For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts
Oneindia App Download

Indian octogenarian with world's longest fingernails finally cuts them off after 66 years

By Deepika
|
Google Oneindia News

New Delhi/New York, July 12: Shridhar Chillal, an octogenarian with the world's longest fingernails measuring over 9 metres, finally cut his coiled appendages after 66 years at a ceremony in New York. However, it left his hand permanently handicapped.

Image tweeted by Guinness World Record

Shridhar Chillal, who hails from Pune, India hadn't cut the fingernails on his left hand since 1952, when he was 14 and a teacher got mad at him for breaking a nail. But now at age 82, he is finally cut off his nails.

The tweet, which was posted by Guinness World Records, shows Chillal getting his nails cut using an industrial cutter instead of the regular nail clipper.

"At the age of 82, having grown the nails on his left hand for 66 years, Shridhar Chillal (Longest fingernails on a single hand - ever) is finally having them cut," the tweet said.

The fingernails have been acquired by Ripley's, which will display them at the museum here. His cut fingernails are laid flat in a memorial case and span a length of over 31 feet, the height of a three-story building, according to a statement by Ripley's.

His individual nails measured:

Little finger : 179.1 cm
Ring finger : 181.6 cm
Middle finger : 186.6 cm
Index finger : 164.5 cm
Thumb : 197.8 cm

Due to years of growing his nails and the weight of the nails, his hand is permanently handicapped. He cannot open his hand from a closed position or flex his fingers, the statement said. Ripley's said it was privileged to display the "unique and one-of-a-kind" exhibit.

"Chillal dedicated his life to something truly remarkable and Ripley's is the perfect home to honour his legacy. While he may have cut his fingernails, his nails will be forever memorialised inside Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square," Ripley's Believe It or Not! PR Manager Suzanne Smagala-Potts said in the statement.

Chillal's unusual choice didn't stop him from leading a normal life with his wife, two children and grandchildren. However, as he aged, his long nails were proving more challenging to maintain an ordinary lifestyle.

He found it difficult to sleep, and even a gust of wind was cause for alarm. The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square museum features 20 galleries and more than 500 artifacts from around the world.

He had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016 for having the 'Longest Fingernails on a Single Hand Ever'.

Chillal, from Pune, had requested that his cut nails be immortalised in a museum.

Ripley's has flown Chillal from India to the United States to cut his nails and forever memorialise them in a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.

Chillal's fingernail exhibit will be officially unveiled at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square, according to a media advisory.

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X