Posted on 12/16/2002 3:22:33 PM PST by dighton
GUWAHATI: He has his eyes fixed, unblinking, on the radiant sun, and for hours together.
Sounds incredible, isn’t it? But it is true.
For 24-year-old Dimbeswar Basumatary, a Bodo tribal youth in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, sun gazing is a passion.
“It all started by chance when I realized I could stare at the sun without any irritation to my eyes although my family thought I was crazy,” Basumatary told IANS. “I love watching the bright sun as it journeys across the sky.”
The college dropout, from Balimari village in western Assam’s Kokrajhar district, 290 km from here, has been a sun gazer since 1998 - at times looking directly at the blazing sun from dawn until sundown.
Naturally, everyone is surprised.
“It is indeed a very surprising feat. We have carried out extensive tests on Basumatary a number of times and so far he has a good colour vision with no significant problems detected in his eyes,” said Biraj Jyoti Goswami, a senior ophthalmologist at the Sankardev Netralaya, an eye hospital in Guwahati.
According to experts, a person gazing at the blazing sun for a maximum of 90 seconds runs the risk of having a solar burn or retina damage.
Basumatary has demonstrated his bizarre skill before curious onlookers in various parts of India, besides being filmed by television crews in Guwahati.
“I was at India Gate in New Delhi before an army of photographers some time back when police prevented me from seeing the sun on medical grounds,” Basumatary said.
“But I know nothing would happen to me as I have been doing this without any problems for the past five years.”
He says looking at the sun provides him solar energy.
“The sun for me is a pudding in itself and I have tried not eating a morsel of food for four days in a row and still not shown signs of hunger or thirst,” the man claimed.
But his bid to find a place in the Guinness Book of World Records has failed.
“A letter from Guinness authorities said they cannot entertain my claims as this is a dangerous practice, having the potential of impairing my eyesight,” he said.
He asserted that he does not suffer from any ailment as the solar energy prevents his body mechanism from contracting any diseases.
“I am ready to marry any girl with HIV-AIDS or offer myself to any AIDS research institutes -- inject the virus on me and see if I ever contract the disease,” Basumatary said.
I love this line.
Well, he certainly isn't a coward and he put's his money where his mouth is.
Gotta give him that.
 |
Y'know, I say pretty much the same things after about half a bottle of Jamesons. |
Okay, maybe not the AIDS deal, but...
--Bruce Springsteen
Sounds like an enlightening experience...
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