17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Indelible identity

The Indelible identity-In a winter village fair in west Bengal I saw a tent advertising these conjoined twins named 'Chunnu and Munnu' as 'Miracle of God'. Inside, as men, women, and children file around the ringed barricade in silent awe, the twins recline unmindfully on a charpoy at the center like a caged animal. Their public existence has been a series of endless exhibitions where their unique physiognomy is on display for a price - at village fair and festivals. I asked them in curiosity to know their true identity, "Are you one or two?" They hesitate and answer "We are two separate beings. Though lodged in the same body, we have two minds after all."

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Kalna, India
Camera: Canon EOS 800D
Copyright: © Maniruddin Dhabak