A baba decked with gold

Meet Golden Baba, the man who is studded with gold from top to toe. The man, originally known as Sudhir Kumar and hails from Delhi, is a devotee of Lord Shiva and the golds he wear are to please his God and not himself. “Wearing gold is not my hobby....gold for me is a revered God....I wear it to please Lord Shiva'', he said.

Golden Baba is currently on a Kanwar Yatra (an annual pilgrimage during which Lord Shiva’s devotees fill kanwars or earthen pitchers with water from the Ganga and offer them to the lord), between Hardwar, Uttarakhand, and Delhi. He said he had embarked on his first Kanwar Yatra 23 years ago.

The baba, according to his followers, sports around 11 kilograms of gold worth several crores on his body. He wears a thick gold chain around his neck, gold bracelets on his arms and rings, also of gold, in all his 10 fingers.

However, the Baba himself never tried to find out the quantity of gold he carries. “I am told it is around 11 kilograms but I never tried to find out'', he said. Golden Baba, who claimed to be associated with several charity organisations, is being followed by a large number of followers during his yatra. He is a major draw among other Kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) as well and is flocked by them wherever he goes.

But isn’t displaying so much of gold create threat for him?
Golden Baba is not ignorant of the fact and has employed around two dozen security guards for the safety of himself and the gold.  He has also been provided with police security during the Kanwar Yatra.