Man has 39 wives, nearly 100 children

[웃 910]

Man has 39 wives, nearly 100 children

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – The more, the merrier is certainly true for Ziona Chana, a 66-year-old man in India's remote northeast who has 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren -- and wouldn't mind having more.

They all live in a four storied building with 100 rooms in a mountainous village in Mizoram state, sharing borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, media reports said.

"I once married 10 women in one year," he was quoted as saying.

His wives share a dormitory near Ziona's private bedroom and locals said he likes to have seven or eight of them by his side at all times.

The sons and their wives, and all their children, live in different rooms in the same building, but share a common kitchen.

The wives take turns cooking, while his daughters clean the house and do washing. The men do outdoor jobs like farming and taking care of livestock.

The family, all 167 of them, consumes around 91 kg (200 pounds) of rice and more than 59 kg (130 pounds) of potatoes a day. They are supported by their own resources and occasional donations from followers.

"Even today, I am ready to expand my family and willing to go to any extent to marry," Ziona said.

"I have so many people to care (for) and look after, and I consider myself a lucky man."

Ziona met his oldest wife, who is three years older than he is, when he was 17.

He heads a local Christian religious sect, called the "Chana," which allows polygamy. Formed in June 1942, the sect believes it will soon be ruling the world with Christ and has a membership of around 400 families.

(Reporting by Biswajyoti Das, editing by Elaine Lies)

http://news.yahoo.co...us_india_family

Edited February 23, 2011 by Lord Infamous

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

That story gives a new meaning to "spreading the love".

[Glyn and Kathy 288]

I say this as a wife....WHY would anyone want to have that many wives?? Seriously? My husband has a hard enough time dealing with me.

[웃 910]

I say this as a wife....WHY would anyone want to have that many wives?? Seriously? My husband has a hard enough time dealing with me.

You answered your own question. That is exactly why it would be good to have so many wives! When the guy gets sick of or doesn't want to deal with 1 of his 39 wives, he has 38 more to choose from.

Edited February 23, 2011 by Lord Infamous

[mawilson 2,133]

You answered your own question. That is exactly why it would be good to have so many wives! When the guy gets sick of or doesn't want to deal with 1 of his 39 wives, he has 38 more to choose from.

I have photos!

[웃 910]

I have photos!

You know what they say about women with no teeth, right?

Edited February 24, 2011 by Lord Infamous

[Amby 490]

did anyone else see pics of the crazy house? I think I saw them in cnn

You know what they say about women with no teeth, right?

so really one time I had a guy ask me if I had teeth I was like huh?

[james&olya 1,121]

I say this as a wife....WHY would anyone want to have that many wives?? Seriously? My husband has a hard enough time dealing with me.

I say this as a soon-to-be husband, ONE wife is the most I could ever handle!! And sometimes even one is a problem!!

[Glyn and Kathy 288]

I say this as a soon-to-be husband, ONE wife is the most I could ever handle!! And sometimes even one is a problem!!

Well, I was just thinking, women who live and work close to each other tend to be on the same hormonal cycle (ask any man with a wife and teenage daughters and they'll tell you its the truth). Can you imagine having 39 wives all going through PMS at the same time??? Then add in any teenage females that were born into the house. WOW....I hope he had someplace to escape to.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Glyn and Kathy

[^_^ 5,021]

There are a lot of crazy Christian sects in the Indian northeast. The area was almost entirely tribal when India became an independent country in the mid 40s. The Indian government never had the money or motivation to go in and work on development so Christian missionaries moved in (mostly from the US and Europe) to fill the vacuum. Unfortunately, due to the remote and weird nature of the region, the missionaries weren't normal missionaries but freaks like the ones who no doubt started this polygamist cult. On the bright side, thanks to the charitable donations of Americans and Europeans, most of the people of this region are now Christian (kind of) and have schools and roads.

I once read (I forget where, it was a long time ago) that when an alien religion assimilates a region it had no presence in before, it does so slowly. In the first phase, the religion co-opts elements of the pre-existing culture (in this case, tribal) and then as generations pass they slowly eliminate these elements. If this is true, it will be a few more decades before the Christianity in the Indian northeast resembles the Christianity we see in places like Uganda (another western missionary project, only decades more advanced).

[TBoneTX 45,914]

I say this as a wife....WHY would anyone want to have that many wives?? Seriously? My husband has a hard enough time dealing with me.

Dear, since you're a blonde, all is forgiven, si man.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Wow, that's more than two golf courses.