2-faced baby worshipped as goddess
Associated Press
Originally published 08:15 a.m., April 8, 2008
Updated 08:15 a.m., April 8, 2008
Photo by Associated Press
Father Vinod Singh holds his daughter Lali at his residence as visitors touch the child's feet in reverence in Saini Sunpura, 31 miles east of New Delhi, India. The baby with two faces, two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes was born on March 11 in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said Tuesday.
SAINI SUNPURA, India — A baby with two faces was born in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said today.
The baby, Lali, apparently has an extremely rare condition known as craniofacial duplication, where a single head has two faces.
Except for her ears, all of Lali's facial features are duplicated — she has two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes.
"My daughter is fine — like any other child," said Vinod Singh, 23, a poor farm worker.
Lali has caused a sensation in the dusty village of Saini Sunpura, 25 miles east of New Delhi. When she left the hospital, eight hours after a normal delivery on March 11, she was swarmed by villagers, said Sabir Ali, the director of Saifi Hospital.
"She drinks milk from her two mouths and opens and shuts all the four eyes at one time," Ali said.
Rural India is deeply superstitious and the little girl is being hailed as a return of the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, a fiery deity traditionally depicted with three eyes and many arms.
Up to 100 people have been visiting Lali at her home every day to touch her feet out of respect, offer money and receive blessings, Singh told The Associated Press.
"Lali is God's gift to us," said Jaipal Singh, a member of the local village council. "She has brought fame to our village." Village chief Daulat Ram said he planned to build a temple to Durga in the village.
"I am writing to the state government to provide money to build the temple and help the parents look after their daughter," Ram said.
Lali's condition is often linked to serious health complications, but the doctor said she was doing well.
"She is leading a normal life with no breathing difficulties," said Ali, adding that he saw no need for surgery.
Lali's parents were married in February 2007. Lali is their first child.
Singh said he took his daughter to a hospital in New Delhi where doctors suggested a CT scan to determine whether her internal organs were normal, but Singh said he felt it was unnecessary.
"I don't feel the need of that at this stage as my daughter is behaving like a normal child, posing no problems," he said.
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April 8, 2008
9:06 a.m.
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blacksho89 writes:
She has a future in politics!
Two faced, and thinks she is above the rest of us.
April 8, 2008
9:11 a.m.
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davies writes:
blackshoe89: Funny line, but she's an infant, the essence of innocence. Let's not condemn her quite yet.
April 8, 2008
10:02 a.m.
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freethought writes:
Let's let science go aside for we have faith instead.
April 8, 2008
10:16 a.m.
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FallyBerry writes:
Anyone think this is a result of that horrific chemical accident a few years back?
April 8, 2008
11:40 a.m.
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matthew writes:
blacksho89: Now we know that the quality of you compassion goes unstrained...
It is obvious that this child has much she can tech us about self awareness. From the photo it seems as if the child has two frontal lobes, but a single brainstem. At some point two brains become one. It would be interesting to learn how this child views her since of "self" - does each face view itself as a separate entity, or does she see herself as a single consciousness.
Not that I’m suggesting that she be locked up in some institute for study, just that when she gets to the age where she can express her self, I’d be keen on understanding how she sees the world.
April 8, 2008
12:48 p.m.
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johnson writes:
I had a wife that I worshipped as a goddess. Turned out she was two faced also...................
April 8, 2008
1:14 p.m.
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HolierThanThou writes:
She will do twice the work of a normal employee at the call center.
April 8, 2008
3:20 p.m.
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Ztliano writes:
I would have had that thing aborted.
April 9, 2008
12:33 a.m.
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Jimminy writes:
Conjoined twins that barely got started on the separation process.When she does finally have a CT scan,the results will probably show internal organ duplications and anomalous bone structures.It's probably more appropriate to think in terms of twins rather than a single child,at least until it's established whether there's one brain or two.
April 9, 2008
7:21 a.m.
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hdfresh writes:
There was a better picture on CNN.com of the kid. Its definately a single child with 2 faces. Pretty trippy.