We’ve all heard about the ‘world’s largest family’ residing in Mizoram, headed by the late Ziona Chana, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 76, leaving behind 38 wives, 89 children, and 36 grandchildren. This colossal household comprises 199 family members.
Now, another family, which has essentially become a village, has come under the spotlight across various media platforms. This extended family resides in a village in Assam’s Sonitpur district.
The Nepali Paam village, where the family resides, garners attention, especially during elections, as all 300 families in the village belong to the same lineage, descendants of Ron Bahadur Thapa. Currently, his family counts over 2500 members, with 1200 eligible voters.
Ron Bahadur Thapa, a Gorkha, settled in the riverine area of Sonitpur district in the mid-20th century. A skilled farmer, he found the land fertile for agriculture and prospered over time. He married five women and had 12 sons and 10 daughters. He passed away in 1997.
The Nepali Paam village, which falls under the Tezpur constituency, has its unique identity as it originated from a single family. As the family grew, they separated for better living conditions but remained nearby. Thus, this village was formed in the Phulaguri area and was called Nepali Paam.
“Our father married five times, and we are 22 children (12 boys and 10 girls). We have our own children and when we found it difficult to live under a single roof, we have started living separately. Our sons, grandsons also married, and most of them also live separately. Thus we are now 300 families in this village. No other families are there in this Nepali Paam village. We have 65 grandsons and 70 granddaughters,” said Til Bahadur Thapa, the eldest son of Ron Bahadur Thapa and now the village head, adding that some of the families opted for jobs instead of agricultural work.
On the other hand, Ron Bahadur Thapa married off his daughters and helped them settle nearby. Currently, except for two, all married daughters of Ron Bahadur Thapa live in Nepali Paam.
“Our sisters live nearby with their families. Our father ensured they had places to live so we could stay close,” added Til Bhadur Thapa.
However, the differences between Assam’s Ron Bahadur Thapa family and Mizoram’s Ziona Chana family are that, while Chana’s family still lives together, Bahadur’s extended family began living separately over time. Bahadur married five times, whereas Chana married 38 times.
Presently, Nepali Paam has attracted attention from all candidates contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. As a village of a single family, Nepali Paam’s 1,200 voters will vote for the candidate chosen by the family elders. Therefore, every candidate is striving to maintain good relations with the village elders, particularly Til Bahadur Thapa, the eldest son of Ron Bahadur Thapa and the village head.
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