Mahanta in action

Jorhat, Feb. 27: Standing at five feet two inches and weighing just 65 kg, Bedakanta Mahanta looks “tiny”. But like David in the Bible, Mahanta’s strength lies in his hair, with which he can pull a truck 100 times his weight.

Mahanta, however, claims that this feat is not ascribable to any mystic powers but to the “simple science of yoga”. Performing this act here in front of an enthralled crowd, 30-year-old Mahanta told The Telegraph that he would pull an aircraft next, hoping to enter Guinness Book of World Records.

“It is simply unbelievable,” remarked Ranjit Dutta, a senior member of Hridayangam Club, which organised Mahanta’s show.

Says Diganta, the handyman of the truck: “We need at least 20-25 men to push the truck. And look at this man, he is pulling it alone and that, too, with his hair. This is some magic.”

So amazed was the crowd that had gathered in front of Jorhat stadium to witness Mahanta’s feat that some even looked under the truck to see if any kind of a machine was fitted to propel it forward.

Mahanta, however, is modest about his special ability. “This is nothing impossible. It just needs concentration and the power of yoga,” he said.

Mahanta said he had started practising yoga when he was 14. He took to this Vedic science on the advice of his well-wishers to get rid of chronic indigestion. He said that one of his well-wishers suggested a yogic book, instead of medicine, to get rid of the ailment. “I followed his advice and the result was tremendous,” he said. Not only was he cured of indigestion, but he also developed “amazing powers”. He now prescribes remedies for several diseases, not with medicine but with yoga. “I have cured several persons who had come to me with problems. With my treatment, many have recovered,” he said.

Besides pulling scooters, jeeps and trucks, Mahanta can also consume glass, tubelights and other indigestible items. His thin frame can even withstand hammer blows with a huge boulder placed on his chest.

Hailing from Simaluguri village in Lakhimpur, Mahanta is a yoga teacher there. He has also won many yoga contests at the state and national level.