Dr Maongsangba
He was a man of integrity, erudite, a great bible scholar, yet humility personified. The man, who introduced the Nagas to the western world, spearheaded the evangelical movement in India and abroad, one among the few that translated the Bible to Ao language. He donated all his savings to the cause of Christian education in Nagaland and India. Pandit Nehru and Mrs. Gandhi hold him in high esteem. He was a man of my father’s generation, from the same ancestral village-Changki, born in the same year-1920 and hailed from the same khel- Litsung kiyong. I fondly called him apa “Dona” till his last breath. I am talking about late Bendangwati, popularly known as Rev Dr. I. Ben Wati, who was laid to rest, at Impur on 15th June, 2012. He was born at Impur, and as death comes as it must to every man, it was decided in his life time by ABAM to bury his body at Impur. He had a difficult childhood as the first child in the family, as he was thrust upon with a special responsibility to nurture and caress a full team of 11 younger siblings. Exceptionally brilliant and determined that he was, against all odds in a small mission centre at Impur, he nourished the ambition of travelling around the world once in his life time. Not once, the triune God sanctioned him to travel round the globe as many as seven times to preach the gospel. His second wish was to have good health. He not only enjoyed good health but lived till the age of 91 and half, with clarity of mind. His third wish was to go to heaven. The omniscient God, I believe has delivered his wish.
Settled in Oxford, London, family members planned to bring his dead body in event of his demise all the way from London. Providence had better plan in store. He was scheduled to visit Nagaland on the 3rd June 2012. His wife who was bed-ridden passed away at a ripe age of 91 at her daughter’s home in London on 28 May 2012. He bid adieu to his two daughters in London, telling them that they will meet in heaven; and headed home probably with a premonition that his end was near. The Reverend arrived Dimapur as planned on 3 June 2012, frail and weak. When our family called on him, with his radiant smile he thanked us for visiting him in his death-bed. God in his own good time had called this humble servant to be with Him on 14 June 2012. His last words were to his younger brother Maken, “I am going”! So he slept to eternity before his stunned brother could react. When he visited Impur on Dec 16 2010, he told people gathered that his next visit will be in a coffin. He told the same to me in Dimapur that his next homecoming will be in a coffin. His words turned prophetic that he was in a flower bedecked-coffin accompanied by host of wailing relatives and well wishers on June 15 2012, at Impur.
The amount of love showered by the churches en route to his final resting place touched me. The manner in which various organizations eulogized the late Revered in the funeral service was but a testimony that I. Ben wati’s contributions were not in small measure. So solemn and touching was his funeral service that I kept asking myself whether I would witness such a heart-renting funeral service again in my life time. Co-founder of Eastern Theological College, Founder of Clark theological College and Union Biblical Seminary, Chairman of NEICORD, EFILOR and Pine Brook Society, Chairman WEF, Chairman ALCOE and Executive Secretary Evangelical Fellowship of India besides heading many other organizations. Rev Dr. Ben wati had the rare honor to have been associated with these organizations and nurtured them. He made an indelible impact in India and abroad and led by example all throughout his life. He remained aloof himself from any form of feud and controversy. Fallible and human that he was, I cannot vouch his infallibility but having observed, Rev Dr. Bendangwati from a close quarter, since my college days, his pluses had outweighed his minuses and made him what he was- A great human being!
Though he could not serve in his native place during his entire career spanning 70 years and compelled by professional compulsion to remain in Shillong, Delhi, Bangalore, and in London at the fag end of his life, Ao-Naga culture was close to his heart. He played a leading role in popularizing Ao-Naga dialect. He played a key role to promote Ao literature. Though he spend a better part of his life in mainstream India and overseas, he remained a torch bearer of Naga culture, ethos and values. He authored quite a few Books in Ao-Naga dialect. He left a rich legacy. He never got tired nor retired from the service for the Lord. In his passing away, I must say that a legend is no more. Though he is no more, let his indomitable spirit, his philosophy and rich legacy continue to stir all generations to come.
Apa, Dona, “Rest in Peace”
