John Brown (not his real name) has been part of the New Zealand Baptist movement for many years.
In the 1950s, an official New Zealand Baptist Hui (then called Assembly) sent a young married couple to the Northeastern Indian State of Tripura. Seven decades later, a Baptist Hui sings a song in one of the languages of Tripura called Kokborok.
What’s the connection?
The story starts in the late 1960s in Agartala, the capital city of Tripura, where Brian and Shirley Smith served among the many tribal groups of Tripura. Brian was the Principal of the Tripura Theological School from 1962-1971.
In their mission-mindedness, Brian and Shirley and their three children decided to move to a village outside Agartala to immerse themselves in the conversations of Kokborok-speaking children, to learn their language. Kokborok is the language of the Borok or Tripuri people group.
After some time, a government directive ordered foreigners to leave Tripura. Brian and his family relocated to Kolkata with two Borok men, Jongbahadur Debbarma and Romesh Debbarma. Together, they began translating the New Testament into Kokborok.
To put the story in context, while the Kokborok-speaking people have a vibrant culture, they used to have no written literature in their language. Also, the majority people group in the hierarchical society looked down on what they considered to be a ‘lesser’ language.
Initially, the team worked through a number of linguistic decisions about which script to use and what letter should represent a particular unique vowel sound not found in other languages.
Shirley sat typing for hours, while Brian, Romesh, and Jongbahadur worked to form a groundbreaking translation.
In 1976, Brian K Smith [1] and his family returned to New Zealand. Finally, on 20 May 1976, the Smai Kwtal (Kokborok New Testament) was released by the General Secretary of the Tripura Baptist Christian Union. It was a history-making event.
After the release of the Smai Kwtal, the Kokborok-speaking community accepted the gospel in increasing numbers. Church planting among them grew. At the time of the release of the Smai Kwtal, the number of believers among Kokborok-speaking tribes was around ninety. Now, over 12% of the Borok people group are Christian.
The Smai Kwtal was the first book to be published in Kokborok, and very few anticipated the impact it would have on the Kokborok language group.
Dr Sukhendu Debbarma, a professor at the University of Tripura, writes in his 8 July 2005 thesis on Christianity in Tripura 1909-1990, “the Smai Kwtal has become a foundation stone of Kokborok literature. The timing was opportune as Tripuris were trying to establish Kokborok as an (official) language in the (Indian) state of Tripura”.
Kokborok, which had almost become extinct, was revitalised with a new sense of dignity.
Pastor Bishu Kumar Debbarma, the Principal of the Tripura Theological College, says that in 1987, at Margang Village, a revival took place among the Borok people, after which the gospel spread like wildfire. His comment was, “The Smai Kwtal was like a foundation stone for them in the rapid growth of the Gospel”.[2]
Significant church growth and the development of Kokborok literature created a renaissance of Kokborok culture. The impact was felt with increasing respect and acceptance of the Kokborok language in both academia and government administration.
Jongbahadur Debbarma became a pastor. Together with his son Mark and other pastors, he worked on translating the Old Testament so that the whole Bible, the Baibel Kwthar, was published on 19 May 2013.
There are now 19 associations within the Tripura Baptist Christian Union, and 14 of those are Kokborok-speaking. The gospel is communicated through word, literature, song and dance in their own language.
A Kiwi family, once sent, disciplined themselves to learn a language that was considered unimportant by people in power.
But the fruit of the translation of the Scriptures into the unique and intelligent language of Kokborok is immeasurable.
That’s why we sang in Kokborok at the 2024 Baptist National Hui. We were honouring what the Lord did through a family and among a people group with whom we have an ongoing and special relationship.
Endnotes
[1] In Tripura Brian is referred to as Rev B.K. Smith. After returning to New Zealand Brian went on to serve in Carey Baptist College first as a lecturer, and then as Principal from 1984 – 1997.
[2] A quote from Pastor Bishu Kumar Debbarma MTh in a conversation on 18 February 2025. He writes more fully in his May 2021 MTh thesis on The Impact of Christianity Among the Borok (Kokborok speaking) People of Tripura “The Bible in Kokborok Language not only impacted Christians but was a forerunner to further development of Kokborok literature. It has illuminated the heart of the people, and they believe it is a cornerstone for upgrading Borok Christians community.” P58 & P59.
Photo: Singing in Kokborok at the 2024 Baptist National Hui. By Mike Crudge.
