Because of an unusual appearance, 45 year old who are known as ‘spider sisters’ have been single all their lives, They have also suffered years of rejection. But after a chance encounter with kind-hearted school teacher named Jasimuddin Ahmad, now they say they are happier than ever.’ Ganga shares four arms and three legs with her sister. She said, ‘It was love at first sight. When we met Jasimuddin we both felt this was a man who would truly love us. And he does – he loves us straight from the heart.’ The other sister Jamuna said, ‘We have been very happy since he came into our lives. We have suffered in the past but we don’t want to suffer any more. We really hope to spend the rest of our lives with him.’
The twins have separate hearts, kidneys and livers and share a stomach. They were born to an impoverished family near Kolkata, West Bengal. Their parents deserted them when they reached their teens because they were unable to pay for medical attention. They feared that they were a sign of ‘God’s fury’.
They joined a travelling circus with no education and performed for audiences across India. They began to tire after years on the road despite earning a relatively good wage of £25 a night. It is when that they first laid eyes on 36 year old Ahmad. He worked part-time with the circus as a sound engineer, and were stunned to discover he shared their amorous feelings. He said, ‘Ever since I met them I have considered their pain as my own.
I have always been like this. I have always treated other people’s troubles as my own and tried to make things better. Now, every night I sit with them. We share a meal on the terrace and talk about our lives. I sit with them in the evening breeze and we share our joys and our sorrows. Sometimes we listen to music and sit up talking late into the night. There have been times when we have been up talking until 4 am and then woken up late the next morning.’