OUR TEAM CONSULTANTS Sports Editorial Chief Coordinator: Novy Kapadia (Athletics, Badminton, Football, Hockey, Squash) Vijaya Ghose Suresh Kumar Lau (Archery, Basketball, Boxing, Cue Sports, Gymnastics, Wrestling) Arthy Muthanna Singh P K Datta (Tennis) M K Jos Rakesh Rao (Chess, Golf, Table-Tennis) Smitha Thomas Kamesh Srinivasan (Shooting) Hariprasad Chattopadhyay (Statistics) Design & Layout VK Pahuja/ Meenakshi Pahuja (Swimming) P P Peeter Mohandas Menon (Cricket) Development & Nature - Usha Rai Marketing Education - Dr Alpana Neogy VVR Murty The Armed Forces - Benita Sen Memory - Anant Kasibhatla LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS 2017 © The Coca-Cola Company, USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise or stored in any retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, application for which shall be made to the publisher. PHOTO CREDIT Mohd. Shafiq Researched, compiled and designed by Live Images V G Communications PIB International Olympic Committee Processed and printed by Special Olympics Bharat Ajanta Offset & Packagings Ltd, New Delhi Warren Little/LOC/Getty Images John Patrick McGuire SPECIAL THANKS John Louis (Rubik’s Cube) Address all correspondence to Raman Rekhi (Special Olympics Bharat) Limca Book of Records (Editorial) Special Olympics International Hachette India Sandhir Singh Flora (Cinema) Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt Ltd 4th & 5th Floors, Corporate Centre, Plot No. 94, Sector 44, Gurugram 122003, INDIA Phone: +91-124-4195000 e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.limcabookofrecords.in ISBN: 978-93-82867-24-1 (Hard cover-English) Last date for new entries (complete with documentation) for the next edition: June 30, 2017 Note: Limca Book of Records does not have any branch offices or representatives. 1st pages FINAL1.pmd 2 24-03-2017, 09:17 FOREWORD Dear Reader, 2016 was an unconventional year and demanded unconventional determination from our achievers to scale new heights and set new bench marks. Despite all odds, they did not stop and kept working harder and harder towards their goals. Most assuredly, they conquered them. This reinstates my faith in the inspiring nature of human resolve that can be so resilient and rewarding. The drive and tenacity that a Limca Book of Records record holder possesses is way beyond the ordinary. It is awe-inspiring. It is humbling — it gives hope to the rest of us that a lot that we dismiss as being impossible is in fact achievable. It is this firm belief and sheer determination that sets the achievers apart. Most of us aspire to achieve something, to be someone, and to be remembered. Some of us follow through on our aspirations, but many of us give up. A Limca record holder never gives up, never says never! Inspiring. Isn’t it? This is what Limca Book of Records is all about. It’s about inspiring Indians who do extraordinary things by fighting all odds and setting examples for the world. A Limca Book of Records Certificate is a respectful acknowledgement of the passion and excellence of the people who earn it. It is not easy to get featured there, but our go-getters do the “unthinkable” for the world to take notice and admire. Limca Book of Records People of the Year 2017 have been carefully reviewed and selected by an independent and eminent jury. The master list was so impressive that selecting top 15 contenders was very difficult. It required a lot of deliberation, and exclusion of the rest is because we could feature only these many. Each of those in the master list is winner in their own way. From Haryana’s Olympian Sakshi Malik to Naresh Kumar Sharma — the only shooter to represent India in Paralympics for over five years; from Ajeet Kaur who has indefatigably organised the SAARC Literary Festival for the last 30 years to Michelle Kakade who dared to go where no woman had been before to set the world record as the first woman to complete the Golden Quadrilateral run; from Ira Singhal, the first differently-abled woman to top the Civil Services Examinations to the pioneer of rescue and medical missions, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj, who has saved thousands of victims of floods, earthquakes and disasters—mighty stalwarts one and all! So, here’s hoping that this edition inspires you too — to push yourself beyond your limits. Going forward, Limca Book of Records will be in the safe hands of Hachette, one of the country’s leading publishers. It is coincidental that the MD of Hachette, Thomas Abraham, began his professional journey with the very first edition of Limca Book of Records. Vijaya Ghose, who has been at the helm of the motivating book since Day 1, will continue tirelessly as the Editor Emeritus. My best wishes to everyone who reads this book. Hope these record holders inspire each one of us to build India into a country of distinction, where we all give our best, and savor each step of our journey towards excellence. I hope that someday this inspiring book of extraordinary feats will have the honour of featuring you here too. Venkatesh Kini President, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia 1st pages FINAL1.pmd 3 24-03-2017, 09:17 contents THE HUMAN STORY 09-68 ADVENTURE 69-92 COMMUNICATIONS 93-102 EDUCATION 103-112 RADIO 113-118 TELEVISION 119-128 LITERATURE 129-140 GOVERNMENT 141-148 PAINTING 149-166 MUSIC 167-174 DANCE 175-182 CINEMA & THEATRE 183-188 THE ARMED FORCES 189-202 TRANSPORT 203-216 DEVELOPMENT 217-230 NATURE 231-246 AGRICULTURE 247-252 BUSINESS 253-266 MEDICAL SCIENCES 267-278 SPORTS 279-308 INDEX 309-315 RULES AND GUIDELINES 316-320 WR: WORLD RECORD 1st pages FINAL1.pmd 4 24-03-2017, 09:17 people of the year Limca Book of Records is proud to announce the 15 People of the Year 2017. Special people who have soared above the rest to reach for the sun and make a definite mark for themselves in their respective fields. What they all have in common is the drive and determination to excel! The jury consisting of Dr Babli Moitra Saraf (Principal, Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University), HK Dua (former MP Rajya Sabha – retired on Nov 17, 2015) and Prof Dipankar Gupta (sociologist and public intellectual, former Professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) chose the 15 People of the Year 2017. Michelle Kakade – A long distance runner from Pune, who became the first person to cover the Golden Quadrilateral on foot — also the longest run on Indian roads by a woman — in 2015-16 in addition to previous records of most desert ultramarathons and marathon treadmill run. (See Page 76) Aditya Mehta – An above-knee amputee from Hyderabad, who has set multiple cycling records like longest cycling (1,450 km) without prosthetic limb, fastest 100 km and London - Paris, Kashmir - Kanyakumari, Manali - Khardung La expeditions – all wearing a prosthetic limb with a mission to motivate differently abled persons. (See Page 78) Ira Singhal – The first differently-abled woman to top the Civil Services Examinations in the general category in 2014. (See Page 106) Sayomdeb Mukherjee (RJ Den) – A 35-year-old who first spoke at age 25, currently hosts a daily show (Mon - Fri) on an FM station – 91.9 Friends FM in Kolkata. He was born with Dopaminr-Responsive Dystonia, a rare disorder. (See Page 114) Ajeet Caur – A well-known Punjabi writer who has been organising the SAARC Literary Festival for the last 30 years, under the aegis of Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), an organisation started by Caur. (See Page 138) 1st pages FINAL1.pmd 5 24-03-2017, 09:17 The Ramnani Family Over the last 29 years, the Ramnani family of Indore has donated 18 pairs of eyes through the Lions Club of Neemuch and two members, Manina Ramnani and Laxman Das have even donated their bodies. (See Page 218) Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj – Director of Six Sigma High Altitude Medical Rescue International Operations, Delhi and a pioneer in rescue and medical missions, he has worked in most difficult terrains and saved thousands of victims of floods, earthquakes and other disasters. (See Page 224) people of the year the of people Ashraf Palorakunnummal – The United Arab Emirates- based Indian businessman who has taken it upon himself to send home the bodies of deceased expatriates. Over the past 14 years, he has organised the last journeys of more than 2,400 people from 35 countries without charging the families! (See Page 228) Sitamarhi’s Soak Pit Revolution To prevent the spread of vector borne diseases due to water stagnation and to recharge groundwater, some 5.5 lakh people constructed 2,168 soak pits adjacent to hand pumps in schools, madrasas, health centres and anganwadis across Sitamarhi District on April 21, 2016, under the initiative of District Magistrate Rajiv Raushan and PM’s rural development fellows Amit, Abhinav and Nitin and supported by UNICEF. (See Page 244) www.friends2support.org (F2S) – The largest voluntary blood donors’ online database started by Shareef SK, Naveen Reddy, Koteswararao S, Phani Kethamakka and Murali Krishna on Nov 14, 2005. (See Page 275) 1st pages FINAL1.pmd 6 24-03-2017, 09:17 B Devendra Jhajharia – A paralympian who despite losing his left hand at eight years, joined para-athletics in 1995 and became the first Indian to win a gold medal in para-athletics in the 2013 World Championship. He received the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri and was the Indian flag bearer for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. (See Page 280) Naresh Kumar Sharma – A wheel-chair bound shooter who has represented India in over 30 shooting events at Para-Asian Games, World Championships and Paralympics and was the only Indian shooter in Paralympics from 1996-2012.