This one will make the French smell good!

FOR THE last 35 years, Kailash Singh ‘Kalau’, 63, hasn’t had a bath nor has he brushed his teeth. He says it is out of love for the country, but neighbours say it is for a son — Kalau has seven daughters.

Agni Snan, or “fire bath”, is his way of keeping clean. Every evening as villagers gather, Kalau, who lives in Chatav, lights a bonfire, smokes marijuna and stands on a leg praying to Lord Shiva.

“’It’s just like using water to take a bath,” said Kalau, who wears two pullovers through the year and only drinks warm water. “Fire bath helps kill all the germs and infections in the body.”

He used to own a grocery store but his unclean habits drove customers away. Now he makes a living out of farming.

“I’ll end this vow only when all problems confronting the nation end,” he said. But the neighbours have a different take. “A seer once told Kalau that if he does not take a bath, he’ll be blessed with a son.”

If not taking a bath could solve the issues of the nation, could we all take a solemn vow to bear the heat and take to sunbathing? After all the country comes first.