Driving from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in just 93 hours and 50 minutes, chopping a cucumber into over one lakh pieces or delivering a non-stop lecture for over a day, for this 60-year-old Bengalurean the list of world records is getting longer. The certificates that adorn his shelf are a testimony of Ramesh Babu’s wide range of expertise - from fitness to paper art.
The year was 1988. A metallurgy scientist from Bengaluru, Prof S Ramesh Babu was in Canada on an official tour when in his leisure time, he turned on the television set and became engrossed in a programme featuring Olympic heroes.
As one hero after another was featured, he eagerly waited to see the Indians among them. But to his disappointment there were none and this got him thinking about why no one from the country was counted among such achievers.
That was the start of his search to tap his own potential and be the best at whatever he chose to do. So successful has he been in his pursuit that he has gone on to set 55 world records and nine national records that have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, India Book of Records and the Limca Book of Records.
His feats include delivering a scientific lecture for 26 hours, playing solo football non-stop for an hour, travelling from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in a car in 93 hours and 50 minutes, making 132 puris in an hour, chopping one cucumber into 1,20,060 pieces, making 169 paper kites in an hour, skipping 270 times in an hour and wrapping 97 books in an hour.
Says the scientist about his unusual hobby, "I choose a field in which I want to excel. For example, seeing my sister finely chop vegetables, I started to master the art of chopping and then used the skill to cut a cucumber into 1,20,060 pieces, creating a world record. I learn something, practice it, master it and then create a record. It needs hard work and dedication."
Does he have his family’s support in pursuing so many records? He admits that while his wife was very supportive in the early days, she has become less keen now as he spends from his own money to pursue his passion in the absence of sponsors.
It takes anywhere between '25,000 to '50,000 to create one record and sometimes the expense can run into lakhs, he reveals. “I need to buy the material needed, do the videographing and send it to the various organisations for an official declaration that I have set a record,” he explains.
Despite the lack of recognition from the government, Prof. Ramesh remains undeterred. In 1999 he founded the “Top of the World Center for Excellence” to identify, encourage and nurture the latent talent of schoolchildren, college-goers, teachers and parents.
He also holds workshops on how to scientifically prepare for exams, on time-management, improving concentration and so on for free for government school children, and for a minimal fee for others.
"I have created a corpus fund from the amount I earn through workshops. This in turn is used to fund my records and the free workshops I hold, " he adds.
As for his future plans, he says, "I am just 60 years old. I want to die with over a 100 world records to my credit. I am already working towards my next record!"
