Dubai: From composing the largest sentence with magnets to making the largest electronic greeting card and largest bank note, this Indian expatriate businessman in Dubai has created 17 Guinness World Records (GWR) — six of them created in a matter of eight hours on GWR Day, on November 18, 2020.
Meet Ramkumar Sarangapani who has earned the distinction of being the highest GWR holder, not only in the UAE but in the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. As an Indian citizen, Sarangapani, who breaks records to relieve stress, has overtaken Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar with his 17 record-breaking titles. He aims to create more than 100 records in his lifetime. Talking about his passion for creating records, Sarangapani explained: “Having lived in Dubai for 17 years, the emirate 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. I feel that through this, I can show the world that UAE is an amazing land of superlatives, that continues to reach further heights. Until now, all the records that I have made were done here, while UAE continues to be the home for all my future attempts as well,” said Sarangapani who wanted to prove to his friends that world records were not just meant for superhumans, but were meant for the common man as well.
COVID-19 lockdown spurred him to create more records
Sarangapani, who is looking at setting one record a month, plans to maintain an average of 12 record-breaking feats every year. However, the lockdown, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided him with an ideal opportunity to pursue his dream and he used the time attempting the records. On November 18, the GWR Day, he made six records in under eight hours. The records broken on GWR Day 2020 included — the ‘Largest Magnet Sentence’, with 50,102 magnets (which read ‘I LOVE U.A.E’)’, the ‘Largest Magnet Word, with 50,020 magnets (which read “Dubai”), the ‘Largest Electronic Greetings Card’, covering 12 square metres (for the 49th UAE National Day), the ‘Largest Banknote Word’ — made from 3,040 bank notes (which read “UAE”), the ‘Largest Banknote Sentence’ — made from 5,005 bank notes (which read “GWR DAY 2020”) and the ‘Smallest Pack of Playing Cards’ — measuring 7mmX5mmX4.86mm.
His other world records related to the UAE include, the ‘Largest Desk Calendar’ (UAE Calendar), the ‘Most Pages in a Photograph Flip Book’ (representing the Dubai skyline, the way it would look over a 24-hour time-span), the ‘Largest Bank Notes’ mosaic (reading ‘I LOVE UAE’), the ‘Longest Line of Plastic Cards’ (depicting the UAE Flag) and few more.
Meticulous planning for each record
Each record required extensive planning, creative thinking and execution. As an entrepreneur, Sarangapani considers breaking world records a stress reliever. He has even begun converting his records into business ideas. For now, he’s working on the idea of commercially producing the smallest pack of playing cards.
Setting records needs no superhuman power
“Through my achievements, I want to convey the message to everyone that it takes no superpower to break records, but just ingenuity, innovation and sheer determination to reach your goal. I never approached anyone for sponsorship or sought outside help. Yet, I was able to do it. So can others if they put their mind to it,” said Sarangapani adding: “As a UAE resident and an Indian national, my aim is to make both the countries proud through my achievements.”
