Zairema was a Presbyterian minister, and a pioneer in theology and literature among the Mizo people of northeast India.
29 Facts About Zairema
1.
2.
Zairema was the first Mizo to obtain the degrees of BSc and BD.
3.
Zairema died of cardiac problem on the morning of 17 December 2008 at his residence in Aizawl at the age of 91.
4.
Zairema is best remembered as the "father of Mizoram Synod".
5.
Zairema was born in Hmunhmeltha, a small village in the eastern Mizoram.
6.
Zairema was the eldest of the three sons of Doliana Khawlhring and Aibuani.
7.
Zairema's father Doliana was among the first literate Mizos and was an elementary school teacher at Champhai.
8.
Zairema was baptised by the first Mizo Pastor Vanchhunga on 2 September 1917.
9.
Zairema's father died from falling off of a tree in 1922 so that they were raised solely by his widowed mother.
10.
Zairema studied at Champhai Primary School from 1922 to 1924.
11.
Zairema completed his elementary education from Government Boys' ME School at Aizawl in 1931 in first class.
12.
Zairema matriculated in first class from Government High School at Shillong, Meghalaya, in 1936.
13.
Zairema continued at Cotton College, Guwahati for Intermediate of Science, which he finished with first class, and then BSc with major in chemistry in 1940.
14.
Zairema was immediately appointed as headmaster at the Harasinga High School.
15.
Zairema made a record of the institute as the first in the merit and the first to have secured first class under the entire Senate of Serampore College.
16.
Immediately on completion of his theology course, Zairema was recruited by the Mizoram Synod and he was officially ordained as a full minister of Presbyterian Church on 23 September 1945.
17.
Zairema was elected to PCI Secretary in 1953 and Moderator in 1959.
18.
When Mizoram was clouded by the terrors and atrocities of the political uprising in 1966, Rev Zairema was the main leader of the coordinated action of all churches in Mizoram for seeking peaceful settlement among the rebels, the Mizo National Front.
19.
Zairema was even imprisoned for 11 days in 1967 by the Assam Police on a deliberate accusation of inciting and accessing the rebels, and was later simply acquitted.
20.
Zairema was an official consultant of Mizoram Government such as in the planning board, land tenure system, council of science, civil service examination, school education, language board, customary law, etc.
21.
Zairema was a regular examiner of Calcutta University and Gauhati University undergraduate examinations from 1946 to 1970.
22.
Zairema was the only subject expert in Mizo for the recruitment of teaching faculty of Mizoram University in 2005.
23.
Zairema was one of the most active leaders in the Young Mizo Association, the largest organisation in Mizoram.
24.
Zairema hold the office as Vice-President in 1946 and 1949, and general secretary in 1947.
25.
Zairema initiated the case in 1996 that lasted even after his death.
26.
Zairema married Thangdailovi on 4 March 1943, and they lived at Zarkawt, McDonald Hill, Aizawl.
27.
Zairema was survived by a son, 4 daughters, and 17 grandchildren.
28.
Zairema's subsequent book Pipute Biak Hi was a runner-up of the Book of the Year 2009.
29.
Zairema had written more than 80 literary essays in Mizo and about 40 in English.