Asher, I knew you would ask this!
I ran into the gentleman at the site of the funeral piers ( more on this sometime later ). He is a Hindu
holy person. Does not belong to the Lord Shiva sect ( I am told ) as the vertical bands of color on his
head are different.
He is a local native.
As to his ancestary, if you believe in rumors, is that a long time ago in a land far far away his
ancestors, the local natives of that land, were persecuted by persons of a fairer color. The local tribes
to avoid extinction, sent a sufficient number from the various tribes and gender to settle in a land
of the high mountains. Most of them perished on the way. Those that survived inhabited the lands
we know today as Tibet and Nepal. They had to cross marry along the way. Evolution did the rest.
Cynic that I am, I found the gentleman hanging around with these unsavory looking folks:
As conclusive proof that they did come from a land far far away, see the traditional greeting that is offered to all tourists carrying cameras. This is genetic and DNA related.
Best.
Fahim,
Can we have an introduction to this extraordinary fellow. Is he a local native or a transplant from the American Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco of the late 60's?
Asher