Indian family of 10 the world's biggest albino family

Indian family of 10 the world's biggest albino family
PHOTO: Indian family of 10 the world's biggest albino family

An Indian couple and eight of their family members are trying to get into the Guinness World Records as the biggest albino clan in the world.

The 10-member family, headed by husband and wife Roseturai Pullan, 50, and Mani, 45, all have snowy pale skin and poor vision.

Roseturai and Mani had an arranged marriage in 1983, and gave birth to sons Vijay, 25, Shankar, 24 and Ramkishan, 19. They also had daughters Renu, 23, Deepa, 21 and Pooja, 18.

All six children inherited their parents' albinism.

The eldest daughter, Renu, then married another albino Rosheh, 27. Together they had their now two-year-old son Dharamraj, who is also an albino.

According to media reports, the family lives in a crammed one-bedroom flat in Delhi, and have endured years and years of discrimination, stares and jeers, and hardship.

Roseturai told The Sun UK that he has heard people call them 'angrez' - which means 'English' - having mistaken them as Westerners.

"It's hard for people to understand we're born and bred Indian," he said.

The condition also does not allow them to see clearly or sit under the sun for too long.

Albinism is a congenital disorder where the body fails to produce the pigmentation melanin.

Difficult life

Difficult life

The pigmentation helps protect the skin from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, and the lack of it means the skin is more susceptible to being burnt from overexposure. It also makes them more susceptible to skin cancer.

The lack of pigment also means albinos suffer from a number of vision defects, such as photophobia, nystagmus and astigmatism.

However, other than these, albinos usually are as healthy as the rest of the population, with growth and development occurring normally.

Roseturai and Mani were from Tamil Nadu in southern India originally. After marriage, they moved to Delhi, where they set up an egg stall.

They were match made to wed as their parents felt they should make a good match since they were 'the same'.

According to Roseturai, in South India, marrying an albino brings good luck and riches.

However, this has been far from the truth. The condition has only brought grief to the couple, as others look at them oddly and shy away from them, thinking they have a disease.

Mani's albino sister said she was teased and called names growing up, causing her to break into tears countless times.

Things were so tough that after the birth of her first child, Mani went to the hospital for a hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus, as she did not want to give birth to more albino children. She felt they would only suffer as she and her husband had.

Road to fame

Road to fame

However, one look at her caused the doctor in charge of her case to send her home, she said.

She never had the procedure, and now she is a proud parent of six children.

Mani now sees it as a gift from god. But she still feels that her children will not get good jobs due to their sight problems.

Oldest son Vijay has an education in computers, but his sight means finding a job will be an uphill task.

He also told the paper that he wants to wed an albino girl when he has saved enough, as it will be "easier".

The hard part will be finding her, he acknowledged.

However, things might be looking up for the family as they stand on the edge of global recognition.

The family has been short listed for a new Guinness World Record for the largest albino family.

The next biggest families are two six-member families in the US and Canada.

The Guinness World Record authorities will contact the Pullans on whether they have won the title once they have verified the claim, The Sun reported.

yamadak@sph.com.sg

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.