Berhampur: Branded a witch by her fellow villagers for being born with 19 toes and 12 fingers, 63-year-old Kumari Nayak of Kadapada village in Ganjam district is all set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for this rare condition known as polydactylism.
Kumari has beaten the previous record set by Devendra Suthar (47), who was born with 14 toes and 14 fingers. He was registered in the record book in 2014.
However, the record does not mean much to Kumari, who has been facing social stigma because of her condition since childhood. “I was born with this defect and could not be treated because I belong to a poor family. The superstitious residents nearby believe I am a witch and keep away from me.”
To hide her condition from the neighbours, she stayed indoors most of the time.
According to doctors, polydactylism occurs when an infant forms too many fingers and toes in the womb during the sixth or seventh week of pregnancy. It is a rare condition and affects one in a thousand babies born worldwide.
However, it can be corrected with surgery, said surgical specialist Dr Pinaki Mohanty. “A person having 19 toes and 12 fingers is very rare,” he added.
