An old man lay full-length on sun-baked dusty ground and stared for a while at the sky.

He gave no indication of his intentions to the few bystanders, but they remained there patiently, waiting to see what he might do. At last their curiosity was rewarded. Deliberately he reached out for a handful of earth, moistened it and placed it on his lower lip. Once more his hand reached out, to his other, from which he took a few mustard seeds. And these he planted in the thin strip of earth. Four days passed before anything else happened to arouse attention. For those four days the man lay absolutely motionless, burned by the fierce sun and chilled by the night cold, taking neither food nor drink until at last he achieved his wish. A tiny plant sprang from his lower lip. !et among the people who witnessed the fulfilment of this remarkable feat, few showed much surprise, "o them such acts of self control, although admirable, were fairly commonplace. #hat they had seen was another unusual e$ercise of penance by a Hindu Fakir a holy man who chooses to perform the seemingly impossible. %uch bi&arre sights astonish #estern people, but they are part and parcel of life in 'ndia( even today, when this land is making gallant efforts to ad)ust to the *+th century. "hough admittedly there are not fakirs to be found on every street corner, if you ask and search long enough, you will still find them. %ome have been seen lying where they first lay themselves down over *+ years ago on beds of sharp spikes which bite into their flesh. And, if you seek confirmation that theirs is a passing way of life, you may be disappointed. ,lsewhere, tiny children have been discovered playing on home-made -go-carts. of nails, in preparation for their own futures as fakirs. 't could be that a young man will be witnessed carefully welding links to dangle over his body, so that finally he will be covered entirely in heavy chains which he will drag everywhere. One fakir, who lived in /ahore, did such a thing and finally supported a clanking load of 01+ pounds for over 23 years until his death. "o #estern minds, such e$hibitions might seem suspiciously like the tricks of fairground imposters, but a glance at other fakirs soon convinces the spectator that charlatans are not at work. 4o one will ever dispute that they are among the most unusual men in the world but that prompts the obvious 5uestion6 why are they so7 #hy do they voluntarily sub)ect themselves to such wretched lives7

"o understand their self-imposed suffering re5uires a knowledge of Hinduism and that is not easy to e$plain briefly, for the religion is ancient and has developed many different forms with time. However, a convenient starting point could be said to be about the si$th century 8.9., when 'ndia found itself in a period of intense religious activity and new thought. 't was then that the Hindu religion started to develop, based to some e$tent on older forms of worship. 8ut with the new concept that there was only one god, 8rahma, who overshadowed everything. 4evertheless, Hindus maintain, 8rahma has needed assistance to safeguard his worshippers( and, to this end, he has appointed many lesser gods. :any indeed. 't has been suggested that there are over 3++ million; 8earing this daunting figure in mind, it is not surprising then that modern Hinduism is not so much a manner of worship with steadfast rules, but more a way of life. 't is a storehouse of ideas and customs that vary considerably. 8ut one thing all Hindus are agreed that the most splendid virtues are kindness, truthfulness and love and that all men should select their own paths to holiness. "he highest ideal is a state of total selflessness, and the true 5uest is to be finally at one with their god( that is to achieve <arma. %ome attempt to approach their god through knowledge, hard work, small sacrifices or prayer. Others, more fanatical and e$treme, elect to cut themselves off from the world, and become fakirs. Fakirs cast away all possessions and privileges, depend entirely on charity for sustenance, and set themselves unnervingly rigid courses of selfdiscipline which help them achieve complete mastery over their bodies, minds and senses. "hey mean, above all, to liberate their souls from earthly ties and their bodies from any physical feeling. Deeply respected by all other Hindus, some decide to live alone in the wilderness of 'ndia, sitting their lives away in contemplation, living only on berries and plants. And an especially odd thing about these particular ascetics is that their spiritual powers are reputed to keep wild creatures at bay. :any have been seen sitting unmolested on banks surrounded by crocodiles. Others actively seek the companionship of deadly poisonous snakes which they even drape around their necks and remain unharmed. As they self-punish themselves to their rende&vous with their gods, they are venerated respectfully by worshippers who heap food and money on

them. "hey do not, though, ask for these gifts and they never thank their benefactors. "he only snag with these public acts of self-sacrifice unfortunately is that bogus fakirs often take up temporary residence, during religious festivals, using trickery to empty the pockets of the faithful. ,ven so, the true fakirs do not despise these opportunists. "hey feel it is the sins of such greedy and irreligious folk that they are atoning for, and they shoulder the responsibility and guilt for them as their own. As the years pass, the true fakirs learn to withstand all manner of pains and can thus perform eerily incredible feats. =erhaps the most remarkable accomplishment of all is that known as samadhi, or suspended animation. Fakirs have been known to bury their heads in the ground for up to ten hours without ill effect and some have actually been buried alive. 8y far the most astonishing e$ample of this took place in 2>31, when a man named Haridas placed himself in a trance, had his nose, mouth, ears and eyes sealed with wa$ and was buried for forty days, while guards stood over the spot to see there was no trickery. Haridas survived his ordeal with little ill effect. And the final act of a true fakir7 #hen they have achieved their penance, many simply die by an act of will-power. 'ndeed they are without doubt some of the most wonderful men in the world.