***EXCLUSIVE***
CHHATTISGARH, INDIA – APRIL 07: Shivram and Shivnath, dress up while on a chair on April 07, 2014 in Chhattisgarh, India.
CONJOINED twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu have found a unusual way to get to school – dropping to the floor and running like a SPIDER. The 12-year-olds, who were born joined at the waist, bare two legs and four arms and work in tandem to get around. They have stunned doctors with their ability to wash, dress and feed themselves – and say they are determined never to be parted. The pair were born in a village near Raipur, central India. Their arrival caused quite a stir with some villagers even worshiping them, believing they were divine incarnations. They are believed to share the same stomach but have independent lungs, hearts and brains. At birth a local doctor said they could not be separated but now a leading pediatrician, who has reviewed photographs of the boys, has said an operation is potentially viable. However, the twins and their father are vehemently against the idea and say they will remain together all their lives.
PHOTOGRAPH BY Arkaprava Ghosh / Barcroft India
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