Albino Indian Family Seeks Guinness Record
Albinism is a rare genetic disorder affecting only 200,000 people in the United States. Yet for one family in India, Albinism is a way of life that has affected all 10 members.
Rosetauri and Mani Pullan both have Albinism, as do their eight children. All the Pullan children inherited their condition, which has led to a lifetime of prejudice and ostracism. The family originally lived in southern India but endured much shunning at the hands of their neighbors.
"I've heard people call us 'angrez,' which means 'English,'" patriarch Rosetauri told The Sun. "We had a very tough life, especially in the South where people thought we had a disease and treated us like outsiders."
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They moved to India's capital, Delhi, where people "are a little more open-minded, but many think [we're] foreigners," he said.
The couple admits not knowing a lot about their albinism, which can cause blindness, vision problems, pale white skin and hair. "We don't know much about our condition, only that we can't see properly, and we can't sit under the sun for long," noted Rosetauri.
Mani originally did not want to have children because she "didn't want [her] children to suffer … but the doctor got scared just looking at me and sent me home." Now, though, she sees her children as gifts from God.
"It's hard living as we do in a country like India, but we're still happy. We're a very close and loving country. We make the most of what we've got," she told The Sun.
Now the family is hoping to become a part of history. The Guinness World Records team has been contacted by the family to see if they qualify for the title of "World's largest family with Albinism."
"We're really happy to hear about this family, and our record management team is now aware of them. We'll soon get in touch with them but we always encourage people to make a claim on our website if they think they have a record," a Guinness spokesperson told the Huffington Post.
