Childless Indian Man Sacrifices Tongue to Lord Shiva

Nobody wants to die, but it’s a natural part of life. And it’s also the reason we reproduce—so that our humanity lives on through our children, grandchildren, and great-great-great-great grandchildren.

But not everybody is destined to live forever. Impotence, infertility, and even just plain marital apathy have reared their ugly heads many a time and prevented the natural process of procreation.

Just ask Mukesh Kumar, an Uttar Pradesh resident from the village of Banthari, which lies approximately 200km from Lucknow.

He has been married for four years, yet remains childless. Nobody knows why he is unable to conceive (although most speculators suspect infertility), but what we do know for certain is that this inability to procreate so angered him that he cut off his tongue as a sacrifice to Hindu God Lord Shiva.


According to inspector R.P. Mishra, the incident began at Mukesh’s home, where a spousal disagreement blew over into something far worse.

Inspector Mishra further explains: “An ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, an angry Kumar left his house following a tiff with his wife for not being able to conceive. He went to the temple, where he offered his tongue to the deity.”

He was immediately shipped to a nearby hospital, where his tongue was reattached. Doctors claim he’s safe now, although he’s likely to suffer from future speech problems (Duh!).

Apparently, Mukesh hoped that his ’sacrificial tongue’ would inspire Lord Shiva to offer him a child.

You know, there are treatments for infertility. But hey… whatever floats his boat!