Malaysian woman fasts for 1,232 days for religious purposes, eating on alternate days

Tarulata ate two meals every other day, consuming vegetables, pulses, fruits and dairy products, during her three-year fast. Photos: Pooja Jassani

Tarulata Shantilal Tejani, 61, has every reason to be proud of herself. After all, not everyone can say they have fasted for three years.

What's more, Tarulata is believed to be the first person from the Jain community in South-East Asia to complete a religious fast, known as varsitap, that spanned three years and four months. Varsitap means "year-long fasting penance" in Sanskrit.