A video that features an old man ‘rescued’ from a cave is trending on social media after reportedly getting 29 million views in only a few days of being uploaded. The handle on X that shared the video, Concerned Citizen, claimed the man was 188 years old. With the accompanying video, which shows the aged man walking with support from two men, it further writes: “This Indian man has just been found in a cave. It’s alleged he’s 188 years old. Insane.”
WHO IS THE OLDER MAN AND WHERE HE IS FROM ?
The claim quickly came under scrutiny. Several reports since then have claimed that the person in the video is not 188 years old but 110 years old and a Hindu saint from Madhya Pradesh.
X has also attached a disclaimer along with the post: “Misinformation! The old man is a Hindu Saint called ‘Siyaram Baba’ from Madhya Pradesh, India. According to reports he is about 110 years old.”
“The man in the video is ‘Siyaram Baba’ from Madhya Pradesh,” reports say. Several reports in the media have verified this. LiveMint could not, however, independently ascertain the authenticity of the information.
The video has been dubbed ‘misleading’ by D-intent data, a data verification group.
“MISLEADING: FACT – A video is going viral, claiming that a 188-year-old Indian Man has recently been found in a cave with the help of some people while helping an elderly individual,” the group wrote on the social media platform X.
Actually, the elderly man is a Saint named ‘Siyaram Baba,’ residing in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, and these are not true claims. “The fact is that influencers are sharing videos with “self-invented” claims to get the “spotlight” on social media.
The account that shared the video later commented on the video by stating they were “embarrassed” about the overestimation.
“I’m embarrassed I even wrote 188. Anything over 120 would have been ridiculous,” the comment read.
The Navbharat Times, 2nd July 2024, says: “His name is Siyaram Baba, who resides in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. Many stories about Siyaram Baba are famous in the region. He claims that he did penance standing on one leg for 10 years. Even at the age of 109, Baba reads the Ramayana without glasses and performs all his work by himself. Baba speaks very less; devotees also come there to seek his blessings. Siyaram Baba is a saint staying at the Bhatyan Ashram, which is located on the banks of the Narmada River in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh. But nobody knows his real age. It’s thought that he is either 109 or 110 years old. His age has some other numbers in the surrounding areas due to which the exact number is unknown. Some people even say that Baba is 130 years old. But Baba himself never provided any detail regarding the real age”. D-Intent Data has also captioned the video misleading by saying, “A video of some people helping an elderly individual has been shared claiming that 188-year-old Indian Man has just been found in a cave. In fact, these all are false. The elderly man is Saint named ‘Siyaram Baba’.
The clip depicts two younger men assisting an elderly man, who is lean and only wears a loin cloth, in crossing some rocks and walking along some steps.
A user, Concerned Citizen, posted the video on X where it has garnered almost 30 million views. He wrote: ‘This Indian Man has just been found in a cave. It’s alleged he’s 188 years old. Insane.’ Indeed, the hunched-over old man with a stick looks pretty oldish. However, 188?
Not surprisingly, many people doubted the post, including X, which appended a disclaimer below that said: ‘Misinformation! The aged man is a Hindu Saint named ‘Siyaram Baba’ who resides in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Other users of X shared the same clip with just the same caption written this time in Arabic or Turkish. One post (archived) by one person who barely managed with the likes read, “An Indian rescue team accidently discovered a caveman who self-proclaimed himself as 188 years old. Can you believe? Can you believe the age of a man accidentally found in a cave in India? Now, he is transferred to a hospital for treatment.”
There is a difference of opinion about his age in the surrounding areas, and due to this, no one knows his actual age. It is said by some people that Baba is 130 years old, but Baba himself did not give any information about his age.
Be it very cold or heavy rain; it is said about Baba that he remains only in a loincloth. Through meditation, he has adapted his body to the weather. Even at this age, he does all his work himself and cooks his own food. Baba remained in silence for about 12 years.
