The 72-year-old bachelor from the remote village of Purandhara-8, Rhimkholi in Dang had boarded an airplane for the first time in his life four days ago to travel to Kathmandu to have an official measurement of his height -- found to be 54.6 cm (21.5 inches) -- at CIWEC Clinic Travel Medicine Center in Lainchaur. [break]
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday had flown from London to Kathmandu for the official measurement and his height was confirmed following three measurements in 24 hours as per the Guinness World Records guidelines.
Dangi beat the all-time Guinness benchmark set by Gul Mohammed of India who was 57 cm (22.5 inches) tall when measured just before his death at the age of 40 in 1997. He is 5.3 cm shorter than the current record holder Junrey Balawing of the Philippines (59.9cm, 23.5 in), who had eclipsed the record of another Nepali Khagendra Thapa Magar (67 cm, 26.4 in) when the Filipino was measured on his 18th birthday last June.
“I want to visit other countries and wish to spread my country´s name,” a visibly happy Dangi, who also wished to visit the prime minister, said after the official recognition.
Dangi, who at 72 becomes the oldest to be awarded the shortest-man record according to Glenday, would have been the shortest man in the world for all but three years of the 57-year history of Guinness had he been measured when he had turned 18 like Thapa Magar was done in October, 2010 or Balawing in last June.
“We just give official certificate and don´t give money. But yes that would have given a platform for him to receive financial gains,” Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday told Republica when asked about the financial implications of late recognition for Dangi.
Glenday opined that Dangi may have lost a bit of his height due to age but conceded he was probably shorter than Mohamed even during his youth. “Mr Chandra has probably encountered difficulties with his size but hopefully this new title will open up a whole world of opportunities,” Glenday is quoted by the official Guinness website which put his weight at 14.5 kilograms.
Meanwhile, former record holder Thapa Magar congratulated Dangi from Pokhara. “Making the country proud is more important,” said Thapa Magar. “I wish to congratulate him in person,” Thapa Magar added. He, however, lamented that the Guinness did not invite him to Kathmandu when a fellow Nepali was being recognized as the shortest documented man ever.
Dangi was born the fifth among six sons and two elder sisters and was orphaned after his mother died before he reached adolescence. “Four of his brothers were less than four feet tall while the sisters were of average height,” revealed Secretary of the Chandra Bahadur Dangi Institute Yam Bahadur Pun.
Only his kid brother and sisters are alive now and he is now living with the family of his fourth brother who own only around six ropanis of land. The fourth brother´s son Dolakh Bahadur has been accompanying Dangi in Kathmandu.
“He had studied till the fifth grade but quit studies as there was only primary school in the village then,” said Dolakh Bahadur.
“I cannot wait to see him again after this recognition,” said Dolakh Bahadur´s mother and Dangi´s sister-in-law Motikala in Dang.
“His parents had passed away when I was wedded to his elder brother and I have taken care of him like a son ever since,” Motikala, who is a few years younger than him, added.
(with inputs from Gajendra Bohara from Dang and Manoj Adhikari from Pokhara)
The world´s newly declared shortest living man Chandra Bahadur Dangi.
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