15 April,2010 08:42 AM IST | | Kumar Saurav
His hunger for world records has made him sip a litre of tomato ketchup in 40 seconds, design a bra that can accommodate 60 pairs of assets and ride a scooter non-stop for 1001 hours. Meet Guinness Rishi, who's busy climbing the record ladder while others his age are taking to the walking stick
Imagine having won larger-than-life laurels the world over and being shunned by everyone back home. Guinness
| A close-up of Rishi's torso, with maps of several countries |
One garam grandpa
The chaotic lanes of North Delhi lead you to Rishi's decaying three-storey building, where he waits for us patiently. "Park the car on the opposite side. Upar aa jaiye (Come upstairs)," he calls out from a broken window. We take the dangerously narrow staircase to reach the second floor, and seat ourselves in the drawing room, which could do with some serious cleaning. He introduces us to his tattoo artist, Karan, whom we first think is his son. And then comes a warning.
"My wife will beat you if she sees you. Meri wife mere saath sabzi nahi khareed sakti, kyonki log mujhe dekh kar hastein hai (My wife can't go vegetable shopping with me since I am mocked at). My in-laws call me a joker. My achievements embarrass my son." More than his words, however, it's his eyes that express the grief, even as he shares with us the joy of turning grandpa to a baby girl.u00a0
Back to business. "In 1980, I travelled 19,000 kms in 155 days on my moped. But back then, I didn't know it was a world record. It was in 1990 that I first entered the Guinness Book of World Records, when along with my two friends, I rode a scooter for 1001 hours (from April 22 to June 30) at Sarasbaug in Pune. It was challenging both physically and technologically, but the company behind the attempt helped us. They installed an additional engine for alternate use. Each rider rode for two hours. Aur jab rider change karne ka time ho jaata tha, toh hum speed kum ker dete the aur kood ke seat per baith jaate the aur purana driver pillion seat se utar jaata tha. (When we had to switch riders, we used to slow down and jump on the rider's seat as the previous rider would slip off from the pillion)," he reminisces as the pints roll in. In 1991, he leased out the second floor of his house to The Guinness Club for one billion years, breaking the previous record of an Australian whose lease period was a million years. In 2001, he made another path-breaking record by adopting his 61-year-old brother-in-law. He also hand-delivered a pizza from New Delhi to Ripley's museum in San Francisco. "I have 18 world records, five certified by The Guinness Book, and the other 13 are pending because of the space crunch in the book," he elaborates. And oh, he even got all his teeth removed once, to accommodate 755 drinking straws, each measuring 5mm in diameter.u00a0
Mini might
He didn't forget to take his family along on the record trip. "Bimla (wife) gifted me a half-inch-by-half-inch piece of land, the smallest ever gifted and received. It's a joint record. In 1991, she wrote the smallest will, "All to Son". And for Sumit's (son) marriage, we printed half-inch-by-half-inch invitation cards."u00a0
His real name is Har Prakash Rishi, and that first name he's acquired for obvious, exhibitionist reasons. And no, retirement ain't around the corner yet. "I'm getting flags of 220 countries tattooed on my body (150 done), and a world map with country flags, too," he smiles with childlike pride, and goes on to say how 'say no to terrorism' in 60 languages in next up on the tattoo cards. It will take three years to ink his entire body, but they're no breaks, he assures. "Then, I'll separately attempt three more records - a non-stop tattoo marathon for 46 hours, wearing 234 tees one over the other, and putting on 99 pairs of socks. And I must mention the 9 feet bra I'm planning. I'll use it as a door in my house!" he chuckles.
Ink vs pink
It will certainly be an uphill task for the auto spares manufacturer to realise his wild dreams at this age, but he has faith. "Thankfully, my friends are supportive. Till now, I've spent Rs 2,00,000 on tattoos. I even offer consultation to people who want to create records. I charge Rs 11,000 for it. And use every penny to train the candidate." Another deterrent is health, even though it doesn't stop him from being determined. "He's a diabetic; the wounds take time to heal. So we work very slowly. Plus, he just had an open heart surgery, so it's not easy. Now you know why his wife hates me," explains his tattoo artist Karan.
But a couple of pints down, Rishi is quick to retort. "These tattoos have increased my libido. I feel young.u00a0 I feel like proposing to my wife all over again." And as we pack up, he gifts us a copy of 'the world's smallest Quran'. Talk of good thrill hunting.
