Indian villages are famous for their crops, harvest, literacy rate and cleanliness but in this article, we will tell you about a unique village in Kerala where human photocopies are found, literally. Yes, you read right. There is a village Kodinhi in?Malappuram?district in Kerala, where the birth rate of twins is probably the highest in India.?
Many times scientists have tried to investigate this rare phenomenon, but the answer still eludes them.
At first glance, Kodinhi seems quite normal. Like many other villages in Kerala, it is lined with coconut palms, crisscrossed with canals and dotted with rice fields. But, when you go deeper into its narrow streets, you come across a large number of identical faces.
This Muslim majority village Kodinhi about 150km from Kochi, Kerala has a total population of 2000, and more than 400 of them are twins. In such a situation, you will see many lookalike children, in the school and in the nearby market in this village.
The oldest twin living in this village is Abdul Hameed and his twin sister Kunhi Kadia. It is believed that twins were born in this village. Initially, only a few twins were born in the years, but later it accelerated and now twins are being born at a very high speed. In 2008, there were 30 twins out of the 300 children born in good health in the village. But in a few years; their number has reached 60.
It is not that the twins born here or their mothers have any physical defects or mental deformities, nothing like that. Women also remain healthy and do not suffer from any kind of deformity.
Around the world average of 4 twins are born out of 1000 babies and in India 9 twins per 1000 births, but in this mysterious village, 45 babies are born out of 1000 babies. On average, it is the second in the world after Nigeria's Igbo-ora which is also called the "Twin Capital of the World" where 145 twins out of 1000 are born, and the first in Asia.
The locals believe that this village has God's special grace which gives birth to more and more twins. In the last 50 years, more than 300 twins have been born in this village.
Over the years, many teams of scientists and researchers from various institutions who are already working on a study in Brazil and Vietnam visited Kodinhi village including Hyderabad-based CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Modular Biology, Kerala Universities of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and the University of London, as well as researchers from Germany and came here to do research and trying to solve the mystery of Kodinhi village.?
They took samples of many children's saliva and hair for the study of the DNA of twins. But even today this thing remains only a mystery. And till now even scientists have not been able to solve it.
Professor Dr Thirumalaswami Velavan, associate professor of Institute of Tropical Medicine, Tuebingen University, who is principal investigator of the study said that four specific communities from different continents reported an unusually large number of twin births and these communities includes Kodinhi village, Hung Loc Commune in South Vietnam and Igbo-Ora in Nigeria, Candido Godo in Brazil.?
¡°The study would identify genetic factors determining the heritability of twins. There is no known genetic link identified yet for identical twinning and the real factor behind the phenomenon is yet to be ascertained. The outcome of the study shall lay a basis to understand the underlying genetic and epigenetic factors that may hold key answers for the high twinning rate in Kodinhi,¡± he said.
Not just in India, researchers around the world are surprised by this village because there are over 400 twins here. It is believed that this place has got the blessings of God because twins are seen in very few cases, wherein in this village so many twins are born together.
Dr Krishnan Sribiju, who has a natural interest in studying the science behind the delivery of twins, said ¡°This village is nothing short of a miracle in the medical world. In the past years, it has come into the eyes of the world. Many eminent experts and researchers came here, but they could not find any reason. The people here wish that there should be at least 350 twin pairs in the village.
According to Dr Sribiju, "I think the reason for having twins is the diet of the people here, which has something to be recognized. If it is known what it is, then there will be happiness in the lives of childless couples around the world.?
¡°To the best of my knowledge, this medical marvel began somewhere between 60 to 70 years ago,¡± he said.
¡°Considering the low level of twin births in India, more so in Asia, it is surprising to witness an Indian village being home to an overwhelming number of twins. Global rates of twins being born, especially in the western world, have increased because of artificial insemination. Also, twins are born usually to older, more mature women. In Kodinhi that is not the case because marriage happens at a much younger age here at around 18¨C20 years old and families begin very soon after,¡± says Dr Sribiju told TOI.
People of Kodinhi village are proud to be part of Twin Town and don't fear their unusual situation. The Kerala village, which is now nicknamed the ¡®twin town¡¯, have proudly established the Twins and Kin Association (TAKA) to register and provide support for the twins of Kodinhi and their families. Given the fact that the cost of raising twins can be high and it can be a physically demanding job for the mother to bear them, TAKA can perform the role of educating and supporting the villagers.
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