Man Believes Six-Foot Dreadlocks He Hasn't Washed In Forty Years Are A Blessing

We've all been guilty of letting our hair go unwashed from time to time, or at least I think we've been... I don't really remember what it's like to have hair (started going bald when I was 18 - let's not talk about it).

However, one bloke in India has taken poor hair hygiene to a whole new level, having not washed his locks in 40 years.

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Sakal Dev Tuddu, from the Munger district of eastern Bihar state, has allowed his hair to grow six-feet long over the course of the past four decades.

During this period, he hasn't given it a wash once, which makes you wonder what it smells like / feels like / how many dead animals may have been living in there since the 80s.

The 63-year-old said it all started when his hair spontaneously turned into dreadlocks or 'jattas' overnight, which he considered to be a blessing from God. While some of us might have interpreted the beginnings of dreadlocks as a sign that we need to wash our hair, Sakal Dev claims God has since visited him in his dreams and told him not to trim it - so it seems the dreads are irrefutably the work of the big man in the sky.

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Off the back of these godly visits, Sakal Dev decided to abstain from smoking and drinking (and washing his hair). He wears the aforementioned barnet as a sort of turban perched on top of his head, presumably because having it down is a bit of a trip hazard. He also wraps it up in a white cloth to stop it getting dirty when he goes out - though presumably you can't really stop anything from getting dirty if you don't clean it for 40 years.

He lives with his wife, Rupiya Devi, along with three sons, three daughters and seven grandchildren, none of whom have any problems with his distinctive do, though his grandchildren understandably might found it quite puzzling when they were young.

People also travel from far and wide to have their picture taken with him, and he is known in the community as 'Mahatma Ji' as a mark of respect for his holy appearance and humble demeanour.

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When he's not being humble, holy and hairy, Sakal Dev spends his time whipping up homemade remedies for childless couples. What exactly these remedies are comprised of is unclear, but let's hope his hair is kept well away from the mix.

He has also served in the forest department for 31 years, so presumably it's quite tricky finding him when he's on shift.

Topics: World News, Weird, India

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey