Edwin Rowlands

Edwin Rowlands (15 March 1867 – 6 August 1939) was a Welsh Christian missionary in northeast India and Burma. He was a professional teacher, singer, composer, poet, translator and literary figure among the Mizo people. He was regarded as the most beloved of all British missionaries in Mizoram. He was more popularly known as Zosapthara. He made the major hymns in Mizo and Khumi which are still in use. He modified the original Mizo alphabet and his system became the standard in Mizo language. He created written language for Khumi people in Burma, and for Bhil people in Maharashtra. His literary works are the foundation of Mizo literature. He was the first administrator of education in Mizoram as Honorary Inspector of Schools. Despite objection from various corners he married Thangkungi, a Mizo girl.

Early life

Edwin Rowlands was born in Pensarn in North Wales. He was the older of the two sons of David and Mary Rowlands. He completed BA from Oxford University. While in Oxford he joined the evangelical Oxford Group and became a born-again Christian. Due to economic hardship at time he left for America in 1883 at the age of sixteen. He worked as a schoolmaster in Texas for six years. At twenty-two, in 1889 he returned to Wales to work at Rhyl school. After teaching for two years he decided to go on a Christian mission. He started preaching and entered Bala Preparatory School (for missionaries) at Bala, Gwynedd. Then he joined Bala-Bangor Theological Seminary in 1896. He completed the course in 1898 becoming the topper in all examinations. He was selected by the Board of Calvinistic Methodist Mission to be missionary for Mizoram (then Lushai Hills), India. At the same time his brother John was also selected by the mission board for South America. Rowlands was ordained in the church assembly at Newport in 1898. The two brothers set sail from Liverpool on the same day but in opposite directions. While at the Arabian Sea, Rowlands received a tragic message that John had perished in the Atlantic Ocean in a ship wreck. It was later reported that John sacrificed himself for others by refusing to board a limited life boat. Despite his mother plea he received at Calcutta to return home, there was no turning back for Rowlands.

Missionary career

In Mizoram

Rowlands, accompanied by the senior missionary David Evan Jones from Calcutta, arrived in Aizawl on 31 December 1898. The young and fresh foreigner was immediately recognised by the Mizos as "Zosapthara" (meaning "the new/fresh Mizo Sahib"). Jones automatically was named "Zosaphluia" ( means old) for he was the older/senior one. Eventually they were referred to only by these names among the Mizos. Rowlands was a natural linguist and soon was able to communicate in the Mizo language. It was reported that he mastered Mizo within three months. The Chief Commissioner had already appointed Rowlands to be the first Honorary Inspector of Schools in all Lushai Hills in 1903. From 1 April 1904 Rowlands became the authority of education, and through him government fundings were managed by the mission. He held this charge till 1907. He left the NEIGM on 1 April 1924.

Controversy and marriage

Edwin Rowlands and D.E. Jones supported a number of poor but promising students and orphans for their education. They had a self-sufficient hostel near their bungalow. One girl named Thangkungi was the favourite of Rowlands. They made good bonds and he admittedly wanted to marry her, but was sternly objected by his missionary friends and even the Welsh Mission board. The underpinning reason could only be on racial grounds that a respectful British should marry a tribal girl. Suspicion arose in 1906 that Rowlands had immoral behaviour towards the girl. D.E. Jones went as far as setting up a regular secret surveillance team at Rowlands' residence. On 28 August 1906 an anonymous memorandum was sent by Jones to the board of directors in Liverpool that there were enough indications that Rowlands acted indecently. While in reality, members of the surveillance team testified that there were no direct evidences of immorality. Rowlands was summoned in 1907 to make his statement at Liverpool before the board. But the board delayed interview for several months. By then Jones was on vacation in Wales, and Rowlands was worried of the mission administration in Mizoram. After excruciating wait for the board, and no information, he left for Mizoram in the early 1908. He was full of confidence that his innocence would be accepted. When Jones returned to Aizawl a letter from the mission followed him, which he read in June 1908 before Rowlands and select church leaders. It was a termination of Rowlands. Rowlands packed up, handed over his hostel to Mrs Jones, and left Aizawl on 22 June 1908.

Around 1921, then widowed Thankungi and her aged mother sought Rowlands, who was stationed at Lakhipur under the North East India General Mission. It was appropriate in Mizo culture as the rest of Thangkungi's family had emigrated to Burma, and Rowlands was their closest friend. They stayed with him at the Lakhipur Mission Compound. However, Rowlands was in continuous expedition to Manipur and Burma. When he returned in December 1923, it was only to learn the eviction of his guests by the mission authority in April 1923. After submitting his elaborate report of field visits, he tendered his resignation from NEIGM on 1 April 1924, and married Thangkungi to end all controversies.

Zosapthara Building is located at Synod compound, Mission Veng, Aizawl.

Zosapthara Award is instituted by Bilkhawthlir Mizo Literacy Association.

Contributions

Prose and linguistics

Edwin Rowlands modified the Mizo alphabets created by J.H. Lorrain and F.W. Savidge. He corrected the phonetic symbols which became the standard Mizo language. He created alphabets and first textbooks for the Bhil people. He created the Khumi alphabets in 1925 which are still in use (with addition of two compound symbols). He was better-gifted in writing than his missionary. He was a prolific writer of essays and notes. His essays were the first in Mizo and were published in Mizo leh Vai Chanchinbu (1903–1913) and Kristian Tlangau (1912–1914).

Poetry

Rowlands was the first to compose proper poetry in Mizo. His poems covered patriotic song , anti-slavery , inspirational , and devotional odes ( and ). He made (both translation and original composition) over a hundred Mizo devotional hymns, 96 of which survived and are still sung to the present. He remains the single most contributor to Kristian Hla Bu, the official church hymn book of Baptist and Presbyterian churches. He also composed several hymns in other languages, particularly in Khumi. His proficiency was best exemplified by an occasion on 12 August 1907 when he composed seven hymns, which are in fact one of the most complex songs yet in Mizo.

Books

Rowlands was a prolific writer. In spite of his ceaseless missionary explorations, he kept writing his diaries, articles and books. His important books are: Mizo leh sâp ṭawng hma-bu mizo sap shaim = A Lushai-English primer (1903) Note on St. Luke's parables in Lushai (1906) Marka Evangel (1906) History of India: in Lushai (1907) English first reader: Lushai translation (1907) Pawla tân lai (translation of the Epistles of Paul), (1907) English primer: Lushai translation (1907) First reader: Lushai annotations, with explanations and additional notes (1907) Third reader: Lushai annotations (1908) Middle reader I (1908) Assam: Eastern Bengal and Assam (1908) A Primer of English Grammar in Lushai (1909) Bu-lâi, II (1909) Khawvêl thu (with D.E. Jones) (1909) Continent of Asia (with D.E. Jones) (1910) Hebrea te hnena lekha-thawn (1910) Isua tehkhinthute: the parables of Jesus (with D.E. Jones) (1913) Thu: Mizo sapte ziak (with D.E. Jones) (1914) Di-Garo Mishmi dictionary (1918) History of Burma: "notes." (192?) Mizo leh sâp ṭawng hmabu Mizo-sâp Siam (with D.E. Jones) (1922) St. Mark in Khumi (1935) Satang kahawi Marka i tajiu nai (1941) Satang kahawi Luka i tajiu nai: St. Luke in Khumi (1948) Jacob cha pa nai (1948) Amtaw thau nai chi i ati ti sa nai (1950)

In addition he also completed the translation of the Gospel of Luke (1898) and Acts of the Apostles (1899), and also prepared other textbooks such as on geography, Mizo writing, teaching method, Khumi primer and Arithmetic Part II.