Diwali gift for Lakshmi's parents, as she smiles after seeing them

Two-year old Lakshmi today smiled at her parents when they got a fifteen minutes of time to see her in the hospital, where she is recovering after a successful 27-hour complex surgery to separate her parasitic conjoined twin.

Lakshmi's father, Shambu, who thanked the team of 35 doctors, surgeons and specialists, for their commendable effort, said that he and his wife are willing to see her again.

Speaking to reporters Dr. Sharan Patil, who led the team, said that indeed it was the rarest of the rare surgery performed in India, and informed that Lakshmi is recovering and responding to the treatment.

He also said that ventilators have been removed from the child and after few hours of observation she would be shifted to a ward.

Lakshmi was born with four arms, four legs and extra internal organs.

In the marathon operation, the doctors removed what amounted to Lakshmi's headless identical twin sister, who was joined at the pelvis and who did not develop and separate properly in the womb.

The long and risky operation began on Tuesday. Lakshmi was expected to be in the operating theatre for 40 hours, but the surgery was over within 27 hours.

Doctors said the surgery was worth the risk, saying that Lakshmi, who could not walk on her deformed limbs, would have otherwise little chance of living past adolescence.

The operation is considered extremely complicated and rare in the medical history of the country. (ANI)