'Curse of snake Gods': Kerala family, with webbed fingers, refuses surgery [Video]

Members of a Kerala family, which has had around 140 members born with webbed fingers over the years, refuse to do surgery as they believe the condition is a curse of the Gods.   

Everyone in the family, from the 85-year-old head of the clan to the three-year-old kid, has webbed fingers. The condition, known as Syndactyly, is not uncommon and can be treated through surgery. 

However, the Kannathu family, who hail from a village in Alappuzha, doesn’t acknowledge it as a medical problem but as a curse of the snake Gods. The members are afraid something bad will happen to them if they go under the knife. One of the members claimed that a relative, who underwent surgery on his hands a few years ago, soon lost his hearing ability. 

Photo: YouTube screengrab

The family insists they can live a normal life even with their fingers fused together, and carry out their daily chores like cooking or driving.

"We do not even see surgery as an option. Despite our fingers being fused together, we live a normal life and do not face any difficulty in day-to-day chores. While many have suggested us to get them corrected, we have a strong feeling that if we undergo surgery something bad will happen to us," The Sun quoted Sarasu, 70, the oldest woman in the family, as saying

The condition was first experienced in the family a century ago and it has been passed on to every generation since then. The family believes it all started when a neighbour cut off a tree from the family's kavu (sacred grove). To appease the snake Gods, the family organises a prayer ceremony at the kavu every year.

"It is only because of the worship, we have never faced any troubles, despite the deformed fingers. I haven't faced any physical issues and can work as any other normal person," The Daily Mail quoted Girishkumar, 48, who works as a JCB driver.

• Kerala
• superstitions