Brigadier T. Sailo AVSM
2nd Chief Minister of Mizoram
In office 8 May 1979 – 4 May 1984
Lieutenant Governor	N. P. Mathur Sourendra Nath Kohli H. S. Dubey
Preceded by	Ch. Chhunga
Succeeded by	Lal Thanhawla
Constituency	Aizawl West II
In office 2 June 1978 – 10 November 1978
Lieutenant Governor	N. P. Mathur
Preceded by	President’s Rule
Succeeded by	President’s Rule
Personal details
Born	(1922-01-01)1 January 1922 Melkhat/Ṭhuampui, Lunglei, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	27 March 2015(2015-03-27) (aged 93) Aizawl, Mizoram, India
Resting place	Kanan Veng, Aizawl 23°43′53″N 92°42′30″E / 23.73139°N 92.70833°E / 23.73139; 92.70833
Political party	Mizoram People's Conference
Spouse	Thansiami
Children	4
Residence	Aizawl
Alma mater	University of Calcutta
Military career
Allegiance	British Raj (1942–1947)   India (1947–1974)
Service/branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1942–1974
Rank	Brigadier
Commands held	Assam Regiment
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Padma Shree Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Brigadier Ṭhenphunga Sailo, AVSM (1922–2015) was an Indian military officer and politician from the Indian state of Mizoram in northeast India. He was the second Chief Minister of Mizoram and the founder of Mizoram People's Conference, one of the major political parties in Mizoram. He was a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Padma Shri for his humanitarian works during his military service, ^[1] and Mizo Award for his lifetime achievements.

Sailo was the son of Vanchheuva, a Mizo chief of Ṭhuampui village at Lunglei district. He studied at Serkawn Middle English School, Shillong High School (in Meghalaya), and Serampore College in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He earned his certificate of Intermediate of Science ( higher secondary level) from the University of Calcutta. He immediately joined the British Army to serve in World War II. Recruited as a second lieutenant in 1942, he became the first military officer among the Mizo people. He retired with the rank Brigadier in 1974. By then his native state was ravaged by political insurgency, and he soon set to humanitarian works and established the Human Right Committee, which he developed into a recognized political party named People's Conference (later renamed the Mizo People's Conference) in 1975.

Sailo led his new party to victory in the Mizoram Legislative Assembly election in 1978, and he became the second Chief Minister. Re-election the next year brought him another victory, and he remained the Chief Minister till 1984. Though he was elected for MLA seat in the 1984 election, his party was overwhelmed by the Mizoram Congress party (under the Indian National Congress Party). He was appointed the Opposition Leader in the legislative assembly. He was subsequently elected in 1998 and 2008, but failed to uplift his party. He retired from politics in 2013 at age 91, at which time he was the oldest elected legislator.

Early life and education

Sailo was born to Mizo Chief Vancheuva and his wife Hrangvungi. He completed his elementary schooling at Serkawn Middle School in Lunglei, and was the topper in the Middle School Leaving Certificate examination under the Mizoram Board of School Education. ^[2] He then went on to High School in Shillong from 1937 to 1940, followed by higher secondary education in an Intermediate of Science program at Serampore College in 1941. The next year he earned his certificate under the University of Calcutta. ^[3]

Military career

At the height of World War II, Sailo joined the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. After commissioning, he joined the Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. ^[4] He became the first military officer among the Mizo people. ^[5] After the Independence of India, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1960, in 1963 he was again promoted to colonel, and then in 1966 to brigadier until his retirement in 1974. ^[3]

Politics

After retiring from the Army, Sailo created the Human Rights Committee in 1974, fighting alleged Army excess against civilians caught in the separatist conflict between the Indian Army and Mizo National Front. ^[6] He submitted a memorandum containing 36 cases of atrocities committed by the Indian Army since 1 March 1966. To fight his cause in the political arena, he founded the People's Conference Party (later renamed Mizo People's Conference) on 17 April 1975. His party won the Mizoram Legislative Assembly election of 1978, and he became the second Chief Minister of Mizoram on 2 June 1978.

Due to political unrest, his government was dissolved after six months in November 1978, and the Union Territory was declared under President's Rule.^{[ citation needed]} In the next election in 1979, his party won again and he once again became the Chief Minister, a post which he held for a full term till 1984. In the 1984 election, although he was elected in his constituency, his party was defeated by the Indian National Congress Party led by Lal Thanhawla. He became the Opposition Leader. ^[7]

His party received a serious blow with the Mizoram Peace Accord of 1987, as the Mizo National Front emerged not only as a new political party, but was also offered the government as part of the peace negotiation. For a short while, he changed the party's name to Mizoram Janata Dal, but renamed it to reflect its old name Mizoram People's Conference.^{[ citation needed]} In the government formed after the 1998 elections, he was part of the ruling coalition led by the Chief Minister Zoramthanga of the Mizo National Front. He was appointed Principal Advisor to the state government. ^[3] His ministry also initiated the Aizawl city extension project, Bairabi Dam, which he alleged was never pursued by successive governments. ^[8]

Sailo was elected again in the 2008 election, and as his last term as Member of the Legislative Assembly ended in January 2014, he retired. He announced his formal retirement at the assembly session on 24 July 2013. At age 92, he was allegedly the oldest elected member of any legislative body in the world. ^[9]

Awards and honours

Sailo was given the military award Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) during his service. He was awarded the Padma Shree in 1999 by the Government of India. ^[3] In 2001 the Mizo Zirlai Pawl declared him a corruption-free politician in their public poll. ^[10] In April 2011, the then-Governor of Mizoram, Lt. Gen. Madan Mohan Lakhera, awarded him the Mizo Award organised by Mizoram's Vanglaini daily newspaper. ^[11]

Personal life and death

Sailo married Thansiami, daughter of Mizo folklorist P.S. Dahrawka, in 1946. They had three sons and a daughter. ^[7] One of his sons, Lalsangliana, joined the Mizo rebels, the Mizo National Army (later Mizo National Front), on the sly while studying at St. Edmund's College, Shillong in 1966. He became one of the elite "Special Force" under Laldenga, leader of the Mizo National Front. ^[12] Two of Sailo's other children, Lalhmangaiha and Laldingliani, both joined the Indian Revenue Service. After retirement Lalhmangaiha succeeded his father as President of the Mizoram People's Conference in 2010. He retired as Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.^{[ citation needed]}

Sailo's daughter Laldingliani served as a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW) from 2013 to 2016. ^[13]

Sailo's son Lalrinliana studied medicine and orthopaedic surgery and became Director General of Health Service for the Government of Mizoram. ^[14]

Sailo wrote an autobiography of his military life, A Soldier's Story. ^[10]

After suffering from lung problems and hypertension, on the morning of 27 March 2015, Sailo was taken to the New Life Hospital due to trouble breathing. He was pronounced dead at 11:50 IST. His funeral was held the next day at noon and he was interred at a private grave in his garden. ^[7] President Pranab Mukerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent messages of condolence.^{[ citation needed]}

References