By CAROLINE NJUNG'E
Woman, 75, has been living on water only but continues to do her daily choresEternal foodThey stream into the modest compound in groups of five, so
metimes even six or seven, having travelled from far, some near, to behold a miracle.
Some are friends of this household, but many more are strangers. They are welcomed all the same.
Inside the handsome home, they make a beeline for the petite old woman seated with her hands calmly clasped on her lap.
They bow before her, touching her feet respectfully and bowing their heads in deference so that she may place her hands over them, a sign of blessing.
Shantaben Kapurchand does just that. All day long, for several weeks now, she has been receiving between 30 to 50 such visitors daily.
Shantaben is not your ordinary 75-year-old granny. She has defied the laws of nature and survived without food for 104 days. This Kenyan woman has been living on about 10 glasses of water a day, which she takes between 6am and 6pm.
But this is not the first time this mother of four, who lives in Parklands, Nairobi, has gone without food for days. Last year, she was on a water-only diet for 70 days, and has been repeating this fasting ritual annually for the past 21 years.
Shantaben and her family practise Jain-ism, an ancient religion from India, which embraces penance. Adherents believe that penance leads to purification of the body and, consequently, to sound health.
They also believe that those who fast over a period of time gain control over the senses,and the mind, allowing only good thoughts, and leading to happiness.
The Jain scriptures compare penance to an eternal source of food, which is [...text missing in transmission]*
It is believed that Shantaben is the first Jain, at least in East Africa, to survive without food fortius long for the last four centuries. Because of this, she is considered a marvel among the Jain, who stream into her home daily to pay their respect and seek her blessings,
Rasmita Ashok Shah and Ashok Velji Shah, who have visited for thispurpose, liken Shantaben to a goddess.
"Fasting is very difficult and being able to do it for this long can only be a favour from God" Ms Shah says.According to Dr Kamau Kinyenje, though it is possible to live on water only [text missing in transmission]
"From a medical point of view, it's not normal to live this long without food and still function like a person who takes three meals a day," he says.
According to Dr Kinyenje, a body deprived of food weakens and becomes more predisposed to illness. A person of advanced age is especially susceptible to disease since the body's immunity is low.
"If you don't feed your body, it starts running on the reserves it has been storing over the years. This means that the body is actually feeding on itself."
Given this sombre report, we expected to find a bed-ridden, emaciated old lady, too helpless to talk or move [...text missing in transmission]
... Shantaben who meets us at the door and welcomes us into her home. Her handshake is surprisingly firm, and she answers all our disbelieving questions gracefully.
"1 am perfectly fine as you can see. In fact, I get stronger with each passing day," she says with a calm smile.
Shantaben will break her fast on the 7th of next month. She will have fasted for 113 days. While fasting, her day begins at 4am. She prays for an hour before heading to the temple, where she remains until 7am, then heads back to the house for her breakfast - a glass of water.
She prays for another hour before taking over her duties helping with the cleaning and cooking.
"I don't get the urge to eat, even when I prepare the food myself," she offers, when asked whether the smell of food does not tempt her to take a bite.
She normally takes an hour's nap while the family has lunch then goes back to the temple at around 5.30pm. In the evening, she watches television, mostly the news, then goes to sleep at around 9.30pm or later if they have visitors, which is often.
Many of-these visitors come bearing gifts, including money, which she graciously turns down. The only item she accepts is the coconut, which is considered pure among the Jain,
Even though the family had wanted to restrict visiting times to give her time to rest, Shantaben would not hear of it. She welcomes everyone and stays up until the last person leaves.
"The only people not allowed to have close contact with me are those with flu since medication is not allowed during penance," says the old lady.
Commenting on her extraordinary mental and physical strength, she says: "My strength comes from above. You have to have lots of faith and also pray constantly to do without food for this long."
*[...text missing in transmission] - will be updated if/as soon as we receive these missing textportions.