Conjoined twins are identical twins that are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and in Africa. Shivanath Sahu and Shivram Sahu were born in a tiny village near Raipur in central India.
“We will stay like this even when we grow old. We want to live as we are.” Shivram Sahu told Barcroft TV. Shivram and his twin brother Shivanath Sahu are conjoined twins. They are attached to each other. “We don’t wish to get separated,” Shivram said, according to the Huffington Post.
The Mirror UK reported that, their birth caused quite a stir with some villagers even worshiping them as divine incarnations. 12-year-olds Shivanath Sahu and Shivram Sahu, who were born, joined at the waist, share two legs and four arms, share the same stomach but have independent lungs, hearts and brains, according to the Mirror UK.
According to the Daily Mail, Shivanath said, “We have taught ourselves everything. We ride to school on a bicycle and playing cricket is no problem.” Raj Kumar, 45, their father, says that they are also excellent students.
One of the most famous pair of conjoined twins was Chang and Eng Bunker Thai brothers born in Siam, which is now Thailand. They travelled with the P.T. Barnum’s circus for many years and were billed as the Siamese Twins. Chang and Eng were joined by a band of flesh, cartilage, and their fused livers at the torso. In modern times, they could have been easily separated. Due to the brothers’ fame and the rarity of the condition, the term “Siamese twins” came to be used as a synonym for conjoined twins.
Some doctors believe that Shivanath Sahu and Shivram Sahu could be successfully separated, but the two are determined to stick together.
Image Credit: www.mirror.co.uk