World’s Longest Fingernails Measured At 30 Feet By Guinness World Records 2016 Edition [Video]


The world’s longest fingernails may officially belong to Indian man Shridhar Chillal now that the Guinness World Records 2016 edition has recognized his claim. Almost a lifetime ago, he began growing the 30-feet-long nails, and now he is relating to the world how that decision change his life forever.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, a man called Johnny Strange proved he is the man with ears of steel by setting a Guinness World Record for pulling a plane using chains, hooks, and just his lobes. You might also be surprised to hear the Game of Thrones TV show managed to set multiple Guinness World Records.

Way back in 1952, at the young age of 14-years-old, Shridhar Chillal’s obsession with growing extremely long fingernails began when he read about a Chinese priest who grew his nails on his hand to around 22 inches in length. This priest made a great impression on the teen, and he decided he would not only grow some of the world’s longest nails, he would beat and own the Guinness World Record.

Of course, not everyone was exactly thrilled to hear about this idea. When Chillal announced his dream of having the world’s longest fingernails, his family members and friends claimed he would never have a normal life and could never hold a job.

“First our family members opposed, then teachers were opposed but I decided from that point on that I would never cut my nails again,” he said. “Initially, difficulties appeared everywhere in my daily life. My family really didn’t like it, no one would wash my clothes and I had to wash them by hand. Finding a job was also difficult, as no one was ready to employ me.”

Growing out the world’s longest fingernails also made dating and marriage very difficult. Shridhar Chillal said he courted around 12 girls over time, but even when marriage seemed likely, it was either the parents or the woman who would shoot him down.

“If the girl agreed to marry, her parents would say I would strangle their daughter’s neck and refuse,” he explained. “If the parents agreed, the girl would say she would not marry such a dirty person.”

At age 29, Chillal eventually did find a woman who did not mind him having the world’s longest fingernails. The Indian man also proved everyone wrong when it came to his ability to hold job. Using his right hand only to hold a camera, he became a photographer and he worked until his retirement in 1995.

Of course, growing the world’s longest fingernails did come at some personal cost since he has been limited to using only his right hand all this time. As the nails on his left hand grew longer, he faced increasing difficulties due to their weight, including disfigurement of his fingers. The weight of his left hand also caused permanent nerve damage, which caused him to go deaf in his left ear.

Now that the Guinness World Records 2016 edition officially recognized him as the person with the “Longest Fingernails on a Single Hand Ever,” Shridhar Chillal says he is done. The man plans to finally cut the nails down to normal length, although this decision was pre-empted by the fact that his long fingernails are starting to grow brittle from age.

Guinness measured his nails at cumulative length of 909.6 centimeters, or 29.84 feet. Although the thumb nail appears to be short since it’s curled up into a ball, it’s actually the longest at 197.8 centimeters. Otherwise, his middle finger is measured at 186.6 centimeters, his ring finger at 181.6 centimeters, his little finger at 179.1 centimeters, and his index finger at 164.5 centimeters.

The man also had some final words upon achieving his dream of the world’s longest nails.

“I had achieved the biggest goal in my life,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “I can tell everyone now with pride about my record. When I am on my travels, people will recognize me as a Guinness World Records title holder.”

So, what will happen to the world’s longest fingernails? After they are cut, Shridhar Chillal plans on donating them to a museum. You have to image that Ripley’s Believe It or Not may be slightly interested.

[Image via Guinness World Records/Twitter]

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