Up a tree

New Delhi - A man in India's eastern Orissa state has been living in a tree for the past 50 years following a quarrel with his wife.

Gayadhar Parida, 83, who lives in a tree in a village 240km north of the state capital Bhubaneshwar, has repeatedly turned down pleas by his wife and children to return home, a report said yesterday.

Parida's wife said: "We quarrelled over a tiny issue and that is why he left me and promised not to live with me and return home until his death. I have tried a lot and forced him to come back, but he has refused all the time."

Parida's strange abode is a makeshift shed on a tree, located about half a kilometre from his actual house. For many years Parida lived in a mango tree, but was forced to move to his new address after the tree collapsed in a storm.

Parida said the unusual lifestyle had helped in his spiritual growth and in overcoming tensions after the estrangement with his wife.

Parida's only son, Babula, 55, said his dad was adamant. "I have tried several times to woo him back home but he refused to return. Hurt and dejected, I had to come back home. I cried a lot, but in vain."

Parida isn't the only "tree-man" in Orissa. Earlier this year, the BBC told of a 45-year-old man who had been living in a tree for 15 years after a tiff with his wife.