Breaking records

Dubai based NRI Ramkumar Sarangapani becomes the highest Guinness World Record Holder in India and Gulf. The Founder and CEO of Numisbing Corporation, Ramkumar regards breaking world records as a stress reliever from his busy schedule. Hashtag Magazine gets you an exclusive.

Committed to breaking over 100 records in his lifetime, Ramkumar Sarangapani, became the highest Guinness World Records holder. The Indian citizen holds 17 records currently, ahead of even the master cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar at the moment. It also makes him the highest Guinness World Record holder in UAE and the entire Gulf region.

Living in Dubai, UAE for the past several years, all the records were attempted and broken in his city of residence. Founder and CEO of Numisbing Corporation, Ramkumar regards breaking world records as a stress reliever from his busy schedule. He takes inspiration from the country which he calls his second home.  

It all began when as a seventh grader, a relative of mine showed me the first Guinness book, it caught my attention immediately; I was fascinated by it and started dreaming of having my name in the book at some point in life.

Challenging himself and stretching his limits, he even attempted a marathon record-breaking session on Guinness World Records Day (GWR Day) on November 18^th 2020, where he broke 6 world records in a matter of just 7 hours and 50 minutes. (Records broken on GWR Day 2020 include – Largest Magnet Sentence – 50,102 magnets, Largest Magnet Word- 50,020 magnets, Largest Electronic Greetings Card- 12 square meters, Largest Banknote Word-3,040 banknotes, Largest Banknote Sentence- 5,005 banknotes and Smallest Pack of Playing Cards – 7mm X 5mm X 4.86 mm.)

Other world records to his credit include Largest Desk Calendar, Largest Playing Card, Largest business card, Longest Magnet Sculpture, and many others.

Elaborating how it all began, Ramkumar says, “It’s a matter of great honour for me to see my name appear next to the master blaster, I never even dreamt of this. However, it all began when as a seventh grader, a relative of mine showed me the first Guinness book, it caught my attention immediately; I was fascinated by it and started dreaming of having my name in the book at some point in life. Still, I never imagined that one day I will be the highest world record holder in a country of 1.35 billion people.”

While talking about his passion for record breaking, Ramkumar explains, “Having lived in Dubai for 17 years, the Emirates is as much my favourite home as Chennai in India, and I love working on themes that speak of ‘Largest’ and the ‘Longest’ simply because it connects with Dubai, a city dotted with unique and massive structures.”

His determination for records was ignited during a casual conversation with a friend who claimed that World Records were meant only for super humans. “I decided to set the record straight and prove that a common man has just as much an opportunity to earn such titles. And so, in September 2017 I broke the first GWR, the Longest Chain of Magnets,” he shares.

Eyeing to break over 100 records, Ramkumar started off with one record a month.  Luckily, the lockdown followed by Covid-19 provided him with an ideal opportunity to pursue his dream and he used the time attempting the records. Each record requires extensive planning, creativity, and execution. He has even begun converting his records into business ideas; he’s working on commercially producing the smallest playing cards.

“Through my achievements, I want to convey a message to everyone that it takes no superpowers to break records, but just ingenuity, innovation and sheer determination to reach your goal,” he sums up.

This section is dedicated to Indians across the globe. We believe that it takes a lot of determination and effort to achieve success. Every achievement, whether big or small, deserves to be celebrated and by sharing your story you inspire others to follow in your footsteps. To share your story mail us at editorial@hashtagmagazine.in