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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Lakshmi Tatma

Lakshmi Tatma, or लक्ष्मी तात्मा, was born in Araria district, Bihar in 2005. This young girl however was born with 4 arms and 4 legs.  She was actually one of a pair of ischiopagus conjoined twins where one twin was headless due to its head atrophying and chest underdeveloping in the womb. The result looked like one child with four arms and four legs.
Her parents named after Lakshmi, a multi-limbed goddess of wealth.
When she was born, locals saw Lakshmi as a spiritual sign. She was thought to be a reincarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.
Eventually, Lakshmi had her extra limbs surgically removed.



What I find so interesting about this birth deformity is the fact that Lakshmi was thought to be a goddess by the Indian culture, not a freak of nature. It goes to show how culture can subconsciously effect our opinions.

How would Lakshmi's story differed if she was born in America? Holland? Mongolia?
Can culture and religion itself effect the opinion of someone?

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