Andrew Heanngam Pamei from Manipur
By Matters India
May 8 2024
Andrew Heanngam Pamei from Manipur aspired to be an Indian civil service officer, but fate had it that the 27-year-old now spends his time translating the Bible to Rongmei, his mother language, widely spoken in Manipur and in other northeastern Indian states.
The native of Ramtan village in Churachandpur district has secured distinction in theology at Distance Education Program in Theology conducted by Delhi’s Jesuit-managed Vidyajyoti College of Theology.
He shared his passion for God’s Word with Jesuit scholastic Joseph Jerald during a recent visit to Vidyajyoti.
How did you get inspired to translate Bible in your language? Who has helped you in this venture?
In 2018, I was preparing for the Civil Services Exam conducted by [Union Public Service Commission] in New Delhi. One evening, my parents made a video call asking me to join a family prayer. During the prayer, my dad read a passage from the book of Sirach in English. When my mother searched for the same passage in Rongmei Bible, it was missing. I realized that we have been using the Bible translated by the Baptists. I felt a burning desire to translate the Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament to Rongmei language for the family prayer.
In 2020, during COVID-19 pandemic, Father Ningmei Thomas of the Imphal archdiocese requested me to translate the Deuterocanonical books. It came as a surprise and I gladly accepted it. Due to my profound interest in Eschatology, I also showed much interest in translating the book of Revelation to Rongmei language.
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