A man has kept his arm in the air for half a century as a gesture to call for world peace.
Amar Bharati was an ordinary family man living in India in the early seventies, living a modest life with his wife and three children. But one day in 1973, he was hit by an epiphany which prompted him to make a life-changing decision, as he decided become a sadhu.
In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, this is the term given to a revered religious ascetic who willingly renounces all worldly desires.
Bharati decided that he would devote his life to Shiva, a central deity of Hinduism. As a sign of his unwavering and complete dedication to Shiva, Bharati performed one universally powerful gesture.
He raised one clenched fist in the air as symbol of his faith and a call for world peace, vowing never to lower his hand.
Some 50 years later, and he’s kept his word.
Bharati has since become known as the One-Armed Baba, but the gesture has unsurprisingly resulted in huge personal pain and sacrifice.
After the obvious pain the gesture caused him, his arm has now lost all sensation and the muscles have withered away, History of Yesterday reports.
In a rare interview with Indian media, Bharati explained: “I don’t ask for much. Why do we fight among ourselves? Why is there so much hate and enmity? I want all Indians to live in peace. I want the whole world to live in peace.”
He has since inspired other people in India to become sadhus and adopt similar hand-raising endurance.
