When An Indian Man Survived ‘411 Days Without Food’, Irked Docs & Scientists — How? He ‘Ate Sun’

Last Updated:September 14, 2025, 10:00 IST

He claimed that his energy came from looking at the sun during sunrise and sunset.

The feat, which took place in 1995, left doctors and scientists puzzled. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

It would be unbelievable to think that a human being can survive on just water and sunlight. Hira Ratan Manek, popularly known as HRM, proved it right. He survived for 411 days on only water and sunlight without food. Manek, an Indian engineer who died at the age of 85 in Kozhikode in 2022, claimed that his energy came from looking at the sun during sunrise and sunset.

The feat, which took place in 1995, left doctors and scientists puzzled. Manek was kept under medical supervision during his fast. During this time, Dr Sudhir Shah, a neurophysician from Ahmedabad, led a team of 24 doctors who closely observed the engineer.

Dr Shah said his team ran many medical checks on HRM during his fasting periods. All the results showed that Manek’s health was normal, despite not eating solid food. He stopped eating solid food for nearly 20 years.

When doctors scanned his brain, they found that his pineal gland was larger than normal, his melatonin and serotonin levels spiked and his neurons showed unusual activity. Instead of collapsing from starvation, his body seemed to adapt.

He even wrote a book titled Sungazing, where he explained the method and philosophy behind the practice. He visited over 100 countries, including the US, where he gave lectures about sun gazing and his experiences. He was also a member of the Solar Energy Society of India.

Dr Shah said that Manek started the “Hira Ratan Manek Phenomenon,” which promoted sun gazing as a way to stay healthy without eating food.

In 2002, scientists from NASA worked with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to study Manek. They wanted to understand if his claim of living on sunlight and water had any scientific basis. However, the full report was never made public, and the project was quietly shelved.

Many people who tried the protocol claimed they experienced more energy in daily life, greater mental clarity, and a reduced need for food. Medical experts and scientists criticised the practice, calling it pseudoscience. But the bigger question lingers: “If plants can live on light, why not us?”

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