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Prahlad Jani

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Prahlad Jani, also known as "Mataji", is an Indian sadhu born Chunriwala Mataji, August 13, 1929 in Charada, Mehsana district. He claims to have lived without food and water since 1940, and says that the goddess Amba sustains him with amrita, an immortality-granting nectar.

Early life

Born with the name Chunriwala Mataji, Jani grew up in Charod village in Mehsana district. According to Jani, he left his home in Rajasthan at the age of seven, and went to live in the jungle.

At the age of 11, Jani underwent a religious experience and became a follower of the Hindu goddess Amba. From this time, he has chosen to dress as a female devotee of Amba, wearing a red sari-like garment, jewellery and crimson flowers in his shoulder-length hair. Jani is commonly known as Mataji (" The Great Mother"). Jani believes that the goddess provides him a lifegiving and invisible elixir called amrit, which filters down through a hole in his palate, allowing him to live without food or water. According to ancient yogic texts (e.g. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Ch.3. slokas 48-50) amrita is produced in the body of highly spiritually evolved human beings and is described as extremely beneficial for body and mind. The immortality of the gods is attributed to their consumption of this ambrosia-like substance.

Since the 1970s, Jani has been living as a hermit in a cave in the rainforest near to the Gujarati temple of Ambaji. He spends most of his time meditating, awakening at 4am each day.

Investigations into Jani's abilities to live without food and water

Two observation studies of Jani have been conducted by Sudhir Shah, a neurologist at the Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, in 2003. And also in 2010 under the lead of Dr. G Ilavazhagan, Director, Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Science (DIPAS) - DRDO, Dr. Sudhir Shah, and a panel of distinguished specialists from different medical disciplines which include Dr. Urman Dhruv (Consulting Physician & Diabetologist), Dr. Himanshu Patel (Nephrologist), in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Anil K Gupta from SRISTI and Govt. of Gujarat. The investigators support and endorse Jani's claims. Some outside physicians have criticized these studies, which have not been published with peer review. Critics warn that people have died trying to replicate the claims of mystical advocates of food and water withdrawal.

2003 tests

In 2003, physicians at Sterling Hospital, Ahmedabad, India observed Jani for ten days. The study was led by Sudhir Shah, a neurologist who investigated similar claims made by Hira Ratan Manek in 2000. Reportedly, during the observation, Prahlad Jani was given only 100 millilitres of water a day to use as mouthwash, which was collected and measured after use to make sure that none had been consumed. Jani was reported to enter Samadhi state of consciousness almost daily during meditation. Doctors say that he passed no urine or stool during the observation, and that urine appeared to form in the bladder, only to be reabsorbed. According to the hospital's deputy superintendent, Jani was physically "normal," with the exception of the abnormal hole in his palate.

Critics have observed that Jani was not engaged in strenuous exercise during the ten-day trial, and that longer trials were not recorded under similarly strict observation. The fact that Jani's weight dropped slightly during the 10 days has cast some doubt on his claim to go indefinitely without food.

The Indian Rationalist Association has criticised the Indian Ministry of Defence for agreeing to take part in the tests, and for being taken in by a "village fraud". Sanal Edamaruku of the Indian Rationalist Association reported that his requests to send an independent team to survey the room where Jani was held were denied, and that the Sterling Hospital had made several claims "without ever producing evidence or publishing research". The Indian Rationalist Association observed that individuals making similar claims in the past have all been exposed as frauds.

2010 tests

From April 22 until May 6, 2010, Prahlad Jani was observed and tested by Sudhir Shah and researchers from the Indian Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Science (DIPAS). The director of DIPAS, Dr. G Ilavazhagan said that the results of the observations could "tremendously benefit mankind", as well as "soldiers, victims of calamities and astronauts", all of whom may have to survive without food or water for long spells. The tests were again conducted at the NABH & NABL accredited facilities of Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad.

The team studied Jani with daily clinical examinations; periodic blood testing for haematology, biochemistry and hormonal levels; and periodic ultrasound examination, MRI studies of brain, chest, abdomen and MR angiography of different vessels, Doppler flow studies, EEG, NCV examinations and other relevant studies of different organ systems. A protocol of round-the-clock surveillance was reportedly followed with the help of continuous CCTV (multiple cameras) and personal observation. Jani's elder brother was used as a genetic control. The researchers say that Jani was taken out of the sealed room for tests and exposure to sun under continuous video recording.

Jani's only contact with any form of fluid was said to be during gargling and occasional bathing during the study beginning from fifth day of study. The doctors measured the fluid Jani spat out after gargling. Jani reportedly did not eat, drink or go to the toilet, and the doctors described him as "more healthy than someone half his age". Doctors said they expected to observe noticeable muscle mass loss, significant dehydration, weight loss and fatigue, or organ failure, but said their results showed none of the above. The doctors reported that the amount of liquid in Jani's bladder fluctuated, but he did not pass urine. Researchers said they were investigating how metabolic waste material is eliminated from Jani's body, and were trying to identify the source of energy for Jani's survival, as well as the method of maintaining hydration status. His lung functions were normal. Based on Jani's reported levels of leptin and ghrelin, two appetite-related hormones, researchers posited on the website of the Defence Research and Development Organisation that Jani may even enjoy starvation and water restriction.

Although Shah's research and video footage has been approved by DIPAS, DRDO and supervising agencies from the Indian government, including SRISTI, it has not been presented to any scientific journal or committee.

The processing of the test results is ongoing, focusing of examining the following issues:

  • The nitrogenous waste excreted through skin is estimated.
  • The analysis of exhaled gas by GCMS is being done for the presence of volatile metabolites.
  • Serum LCMS-MS for special metabolites highlighting the alternate intermediary metabolic pathway is being done.
  • Proteomic and Transcriptomic analysis is being carried out.
  • Differential gene expression studies are also under progress.
  • Possibility of recycling of nitrogenous waste material, utilizing the volatile ketones as an energy source, resorption from the bladder is also being looked into.
  • Further studies are being planned for random observation at his place of residence over a period of time.

Reactions

Dr. Michael Van Rooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative that focuses on providing famine aid, dismissed the observation results as "impossible", observing that the bodies of profoundly malnourished people quickly consume their own body's resources, resulting in liver failure, tachycardia and heart strain. He would expect a person living without food to die from heart attack or kidney failure. Van Rooyen felt that Jani must have been ingesting water somehow during the period of observation, in order to survive. A spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association remarked that the human body could survive on water alone, although not healthily, and that a person could not expect to meet their body's vitamin and mineral requirements without ingesting food. Nutrition researcher Peter Clifton also disagrees with Shah's results. He accused the research team of "cheating" by allowing Jani to gargle and bathe, stating that humans die after "15 to 20 days" without water. Australia's Sydney Morning Herald writes that people who avoid food and water to emulate mystical figures often die.

Sanal Edamaruku criticized the experiment for allowing Jani to move out of the CCTV cameras' field of view, stating that video footage showed how Jani was allowed to receive devotees and to leave the sealed test room for sunbathing. Edamaruku also said that the gargling and bathing activities were not sufficiently monitored. He accuses Jani of having "influential protectors" responsible for denying Edamaruku permission to inspect the project during its operation, despite having been invited to join the test during a live television broadcast.

ESOWatch.com, a website critical of esoteric claims, reviewed the test results posted on Sudhir Shah's personal website. ESOWatch stated that Jani's doctors' claims of no evidence of dehydration were inconsistent with the test results.

A later report stated that Jani's claims had been endorsed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and that further work was ongoing to unravel the secret of Jani's survival.

Television appearances

On June 26, 2006, The Discovery Channel aired a documentary called "The Boy with Divine Powers" featuring a five minute interview with Prahlad Jani and Dr. Sudhir Shah.

References

  1. ^ Rajeev Khanna (2003-11-25). "BBC NEWS". Retrieved 2008-06-07. {{cite news}}: Text "Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians" ignored (help); Text "South Asia" ignored (help)
  2. ^ Rawstorne, Tom (7 May 2010). "The man who says he hasn't eaten or drunk for 70 years: Why are eminent doctors taking him seriously?". Daily Mail.
  3. Update on Observational Study of MataJi By DIPAS http://drdo.res.in/whatsnew/DIPAS-UPDATE.pdf
  4. ^ "Dr. Sudhir Shah and Prahlad Jani - Skeptimedia - The Skeptic's Dictionary". Skepdic.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  5. ^ "Yogi beaten by bear necessities of life without food" Glenda Kwek, May 14, 2010, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia.
  6. Dr. Urman Dhruv, Dr. S. V. Shah and Dr. V. N. Shah, Mataji Case Study. Retrieved on 2010-05-08
  7. ""No food, no water for 60 years! - Indian Ministry of Defence and NASA taken in by a village fraud"". Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  8. Mirror, Ahmedabad. "Man who lives on air undergoes defence tests". Ahmedabadmirror.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  9. "Hermit Claims 70 Years Survival Without Food". Wusa9.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  10. http://drdo.res.in/labs/dipas/director.html DIPAS Director's Profile
  11. "Yogi sans food gives medical fraternity food for thought". Dnaindia.com. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  12. "National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration Laboratories". Nabl-india.org. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  13. "Prahlad Jani Breaks a Record,No Food & Water for 74 years". Kerala365.com. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  14. "Experts baffled as Mataji's medical reports are normal". Dnaindia.com. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  15. http://sudhirneuro.org/files/fast-hungry-mataji-claim-endorsed.pdf Fast-hungry Mataji's claim endorsed
  16. ^ USA. "How a man can live seven decades without food or water". Helium.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  17. Anonymous. "An update on observational study of Shri Prahlad Jani at Sterling Hospital Ahmedabad being done by Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), DRDO, Delhi in colloboration with Sterling Hospital, Sristi and Govt. of Gujarat" (PDF). drdo.res.in.
  18. Radha Sharma, TNN, Jul 17, 2010, 05.41am IST (2010-07-17). "Fast-hungry Mataji's claim endorsed". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. Update on Observational Study of MataJi By DIPAS http://drdo.res.in/whatsnew/DIPAS-UPDATE.pdf
  20. "Scientists Baffled by Prahlad Jani, Man Who Doesn't Eat or Drink". Abcnews.go.com. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  21. ^ Edamaruku, Sanal (2010-05-18). "Prahlad Jani and his powerful protectors". Rationalistinternational.net. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  22. ESOWatch.com
  23. ESOWatch: image
  24. http://sudhirneuro.org/files/fast-hungry-mataji-claim-endorsed.pdf Fast-hungry Mataji's claim endorsed
  25. Anonymous. "An update on observational study of Shri Prahlad Jani at Sterling Hospital Ahmedabad being done by Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), DRDO, Delhi in colloboration with Sterling Hospital, Sristi and Govt. of Gujarat" (PDF). drdo.res.in.
  26. Mataji - Case Study http://www.sudhirneuro.org/mataji-case-study.php
  27. PDF and PPT presentations of Mataji http://www.sudhirneuro.org/articles.php
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