“I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and the head of the world’s largest family,” said Ziona Chana.
Nestled in the hills of Baktwang village in Mizoram is a 100-room, four-storey house, where he lives with the 39 wives, as well as 94 children, 14-daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren (at last count).
“I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after,” he told the Sun.
Well, this should give those saas-bahu soaps a run for their money.

In addition to being head of the family, Chana is also the head of his 4,000-member-strong sect, including four generations of the Chana family. Established by his grandfather in the 1930s, the clan has traditionally carved wooden furniture and made pottery items, and is theologically based on Christian teachings (though leaders from the primary faith in the state, Presbyterian Church, aren’t quite okay with Chana’s embrace of polygamy)
In his illustrious estate, Chana’s family is organised meticulously by the oldest wife, Zathiangi, when it comes to household chores such as cleaning up and cooking, with one evening meal witnessing a whopping 30 chickens being plucked, 132lb of potatoes being peeled and 220lb of rice being cooked. That sounds like a Game of Thrones-style feast right there! According to one of his wives, Huntharnghank, they all get along really well on a basis of ‘mutual love and respect’. His wives sleep in giant communal dormitories, with the youngest ones closest to his room and the older ones sleeping further away. They have even worked out a rotation system for who shares Mr Chana’s double bed amongst the partners.

‘We stay around him as he is the most important person in the house. He is the most handsome person in the village,” 37-year-old Rinkmini, one of Mr Chana’s wives, told the Daily Mail.
The national elections held in May this year cast a different light altogether on the significance of the sheer size of his brood, organised with ‘military discipline’, that votes for the same party - making them very popular amongst politicians.
“When we go to vote, we always cast our ballots for the same candidate or party. That means more than 160-odd votes are assured from one family,” one of Chana’s wives, Rinkmini, told reporters.

The 1.1 million state had about 700,000 eligible voters this year, making the biggest family in the world a factor that could potentially tip the scales.
“During every election we are much in demand as the winning margins of politicians in this state are slim, so even 100-odd votes matter to them,” the 70-year-old Chana told Agence France Presse explained.

“All we want is good governance and the well-being of the state instead of personal gains for our family from the politicians,” says Chana, who has, in one year, married 10 women.

Created By: Homegrown Staff