Partner Article

Bark-ing mad

A lover’s spat has resulted in a husband spending 50 reclusive years living in a tree. South African newspaper The Star reports that Gayadhar Parida (83), from New Delhi, had a tiff with his wife and has since refused to return home, despite many years of pleas from his family, preferring to live alone in a makeshift tree-shack.

Unfortunately bad weather has already forced Mr Parida to relocate once, as his former abode - a mango tree - was blown down in a storm. However he obstinately set up camp again in another location, a mere ½ km from his family home, claiming its great for his spiritual growth. Parida isn’t the only ‘tree-man’ in India’s eastern Orissa state - earlier this year, the BBC told of a 45-year-old man who had been living in a tree for 15 years after a fight with his wife.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .