Incredible reason this man has kept his arm raised in the air for over 50 years

If you ever raised your hand to ask a teacher a question, only to be ignored for the next five minutes… well, just imagine how this guy must feel.

Amar Bharati, 76, a devoted Indian ascetic and sadhu (holy person), has spent the last 50 years tirelessly advocating for world peace through a remarkable and enduring gesture.

Amar Bharati’s story is one of profound transformation and unwavering commitment. In the 1970s, he was an ordinary man working at an Indian bank, living a modest life with his wife and three children.

However, one day, an epiphany struck him and compelled him to make a life-altering decision. He chose to leave behind his family, job, and friends to follow his religious calling as a sadhu.

In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, a sadhu is a revered religious ascetic who willingly renounces all worldly desires. For Amar Bharati, this meant dedicating his existence to Shiva, one of the central deities of Hinduism, often referred to as “the primordial yogi”.

In 1973, inspired by his deep faith in Shiva and his unwavering commitment to world peace, Amar Bharati conceived a powerful and universally recognized gesture.

Amar Bharati has kept his arm in the air for 50 years. Credit: Eric LAFFORGUE / Getty

Per History of Yesterday, he raised his right hand high into the air, a symbolic act that he vowed to maintain for the rest of his life.

This remarkable gesture became a symbol of his faith, appreciation for Shiva, and a passionate call for peace in a world marred by conflicts.

In doing so, he became known as the “One-Armed Baba”.

His unyielding dedication led to immense personal sacrifice. For two grueling years, Bharati endured excruciating pain as he held his hand aloft without lowering it. The consequences were profound; his arm lost all sensation, and the muscles withered away. What was once a functional limb became a skeletal structure, and his nails transformed into spiraling claws.

Check out the time Karl Pilkington met the “One-Armed Baba”:

In a rare interview with Indian media, Amar Bharati expressed his simple yet profound desire, saying: “I don’t ask for much. Why do we fight among ourselves? Why is there so much hate and enmity? I want all Indians to live in peace. I want the whole world to live in peace.”

Amar Bharati’s message of peace resonated with people around the world, with people often traveling huge distances to meet him – as seen in an episode of Sky One’s travel show, An Idiot Abroad in 2010.

Indian sadhus, committed to attaining liberation and enlightenment, undertake rigorous forms of penance, demanding exceptional self-discipline. Amar Bharati’s penance stands as a testament to his extraordinary commitment.

Even more remarkable is the fact that his dedication motivated others in India to become sadhus and adopt similar hand-raising penance to promote world peace. Yet, none managed to surpass Bharati’s record.

Sadhu Amar Bharati has kept his arm in the air in dedication to Shiva and to call for world peace. Credit: Glenn Losack MD / Getty

Having surpassed half a century with his hand raised for peace, Amar Bharati shows no signs of lowering it. Even if he were to do so, the years of holding his hand aloft have left his muscles severely atrophied, making it a risky endeavor.

Per The Jerusalem Post, one of his acquaintances explained that the cartilage in his elbow has dried out and therefore any movement will result in his joint breaking.

Another added: “If you try to lower Bharati’s hand you will cause him real pain, not physical but spiritual, for he believes that his eternal salute does indeed promote world peace”.

Amar Bharati’s story serves as a powerful reminder that the pursuit of peace often requires extraordinary sacrifice and unwavering dedication. In a world filled with turmoil, his enduring gesture stands as a symbol of hope and a call for unity and harmony among all nations.

Featured image credit: Eric LAFFORGUE / Getty

Most of us have complained about standing up for too long before, whether it’s waiting for a bus or not being able to find a seat in a busy cafe – but one man is reportedly putting us all to shame by staying stood up for 12 years.

According to reports, Digambhar Haribanshi Giri is a Standing Baba, a Hindu who has vowed to remain standing for the rest of their life, in a way to get closer to God.

Giri performs the ritual to appease his deity, not sitting or lying down even to sleep, while other Babas take a vow of not speaking again for the rest of their lives, and another has kept one arm in the air for nearly 50 years.

The Baba has taken the vow to remain standing for 12 years. He may rest one leg at a time by putting it in a sling under a swing. This is usually where he will spend most of his time, although he is able to walk around should he so desire.

This is a painful practice, with the man often having swollen legs and ulcers being a persistent problem. This doesn’t deter him though, as he does everything standing on one leg, including sleeping.

In 2007, Culture Shock host Shenaz Treasuryvala traveled to Mumbai to search for the Standing Babas, where she met Baba Raj Natha.

When the TV show host questioned the Baba about why he opted to stand for 12 years, his answer was quite surprising.

He said: “I was inspired by something my spiritual teacher did to me. He asked me to bake some bread, but I didn’t know how. I burned the bread. He got angry, beat me, and kicked me out. So, out of anger, I took this vow for 12 years.”

That’s certainly one way to get back at an angry teacher. Treasuryvala highlights that for Hindus, “spiritual enlightenment has always represented the highest goal in life.”

A Standing Baba resting in India. Credit: Dan Vincent / Alamy

She goes on to explain the Babas believe that by putting their body through hardship, they will “burn off” bad karma, and this will help them find salvation.

The Baba confirmed the practice is painful, but a very generous friend is on hand to offer massages.

Featured image credit: ERIC LAFFORGUE / Alamy

A man in India has become the recipient of a double hand transplant following a miraculous surgery.

Raj Kumar, who lost his hands and lower arms in a devastating train accident in October 2020, has undergone a remarkable transformation following an intense 12-hour surgery.

The surgery, hailed as a milestone in medical history, took place in January, and Kumar was discharged from hospital on March 7.

Recalling the traumatic incident, Kumar shared his ordeal with India Today, stating: “I was limping due to a leg injury. I slipped on the tracks and my bicycle got stuck. I was trying to pull my bicycle with my hands when I was run over.”

While Kumar – a former painter – had resigned himself to a life without hands, a glimmer of hope emerged when Meena Mehta, a former administrative head of a prominent South Delhi school, tragically passed away and her family chose to donate her organs.

Dr. Mahesh Mangal, chairman of the Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, stated: “When we were looking for potential candidates for a hand transplant, Kumar was on our waiting list.

“As per transplant protocols, detailed examination and necessary investigations were done. In the third week of January, a glimmer of optimism emerged for Raj Kumar when he got a call from the hospital.”

The procedure took place at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, India. Credit: Hindustan Times/Getty

“Mehta’s organs haven’t only helped Kumar; her kidney, liver, and corneas have also been donated to three other patients in need,” Dr. Mangal said.

The surgery, the first of its kind in north India, required a procedure where the medical team meticulously attached every artery, muscle, tendon, and nerve between the donor’s hands and Kumar’s arms.

Dr Swaroop Singh Gambhir told The Indian Express: “Once we selected the patient, and did the blood match we got to know he was the fit candidate for the patient. We took the hands and we fixed the bones first with plates and screws and we fixed the muscles and then artery and the nerve.”

The generous donor, Mehta, had already helped to change the lives of three others after her kidneys, liver, and corneas were also donated.

While Kumar now has two functional hands, he will have to take immunosuppressants and anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life.

According to Dr. Mangal, it will take several months for Kumar to regain full sensation in his new hands as the nerves reconnect.

“He will also take some time, at least six to seven months, to start experiencing sensations like pain, heat, etc. After some time, even hair will grow on his hands despite him receiving a woman’s hands,” added Dr. Mangal.

The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is the first in Northern India to receive permission to carry out hand transplants.

Featured image credit: Hindustan Times/Getty

Cults are inherently a very scary prospect for many of us. Popular Netflix shows like Wild Wild Country and classic movies like The Wicker Man (1973) have created an aura of fear and mystery around any that do continue to thrive, with survivors telling tales of bizarre sex rituals and outlandish initiation ceremonies.

Susan Shumsky followed the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement and spiritual guide to The Beatles, and spent 20 years under his spell. Now she speaks exclusively to VT as she launches her new book, and reveals what it was really like to be in thrall of a man who told his disciples they would be responsible for a nuclear holocaust if they did not adhere to his strict rules.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: The Wicker Man]]

Was there an initiation at all, and if so, what was it?

“I had to bring sweet fruit, flowers, and a new white handkerchief. My TM Teacher used those items in the ceremony when he performed pooja, which is a traditional ceremony in India where offerings are made to Hindu deities.

“In the ceremony that was done when I learned TM, the offerings were made to Maharishi’s guru, whose name was Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. My TM Teacher chanted the pooja ceremony, which included some Sanskrit words quoted by George Harrison’s in his song “My Sweet Lord.””

At what point did you realise that you were in danger?

“I was never in physical danger. I was brainwashed and then got un-brainwashed.

“When Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of TM, first brought meditation to the West in 1959, he represented TM as a simple, effortless, mechanical technique that anyone could do. By simply meditating twice a day, our lives would naturally improve (which did happen, at least for me).

“The first seeds of TM’s cult-like characteristics emerged in August 1979 in Amherst Massachusetts, where Maharishi gathered 2600 meditators for a World Peace Assembly. There he made the fantastic claim that the Goddess “Mother Divine” had told him that crime, war, and environmental toxins had polluted the earth, Maharishi’s “World Plan” to create global peace wasn’t working fast enough, and therefore the Goddess was threatening to annihilate the entire earth’s population. After Maharishi pleaded with her, she purportedly agreed to give him one last chance.

“Maharishi then declared that time had run out and there was a world emergency. All of us must pack our bags, relocate our families to Iowa within one week, and meditate together in order to prevent certain global annihilation. So about 1000 of us meditators moved to Maharishi International University (MIU) in Fairfield, Iowa, where the cult gradually took over our lives.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Susan Shumsky]]

“Two gigantic geodesic domes slathered in gold paint were built on the MIU campus—one for men and another for women, where we practiced group meditation twice daily. Maharishi terrorized us into believing that if we didn’t adhere to this program, we would be responsible for nuclear holocaust or the end of the world. His manipulative fear-and-intimidation tactics proved extremely effective motivators.

“His stifling rules determined what to eat, what to wear, where to live, what to believe, what to say, what to read and not read, what activities were acceptable, even our house’s architecture. If we towed the line, we were “on the program.” If we wavered, we were “off the program” and branded as outcasts, shunned from the community.

“Since we believed TM was the only path to enlightenment and Maharishi was the only true spiritual master, we lived in terror of banishment from TM’s presumptive heavenly paradise. Our only chance for spiritual enlightenment would vanish, and we would be lost.

“I began to realize I’d spent over two decades in a repressive organization, largely motivated by fear. By that time, I was already engaged in spiritual practices that were “off the program” and leading a weekly prayer circle.

“As a result of my “off the program” activities, I became a blacklisted outcast, along with my students. Because I was branded persona non grata, nearly everyone in Fairfield avoided me. They were afraid to talk to me or be associated with me, for fear they would be blacklisted also. Once I became the wicked witch of Fairfield, I realized that I would have to sell my house and leave. It was over for me.”

Why did you not leave sooner?

“I did not leave sooner, because I was very devoted to Maharishi and I loved the experiences of TM itself. He was right. I was too dependent on him. One day in 1973, as I was waiting amongst the devotees who were standing in line to greet him, he walked up to me, handed me a rose, and said, with gravity, “Don’t look to anyone. When you don’t look to anyone, then everyone will look to you.” Later I came to realize he was referring to my over-dependency on him.

“One more thought: When considering joining a spiritual organization or movement, it’s important to ask yourself whether it’s a “cult,” or whether it’s a way to “cult”-ivate self-improvement. In my case, I gained so much from being in the cult, I would say that if I had to do it over, the only thing I would change would be this: I would stand up to Maharishi and communicate with him more as an equal, rather than being so intimidated and painfully shy.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Susan Shumsky]]

What was your worst experience during your time in the cult?

“Probably the most devastating experience was when Maharishi sent me back to the USA in 1976 after I served on his International Staff in Europe for six years. His expressed reason: “You are too dependent on me as a person. I won’t always be here.” When I asked him about a precious book I’d been writing for years, he told me to give my only copy (this was before computers existed) to the one person on staff that was my nemesis, whom I was intensely jealous of.

“It felt like a cannonball hit my stomach, but I did pass on the book to the person Maharishi asked me to give it to, even though it crushed me.

“To make matters worse, when I asked the finance guy (who was also Maharishi’s nephew) for a plane ticket back to the States, I was told in the most hostile, arrogant tone, that there would be no plane ticket for me. So I had to borrow money just to leave. I was flat broke after subsisting on a stipend of $25 per month for the six years I was on staff (ironically working in the Finance Office a lot of that time).

“I didn’t think it could possibly go downhill from there. But it did. After packing my bags, when I buzzed Maharishi’s private secretary on the intercom to tell him I was leaving in the morning and wanted to see Maharishi, the secretary said it was too late, Maharishi had already gone to bed, and I should come at 9:00 AM. But I had to leave at 7:00 AM to catch my plane. I was devastated. No one on staff ever left without saying goodbye to Maharishi.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Susan Shumsky]]

“But the last straw was the following morning, as Maharishi’s driver and I were packing the Mercedes that would take me to the airport in Zurich. In the car trunk, I saw paper that looked like trash scattered about randomly. But when I looked closer, I realized they were pages from the precious book I’d been working on. Nothing could have been more shattering than seeing that book discarded with such callous disrespect.

“Returning to the USA, I was thrust into a threatening world in bliss-withdrawal trauma, alone and penniless. Expelled from heady heights of Maharishi’s paradise, nothing seemed real. I had no context for a new life. Fractured and dispossessed, devoid of social or survival skills, I was incapable of relating to anyone. In culture shock, I was a displaced refugee from a remote planet, speaking an alien language: Maharishi-speak.

“An entire decade of culture was absent. I pondered how to open a soda can and asked for a can opener from a puzzled cashier. To define me, “introverted” was an understatement. “Paralyzed” was more accurate. An appalling sense of helplessness overtook me.

“Nothing could stop the excruciating pain—no cure for the grief and rejection. My connection with Maharishi felt broken and my only chance for spiritual enlightenment seemed in ruins. With nothing but regrets for friends, life seemed meaningless. And I felt it was my own fault.”

Do you miss any aspects of the cult now you’re free from it?

“I miss Maharishi. I loved him.

He was the most extraordinary and happiest person I’d ever met—always cracking jokes. His laughter was contagious. He was charismatic to the point of hypnotic and projected a vastly irresistible, unparalleled love vibration along with waves of bliss.”

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Susan Shumsky]]

How can we make sure other impressionable young people don’t fall victim to cults like the Transcendental Meditation Movement?

“Education is key for youngsters. It helps them develop discernment. I would caution anyone who is considering joining an alluring organization that makes ultimate promises. Ask yourself whether it can deliver the goods or whether a carrot is being dangled just beyond reach. Investigate thoroughly first. Don’t be so open-minded that your brains fall out! Keep your brain intact and make informed choices.”

Maharishi & Me: Seeking Enlightenment with The Beatles’ Guru by Susan Shumsky is out now, priced at £19.99 and is available on Amazon.co.uk.

As young people face growing social pressure to have children, an anti-natal movement has gained traction in India. The collective urges people not to procreate, citing a strain on the world’s resources and a myriad of children already waiting to be adopted. Some supporters call the campaign the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEM), while others prefer the blunt title Stop Making Babies.

27-year-old Raphael Samuel hails from Mumbai, and the Nihilanand Facebook page, which posts a plethora of anti-natal memes. One caption reads “A good parent puts the child above its wants and needs but the child itself is a want of the parent,” with the hashtag #parentsarehypocrites. Another one states: “Existence requires work and which sane person enjoys working? Stop breeding.” And a third asks, “Isn’t forcing a child into this world and then forcing it to have a career kidnapping and slavery?”

In an interview with The Print, Samuel said he plans to sue his parents for bringing him into the world without it. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them. “I love my parents, and we have a great relationship,” he asserted. “But they had me for their joy and their pleasure. My life has been amazing, but I don’t see why I should put another life through the rigmarole of school and finding a career, especially when they didn’t ask to exist.”

The group is holding their first ever national meeting on February 10 in Bengaluru. (And I assume that at the same time, their parents will hold a separate meeting, to weep over not getting any grandkids.)  “Everyone is aware of how much we suffer in life,” stated fellow anti-natalist Alok Kumar. “I thought about whether our world was a conducive place for bringing children up, and I decided it would be better not to have a child.”

“We don’t want to impose our beliefs on anyone, but more people need to consider why having a child in the world right now isn’t right,” said another activist, Pratima Naik, who created the Facebook page Childfree India. Last month, he wrote a passionate message, urging people to seriously reconsider making babies.

“Should we continue to bring more children in this world and accelerate the process of environmental and social degradation?” asked Naik. “Do you think existence is pain, and not bringing a child into this world, is a guaranteed way to avoid unnecessary suffering to the child? We are a group of people who have decided not to reproduce. We are Childfree Indians!”

[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q6yfaRBknk]]

To quote a line from Shakespeare’s King Lear:  “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” And to quote a line from DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince’s He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper: “Parents just don’t understand.” Can you really sue your parents for bringing you into the world without your consent? There’s only one way to find out – get a lawyer!

If you believe what you’re told in the media, India is a far easier place to live for men than women. We regularly hear reports of male aggression and female oppression, of domestic violence and sexual assault, but there are also plenty of examples where the victim is male. This was made clear when a video of a young man’s harrowing abduction came to public attention this month. The horrific incident saw a young engineer, Vinod Kumar, picked up and dragged by his feet by a crowd of people, begging for his release and crying out for help the whole time. So, where were they taking him? Kumar was reportedly being kidnapped and forcibly taken to marry a stranger against his will. According to him, he was held up at gunpoint and coerced into taking part in the nuptials. Kumar, from Khusrupur in the north-eastern Bihar State, was apparently in Patna to attend a different wedding as a guest, but claims he was approached by the bride’s relatives during the event and then taken away: “After reaching Patna, I received several calls from my friend expressing his wish to meet,” he told the Times of India. “I, along with my friend Prabhakar Kumar, decided to meet him in Mokama before leaving for Islampur to attend the marriage of our friend in the evening on December 3. They befriended me during the wedding and asked me to step out.” The 26-year-old continued: “They kidnapped me and took me to a home where I was forced to put vermilion in the hair of a girl. I had never seen her and I don’t know who she is. One of his family members pointed a pistol at me and ordered me to marry the girl.” During the video of the ceremony, aired on several Indian news programmes, Kumar is heard crying loudly while female wedding guests standing close to him use their saris to wipe away his tears. According to Gulf News, one relative tells him: “We are only performing your wedding, not hanging you. Why are you crying loudly? Shut up!” [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3ezh6bUqs]] Despite the allegations made by Kumar, the girl’s family had another story to tell. According to the bride’s brother, the groom knew his bride for a long time and the family maintain that he had agreed to marry her. He added that Kumar was so opposed to the ceremony in the video because he had been ordered not to marry the young girl at the behest of his brother. So, what exactly was going on here, and how often does this sort of situation occur? What is described above is a practice called Pakadua Vivah, or groom kidnapping, a crime that is usually carried out in order for the bride’s family to avoid heavy dowry costs. Tragically, due to traditional regard for the sanctity of marriage in India, many grooms have been unable to divorce their brides afterwards. Surprisingly, Pakadua Vivah is actually more common than you might think, typically happening in western parts of Bihar. According to an official report, a total of 2,877 incidents of kidnapping for marriages were reported in 2016, meaning almost 3,000 people were abducted and forcibly married. In addition, there were 3,001 incidents in 2015, 2,533 in 2014 and 2,922 in 2013.

[[heroimage||http://cdn.junglecreations.com/wp/junglecms/2018/01/henna-compressor.jpg||image]]

The practice first came to light back in the 1980s, a fallout from the custom of the bride’s family paying the groom’s family a fee for taking their daughter. As the money expected for a dowry soared to astronomical heights, less wealthy families seemingly began targeting young men who had cleared their IAS exams, had a medical or engineering degree or had secured a career in the government. Predictably, forced marriages like these often have disastrous consequences. In December 2017, it was reported that a 15-year-old student from Bihar’s Gaya district hanged himself from a tower after being forced to marry his widowed sister-in-law, Ruby Devi. According to Mahadev Das’s father, Chandreshwar Das, his son was not willing to marry Devi – who was 10 years his senior and used to take care of him like one of her own children. Over the years, organised criminals apparently became part of the practice, carrying out abductions for a fee and guaranteeing post-marriage “compliance” by the groom for extra money. As a result of this, it has been reported by Bihar newspapers that many bachelors are “terrified” and feel unable to report the illegal activity. However, Vinod Kumar refused to keep quiet. According to his story, he was held captive by the bride’s parents overnight before managing to get a message to his brother who called the police. Afterwards, the 26-year-old reportedly put in a written complaint and police ordered an investigation into the incident. “We have rescued him from there and brought him to the police station and handed him over to his family. We have asked an official to investigate and act against the guilty. Action will be taken after the probe,” Patna’s senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaj said. Kumar has reportedly stated that he has requested the court to initiate criminal proceedings against the culprits and order stringent actions so that such “evil and heinous practice” does not reoccur. His actions are the ones of a man who is on a mission to prevent others from experiencing the same thing. Whether he’ll succeed remains to be seen.