Sakal Dev Tuddu is 70 years old and has a story he tells with complete calm.
He lives in the Munger district, in the state of Bihar, India, and says that about 47 years ago, one night, his hair tangled on its own and formed a dreadlock. He took it as a divine blessing. Since then, he says, God visited him in a dream and asked him never to cut it. And he obeyed: no scissors or shampoo since that day.
Today, his dreadlocks measure 1.80 meters. He wears them coiled on top of his head like a turban and, when he goes out, ties them with a white cloth to keep them clean and prevent them from dragging on the ground. Out of devotion, he also gave up drinking and smoking.
His neighbors call him “Mahatma Ji”, a respectful nickname. He worked for 31 years in the forestry department, lives with his wife Rupiya Devi, and has six children and seven grandchildren. He is also known as a traditional healer, and people from different parts of the world visit him to meet him and take a photo with him.
