondary School, Jowai presented a group song and the Unitarian Church Madan Laban Choir group presented a choir in the gathering. The speaker in the gathering was Roosevelt Pariat, Chairman of the Unitarian Church, Jowai and a prayer was offered by Rev. Nangroi Suting General Secretary of the Unitarian Union Northeast India.

The speaker dealt at length with the life and work of Babu Hajom Kissor Singh and reminded the congregation of his selfless sacrifice towards the cause of Unitarianism in this part of the World.

On Sunday the 12 of June, the Unitarian Church Jowai celebrated the day by organizing a special service at 1:30 PM. The service was chaired by Langkioo Laloo, led by Lynruki Laloo and Rev. H.H.Mohrmen spoke on the theme taken from H.K.Singh’s own hymn which says “everything that God has created, he did so to teach us.” Rev. Mohrmen concluded that by this H.K.Singh meant that the entire creation can teach us many things and the nature and everything in heaven and on earth are God’s revelation.

H.K. Sigh 146 birth Anniversary on the 15 of June.

H.K. Singh 146 birth anniversary will be celebrated at the Unitarian Church Madan Laban, Shillong at 1 PM. Ma Roosevelt Pariat will be the speaker on the occasion.

The Jowai Church will celebrate the day on Sunday the 12 of June at 1:30 PM. I will preach in the service and the sermon will on H.K.Sigh’s understand of the nature vis-à-vis Khasi Pnar concept of Mother Nature. I will give you a clue, the sermon is based on the hymn that HK Sigh himself composed; hymn no 61. This is another new study that show how HKS was influenced by the indigenous concept of nature. Wish me luck. Sorry you will not be there to hear it. But I will post in on my blog.

To rwai ia U Blei, Trai ki bneng bad khyndew
Ia jingstad bakhraw jong U ym lah ban thew
Ki jingthaw baroh ha pyrthei ne ha bneng,
Ki pynpaw ia ka burom jong U Kylleng.

To rwai ia U Blei, Trai ki khlur bad ki bnai
Ha U dap tang Burom, ka Hok bad Jingshai
Kiei kiei baroh kiba ngi iohi,
Ula bun khnang ban ai jinghikai ia ngi.


H.K.S

A Village schools which secure regular hundredth percent pass percentage

Unitarian Secondary School, Puriang the first secondary school which cater to the need of the students in Puriang village and the villages in its suburb is also one of the premier schools in the area. The school has secures a record of a sort when the school secure 6 times hundredth percent pass percentage since its Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination debut in the year 2002. The public examination was conduct by the Meghalaya Board of School Education, Tura.

The School started sending students to appear for the SSLC examination in the year 2002 and since then till the year 2011 the school the school has sends 10 batches of students to appear for the said examination. Out of the 10 times that the school send student to appear for the examination, it was able to achieve a hundredth percent pass percentage in 6 batches. According to the result declared by the Meghalaya Board of School Education, Tura the school achieved cent percent pass percentage in the year 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Puriang is a village on the National Highway 44 and it is about 20 KM from Jowai and about 40 KM from Shillong, the first Upper Primary School in the village was started only in the year 1991 by Rev. H.H.Mohrmen by upgrading the Unitarian LP School to a Middle English section as it was known then and permission for the same was received in the year 2005. The School was upgraded to secondary level in the year 1999 by the present headmaster Mr. Ditol Mylliemngap and permission was received in the years 2000. The school was recognized only in the year 2005.

Women's Wing of the UUNI Visited Mawpyrshong church

The Seng Kynthei UUNI (Women's Wing of the Unitarian Union Northeast India) under the leadersship of the organisation's adviser kong Moltifera Rani has on 22nd March 2011 paid a visit to a Unitarian church in Mawpyrshong village near Smit.


The group conducted a worship service in which the leaders of the women league of the U. Union and the leaders of the church took part.


The service was condcuted by kong Battinora Rani and a welcome speech was offered by the Chairman of the Unitarian Church Mawpyrshong. The service was led by kong Balamonlang Marboh and kong Moltifera Rani preached a sermon.
Payer was offered by kong Damanbha Kahrkongor and a vote of thanks was offered by the Chairperson of the Women's group of the church.


Later the leaders of the Sengkynthei paid a pastoral visit to the sick indisposed members of the church.


____________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Rev. Helpme
Nga phah kane ka khubor na ka liang ka Seng Kynthei ba phin pynmih ha ka issue ka ban wan jong u Nongwad.


Ka Seng Kynthei, Unitarian Union hapoh ka jingialam i Kong M. Rani, Adviser, i President bad Secretary, Ka Seng Kynthei Unitarian Union, ka la leit kynpham sha ka Balang Mawpyrshong ha ka 22th may 2011. Ka jingiaseng ka la long katkum kane ka programme harum:


Moderator - Kong B. Rani, President
Kren pdiang sngewbha - Da i Chairman ka Balang Mawpyrshong
Lam Jingiaseng Kong Balamon Marboh
Ai Jingkren Kong Moltiferra Rani
Ai Jingduwai Kong Damanbha Kharkongor
kren ai khublei Secretary ka Seng Kynthei, Balang Mawpyrshong.


Ka jingiaseng ka la pynshit pynshngain bad ai mynsiem shibun ia ki parabangeit hangto khamtam ban iohsngew ia ki khubor na i Kong Moltiferra ka ba la ai mynsiem bad pynsngewthuh khambha ia la ka jong ka jingngeit..


Hadien ka Jingiaseng katto katne ki nongmihkhmat na ka Seng ngi la ia leit kynpham sha ing jong ki parabangeit.


Nga ngeit skhem ba U Blei un nang aibor ia ka Seng Kynthei bad ia ka Unitarian Union hi baroh kawei ba kan nang trei kham bha bad nang pynkhlain ka jingialeit kynpham sha ki Balang khamtam sha ki Nongkyndong.


Kong Batti
President