Sêrkâwn is a village within

Lunglei Lunglei (Pron: /ˈlooŋgˌleɪ/) is a town, situated in the south-central part of Mizoram state, northeastern India. Lunglei, literally meaning 'bridge of rock' got its name from a bridge like rock found in the riverine area around Nghasih - a ...

Administrative Block,

Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo people, Mizo", the endonym, self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is continuous with Lunglei within 1 km area. It is 107 km from the state capital

Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...

. The place chosen by British missionaries, it is the home of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and

formal education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

in southern Mizoram. The oldest schools and hospital in southern Mizoram were established there. It still is the centre of administration of

Baptist Church of Mizoram Baptist Church of Mizoram is a Baptist Christian denomination in India. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Lunglei, Mizoram. History The Baptist Church of Mizoram has its origins in an English Baptist mi ...

. The British used to call it (as a literal translation) "Lemonvale". The name is due to abundant

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

trees native to the place during the

British occupation The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. It remained the principal centre of learning and music during the 20th century.

History

There is no available record of habitation in Sêrkâwn before the advent of British missionaries.

James Herbert Lorrain James Herbert Lorrain, or Pu Buanga, (6 February 1870 – 1 July 1944) was a Scottish Baptist missionary in northeast India, including Mizoram, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. He and Frederick William Savidge reduced the Lushai language (a Co ...

and Frederick William Savidge, sent by

Baptist Missionary Society BMS World Mission is a Mission (Christian), Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, arrived in

on 13 March 1903 and chose their settlement at Serkawn. They started organising school, theology classes and medical services. The medical services were strengthened as a small dispensary in 1919 with the help new missionaries. The dispensary ultimately developed into the present day

Christian Hospital Serkawn Christian Hospital Serkawn ("Serkawn Hospital") is a hospital-cum-nursing school at Serkawn, Lunglei, Mizoram, India, operated by the Baptist Church of Mizoram. Started in 1919, and formally established in 1923, it was the first hospital and nurs ...

. The present Baptist Higher Secondary School was established as an extension of Savidge's school. By the 1930s there were some twenty isolated families in the village, and became a village of educated people. Between 1932 and 1946 the school authority held annual festivals, famously known as "Sêrkâwn Concert". Major activities included music concert and

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

s. This was the first ever entertainment festival of any kind in Mizoram.

Geography and climate

Sêrkâwn is only a kilometre away from the centre of Lunglei town, the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

capital of the region. It is a smooth running hillock with rich natural vegetation. It is naturally covered by plenty of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

and

banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

trees. Climatic condition is very mild with an annual average temperature of ~20°C.

Education and institutions

Established by British missionaries, Sêrkâwn has the best developed school in southern Mizoram. The first elementary school was started by F.W. Savidge, and was gradually expanded to different levels. There are Serkawn Primary School, Serkawn Middle English School and Baptist Higher Secondary School. In addition Serkawn Christian College is a major institute of nursing.

Other landmarks

*Old Age Hall worth INR 1.15 million was constructed by

Government of Mizoram The Government of Mizoram also known as the State Government of Mizoram, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Mizoram and its 11 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of ...

in 2013 for public recreation. It consists of a recreational hall for senior citizens, health clinic and a nursery, along with a garage. *Sports stadium is currently under construction. The foundation stone was laid down by

Lal Thanhawla Lal Thanhawla (born 19 May 1938 or 1942) is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Mizoram, belonging to the Indian National Congress party. He holds the record for longest-serving Chief Minister of Mizoram, occupying the position fo ...

, Chief Minister of Mizoram, on 23 September 2013. The project worth INR 241,808,000 was sanctioned by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. It will have a standard-sized football ground, and public gallery with 1,000 seating capacity.

References

External links

Wikimapia
{{Lunglei district Villages in Lunglei district