The Girl With 8 Limbs (National Geographic)

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Girl With 8 Limbs

SUN JUN 22 9P

Lakshmi Tatma is an amazing little girl. Born with four arms and four legs, she's joined to her partially formed parasitic twin. Without medical intervention this twin could kill her. Go behind the scenes of the complex surgery meant to save her and the media firestorm surrounding her condition.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/epis...71#tab-Overview

[hunhee]

She definitely has a few "legs up" on the competition..hehe

[Rev.Reverence]

They worship her as a physical manifestation of Kali-Ma.

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

she's a beautiful little girl. I'm only glad that she isn't being shunned for her differences. but at the same time, those that worship her, are they going to shun her after the surgery? i have a feeling that with or without the surgery, her life is going to be a hard one.

thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family.

[Rev.Reverence]

she's a beautiful little girl. I'm only glad that she isn't being shunned for her differences. but at the same time, those that worship her, are they going to shun her after the surgery? i have a feeling that with or without the surgery, her life is going to be a hard one.

thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family.

I hope not...it still means she had a greater difficulty coming into this world...thus a different kind of suffering than 'more normal' birth situations...Therefor a Hindu would revere this child above there own; on certain levels...because that child will have SO much to teach having seen from different eyes.......I may be wrong, but that's MY interpretation the Hindu Way.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

With Lakshmi’s likeness to the goddess and a strong belief that she was reincarnated in Lakshmi, was there much of a struggle to convince the Tatmas of the importance of the operation?

Not really, they felt the baby was special. However they were also very practical and worried about the wellbeing of Lakshmi for the present and also the future. They were willing partners in exploring the medical possibility of making her in to a more normal child.

Looking back, do you feel that people of Lakshmi’s village carried any resentment towards you or the Tatmas for going through with the operation?

I did not sense any such feelings towards me or the Tatmas family. To immortalize the memory of Lakshmi Tatma, they have built a temple with a replicate idol of Lakshmi Tatma in her original form. They still feel Lakshmi has been a good omen for the village and she will bring in good fortune.

*phew*

Fortunately at least this time the family didn't kill the child or ostracize her over their (often tragic) "sacred" beliefs. This will be a +1 in the column supporting the irrational traditions, since it lines up with our humanity and non-mystic, rational ethics that have survived the struggle of ideas. From a tactical and humane standpoint I'm happy.

[Rev.Reverence]

*phew*

Fortunately at least this time the family didn't kill the child or ostracize her over their (often tragic) "sacred" beliefs. This will be a +1 in the column supporting the irrational traditions, since it lines up with our humanity and non-mystic, rational ethics that have survived the struggle of ideas. From a tactical and humane standpoint I'm happy.

AND...that right there is how we can find a middle ground that Humanity can move forward on...

[Vater Araignee]

"Worship the human arachnid" ~ Father Spider

[Homicidalheathen]

I noticed they took a pic of her in front of Vishnu

http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_a...sses/vishnu.htm

When I had my first ultra sound and my carrying twins was confirmed...I asked the lady if they were connected and she laughed but its a legit good damn question coming from a poor single woman.

[Reaper]

They always seem to brew the freaks over in that part of the world. Is it in the water?