India’s ‘Elephant man’ has turned down the opportunity to get a new face so he can pay for his daughter’s wedding. Mannan Mondal, who is also known as the ‘melted man’ of Delhi, has refused radical reconstructive surgery so he can continue begging.
The 50-year old, who suffers from neurofibromatosis – which means he has a high risk of growing tumours – relies on his appearance to make a living. So he has rejected the offer from surgeons in a bid to fund 20-year-old Rasheeda’s big day.
He travels across India begging at holy sites, earning about £5 a day to send back to his beloved family. None of them have inherited the condition.
He said: ‘I have been like this since birth. I was born poor and I had limited options. When I was younger these deformities were much smaller but they have all grown much larger with age. People around me do not treat me very well. They are disgusted by me and don’t like me. This is how it has been for years. I have learned to manage like this. For example, I don’t use a toothbrush to brush my teeth. I use my fingers as I have only four teeth. I do not have a home. I live on the streets under tents pitched on the footpath and I do not have money to buy land or houses’
