"Chandre Oraon, Man With Tail, Worshipped As God (But Not By His Wife)"
-The Huffington Post
by David Moye
A thirty-five year old man in Alipurduar, a town in India, is considered a god. But why? Is it because he can read minds? Is it because he has super strength? How about considering the fact that this man, Chandre Oraon has a fourteen and a half inch tail growing out of his back. Oraon has had his tail since birth and the Hindus believe that it is a sign of reincarnation of a monkey god known as "Hanuman." The tale of the monkey god is not the only convincing factor. The man's job consists of picking tea leaves while climbing up trees like monkeys. Worshippers from all over India, travel long ways to be able to see and touch his tail for a blessing.
A woman named Monika Lakda said that she travelled overnight to be able to see Oraon's tail. She had high hopes that his tail would cure her nephew's fever. The baby recovered soon after her visit. However not all people believe in Oraon's tail as a sign of a god. Bhushan Chakraborty, the local medical officer, told the Indian Express that the man was no monkey god. Oraon's condition is actually a form of spina bifida, when the spinal column does not close all the way down. Some people with the condition develop growths on their lower back or tufts of hair, according to Dr. Scott Meyer. Most doctors recommend patients with tails like Oraon's have surgery to put it back into the body, but he refuses to have any work done on his vestigial tail. Maybe he likes the idea of being someone that people see as a god.
- February 7, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment