Sukhdev Baba Shanti, a Hindu holy man, at Kamakhya temple in Gauhati, India.With all due respect to the gentleman, I can't help but suspect that perhaps his hair may have had some extensions braided in.
Addendum: A big hat tip to Joe, for offering the following totally logical (and undoubtedly true) explanation: "The extensions would be added naturally as they grow. Individual hairs grow for a while, then fall out and after a bit another hair will begin to emerge. Once the hairs are locked the fallen ones would be entwined with the still growing ones ensuring a continuous extension all the way back to the scalp."
Photo: Anupam Nath/AP, via Found Here.
I did a little bit of research. He is thought to have been growing his hair since the '70s. I couldn't find an exact rate of hair growth for Indian people, but the rate for Asians is up to 2" a month. If Indians grow hair a similar rate he'd have 2 feet of hair a year.... which seems like a bit much. If the rate is lower and the shortening action of twirling the hair into dreadlocks is factored in, he could still easily have 16 foot long dreadlocks within 35+ years.
ReplyDeleteThe extensions would be added naturally as they grow. Individual hairs grow for a while, then fall out and after a bit another hair will begin to emerge. Once the hairs are locked the fallen ones would be entwined with the still growing ones ensuring a continuous extension all the way back to the scalp.
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