By Tony Tharakan Reuters - Thursday, April 10

04:35 pmSAINI, India (Reuters) -
The family of an Indian baby born with two faces has refused special medical treatment for the infant, saying she is the incarnation of a Hindu goddess.

The month-old girl suffers from what appears to be craniofacial duplication, an extremely rare congenital disorder in which part of the face is duplicated on the head.

Lali, born to a family of poor farm labourers in a village about 55 km (34 miles) east of New Delhi, has an extra pair of eyes, nose, and lips.

Media reports said she ate with both mouths and blinked all four eyes.

The anomaly gave the newborn god-like status in the village, with hundreds of people flocking to the family's dilapidated brick house to worship her and seek blessings.

The family sees little to differentiate her from other babies and refused to take her to a specialist doctor.

"She is fine. She sleeps, eats and cries like other normal babies ... A local doctor said there is nothing wrong with the child," Bhram Singh, Lali's grandfather, told Reuters in this village of brick houses and wheat fields.

But he insists the infant is the incarnation of a Hindu goddess and points to the loudspeaker outside his house which blares religious hymns all day.

Villagers believe Lali, named that because of her bright red cheeks, is a form of Shakti, the Hindu goddess of power.

"The birth is a miracle and a good sign for the village," said Daulat Ram, the village chief.

But the number of onlookers has dwindled as the "miracle" turns a month old on Friday, and few visitors now venture into the dusty lanes of Saini looking for the house where Lali lives.

Ram says that's because everyone in the vicinity had satiated their curiosity.

"People are busy with the harvest season and have work to do. They won't keep coming back at this time."

Well, if she doesn't suffer as a result of the anomaly, then I'm not opposed to her remaining how she is - in that instance, her parents' choice must be respected. I suppose she may feel differently about it as she grows up, but I don't know nearly enough about congenitsl disorders of this nature to say whether they're doing her a disservice by not operating on her as soon as possible. I don't believe that she is a reincarnation of Shakti, though, but that is obviously a personal thing!

Surgery on this little baby (if possible) appears from looking at the photo to be an horrendous prospect. I can only assume that if she grows up in a society where she and others believe her to be extremely special, then life for her will not be the torture it could be in the west. Time will tell.