Man Has Raised His Arm Continuously For 38 Years
|In 1970 Amar Mahant [of New Delhi] left his job, family and friends to dedicate himself to his religious beliefs. In 1973, the clerk raised his hand in honour of Hindu deity Shiva – and he hasn’t put it down since. It’s now been 38 years.
Amar’s followers claim his sacrifice is a beacon of peace, while others say he has given up the use of a limb in order to separate himself from the pleasures of mortal life.
Amar’s sacrifice has turned his arm into a useless stump of flesh and bone, with a gnarled hand and unclipped fingernails hanging from the end. He says he experienced years of excruciating pain in order to follow his beliefs, but the pain has now passed. What’s left of his arm is now stuck in the bizarre position, atrophied after years of non-use.