World | India
Kerala's Kodinhi boasts over 200 sets of twins
It was a phenomenon that had gone unnoticed for several years, even by the locals. But now a village in Kerala with over 200 twins and a few more on the way is in the limelight.
- IANS
- Published: 23:22 June 6, 2009
Malappuram, Kerala: It was a phenomenon that had gone unnoticed for several years, even by the locals. But now a village in Kerala with over 200 twins and a few more on the way is in the limelight.
"None of us was aware of this phenomenon but now it has got us thinking. We have even formed an association for these twins," said Kunju Marikar, president of Nannambra panchayat (village council), which has jurisdiction over Kodinhi village. Of the 20 wards that fall under the council, Kodinhi accounts for seven, each having a population of around 2,000.
"The surprising thing is that this phenomenon does not prevail in other wards of the panchayat," Marikar said.
Pullani Bhaskaran, 51, the father of a pair of twin boys aged 16, took the initiative to bring similarly blessed families together under the umbrella of the Twins and Kins Association (TAKA).
"We recently formed an 11-member executive committee and have begun registration of twins. So far we have zeroed in on 230 pairs of twins and we are trying to rope in all the twins irrespective of their age. We feel the number could swell to more than 300 pairs," said Bhaskaran, a contractor.
According to the information collected by TAKA, 85-year-old Mohammad Haji is the oldest living twin in the village, with his sibling having died a few years ago. The oldest living twins are 65-year-old Pathukutty and Kunji Pathukutty.
The latest pair (both boys) were delivered on May 6 by Ramla, 24. TAKA's inquiries have revealed a few more additions to the group are on the way.
Yousuf, an autorickshaw driver, has three pairs of twins - all girls.
A team consisting of G.R. Chandak from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and Kaumudi Godbole, of the Centre for Human Growth and Development, Pune, met about a dozen pairs of twins of the village last November and examined their food habits and other factors.
However, the villagers say they have not heard from the team since then. "We have not heard from them and are now going about documenting all details about the twins. Our preliminary findings show that, among the twins, girls lead the pack," said Bhaskaran.
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