MOST SONG RECORDINGS IN THE WORLD

In 2011, Guinness officially acknowledged Asha Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing her sister, Lata Mangeshkar. In 1991, Lata Mangeshkar was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung more than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed song recordings, more than any other singer in the world.

 This was an honour that belonged to her beloved didi Lata Mangeshkar from 1974 to 1991, but now the baton has passed on to her younger sister Asha Bhosle who’s set a new record for recording the maximum number of songs in the world. The Guinness officials conferred on the title on her officially on Thursday.

For 10 years, there has been a constant demand from a section of her fans that Asha be the true heir of the title as she has recorded the maximum number of songs. The demand has now been fulfilled.

“Asha Bhosle enters the Guinness World Records and was awarded a certificate for the most studio recordings (singles) for recording up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs and in over 20 Indian languages since 1947. She was conferred with this honour at the Asian awards function held in London,” said a statement released on the occasion.

Asha was elated with the achievement and thanked her friend Vishwas Nerulkar for painfully documenting all her songs and letting the Guinness authorities know.

“I am truly feeling that I am being recognised by the whole world. I always knew that I had sung the most number of songs among all other singers, but I decided to keep quiet about it (she kept quiet when the title was given to Lata Mangeshkar). I am thankful to Vishwas Nerulkar for tabulating all my songs correctly and providing the correct information to the Guiness authorities,” says Asha.

The singer also left a message for her fans thanking them for their unflinching support. “I want to tell all my fans that I am thankful to them for loving me and my songs. I want them to continue loving me and my songs. I also want  them to love my acting as well as I have made my debut as an actor in the film Maaee. I want all your blessings,” Asha added.

WORLD'S HIGHEST GOLF COURSE

Situated at a height at of 13,025 from the sea level, Yak Golf Course in Kupup in East Sikkim do features in Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest Golf Course in the World on 10 October, 2006.

The 'Yak Golf Course' was started on 19 Sep 1972 at Kupup East Sikkim, India. The spot is very close to Jelep-La, a high mountain pass to China, which is part of the ancient Silk Route. The course was re-designed in 1979 by Brig JM Singh, Cdr 164 Mtn Bde and since then it has been developed into one of the finest by Avid Golf Lovers. As on date under the guidance of Brig Ranbir Singh, Cdr 63 Mtn Bde and Col T K Murali, Dy Cdr 63 Mtn Bde the course is been redesigned and expanded to 18 holes. The first tournament held was the Saragarhi Cup on 09 Sep 1979.

The Yak Golf Course managed by the Indian Army is Affiliated to the Indian Golfers Union since 1992. Our IGU Membership No is 0245 (E). The course is open to golfers round the year subject to snow conditions. However, it is generally playable from May to Dec. The course has challenging fairways meandering across mountain streams in their full flow and teasing browns which test the golfing skills of one and all. A golfer unless acclimatized to these majestic heights needs to move slowly on the course. At this high altitude YAKS are used as golf carts to carry players - especially the older players to avoid high altitude sickness.

The club is open seven days a week, round the year subject to snow conditions. During winter, the golf course remains active with ‘Ice Hockey’, ‘Ice Skating’ and ‘Skiing’ being the main attractions. Besides these there is a Croquet Course and facility to play Baseball within the club. The Golf Course is spread over 4,978 yards with 18 holes on 18 browns and numerous bunkers. The fairways are lush green with natural streams and ponds as hazards, which makes the game interesting and challenging. Due to the natural lay of the ground, preferred lie is permitted to avoid damage to the clubs as well as to complete the course within the given score of 72.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/highest-golf-course

WORLD'S SHORTEST WOMAN

Jyoti Amge (born December 16, 1993), a resident of Nagpur, India, is the world's smallest living woman according to the Limca Book of Records and Guinness Book of Records.

A documentary featuring Amge was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 on June 11, 2009 at 21:00 called BodyShock: Two Foot High Teen.

She was a guest participant at Bigg Boss 6 - a winner-take-all television show in India where participants are required to live together in a large house engaging in a variety of 'tasks' as part of the game-show.

As of December 16, 2011, on her 18th birthday, Guinness World Records representatives measured Jyoti Amge at 62.8 centimetres (24.7 inches) tall, making her 2.76 inches (seven centimetres) shorter than Bridgette Jordan, the 22-year-old American who had held the title since September 2008. She has been officially declared the world's smallest woman by Guinness Book of Records with a height of 62.8 centimetres (24.7 inches). Her restricted height is due to a growth anomaly called achondroplasia.

In 2012, she met the world’s shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal. The pair posed together for the 57th edition of the Guinness World Records 2013.

WORLD'S FARTHEST LIMBO SKATING

A flexible five-year-old from Maharastra in Indian has whizzed her way into the record books after setting a new benchmark for the farthest distance limbo skating under cars.

Kindergarten student Shreeya Rakesh Deshpande skated under 27 cars, covering a whopping distance of 48.2 metres (158ft 2in) during a successful world record attempt last week in Kolhapur.

Nikhil Shukla , representative of Guinness World Records was present there and he confirmed that a new record had been set and presented Shreeya with her well-earned certificate for breaking the previous record of 38.68 metres which was set by Rohan Ajit Kokane (also an Indian who set this in last February during a TV show “Ab India Todega” n Mumbai)

An event celebrating Shreeya's achievement was organised later the same day in her hometown, with well-wishers once again treated to a demonstration of her amazing talent for limbo skating.

The event was organized at the Shahu Janmabhoomi in Kolhapur on 31 May 2012, saw Shreeya limbo skating under 26 vehicles and creating a new world record for covering 158.2 ft in mere 23 seconds. She also got the achievement for the farthest distance in Limbo Skating.

Proud that a student of his school has created a new world record, VIBGYOR High Principal Mr T. Balan said: “It’s always a pleasure to see our students excelling in the field of their interest and reach new heights of success. Shreeya has created history. This indeed is one of the biggest achievements for our school and has also made our country proud. VIBGYOR High has always encouraged its students to explore their interests and helped them in nurturing their talents.”

The record breaker’s father Mr. Rakesh Deshpande said: “We have always supported Shreeya in every decision she takes. The school has also shown great trust in her talents. She has achieved too much at a very young age. We only pray that she continues to be successful in everything she does and create more world records.”

The achievement marked a memorable accomplishment for the city of Kolhapur as its name was added in the annals of the Guinness World Records. The event was witnessed by noted personalities of Kolhapur who were present to encourage the young achiever.

WORLD'S HIGHEST ATM

Nathu-La, the centuries-old mountain pass on the Silk Route, has now a modern-day landmark added to it: the world’s highest ATM counter at 14,300 ft in Kupup. It was opened on 6th April 2007.

Union Bank of India, which beat other banks some years ago, setting up an ATM on the Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant, the first on a warship, launched the Nathu-La facility on Friday, beating Axis Bank, which is a private bank, which has its counter in Thegu in the same area but at 13, 200 ft.

Meant primarily for army personnel along the Sino-India border, the ATM will also service tourists. Inaugurating the setup, Union Bank MD cum chairman M.V. Nair said, “The area remains snow-bound for much of the year. Our attempt is to provide facilities of instant banking to our soldiers as also to thousands of tourists who flock here everyday”.

“This counter will help us a lot,” Colonel Sanjay, commanding officer of then Indian army’s Nathu-La battalion said.
The ATM, however, will function only during daytime and would receive power supply from a generator. Care has been taken to make sure it functions even in subzero temperatures.

WORLD'S OLDEST UNIVERSITY

Towards the Southeast of Patna, the Capital City of Bihar State in India, is a village called the 'Bada Gaon', in the vicinity of which, are the world famous ruins of Nalanda University, world's oldest residential university. The site is located about 88 kilometres south east of Patna, and was a religious center of learning from the fifth century CE to 1197 CE.

    Founded in the 5th Century A.D., Nalanda is known as the ancient seat of learning. In its heyday, 2,000 Teachers and 10,000 Students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied at Nalanda, the first Residential International University of the World. It had dormitories for students. The famous Chinese traveller and scholar,Hieun-Tsang stayed here and has given a detailed description of the situations prevailing at that time. Careful excavation of the place has revealed many stupas, monasteries,hostels,stair cases,meditation halls, lecture halls and many other structures which speak of the splendour and grandeur this place enjoyed,when the place was a centre of serious study.

  Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Sakraditya (whose identity is uncertain and who might have been either Kumara Gupta I or Kumara Gupta II) and 1197 CE, supported by patronage from the Hindu Gupta rulers as well as Buddhist emperors like Harsha and later emperors from the Pala Empire.

  It is also one of the most famous universities.  The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks. The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey. During the period of Harsha, the monastery is reported to have owned 200 villages given as grants.

Layout

Structure The library at Nalanda University was an immense complex. Called the Dharmaganja, or Piety Mart, it was separated into three large buildings: the Ratnasagara, the Ratnadadhi, and the Ratnaranjaka. The Ratnadadhi, meaning the Ocean of Gems, was nine stories high and housed the most sacred manuscripts including the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Samajguhya. The towers were supposedly immense, bejewelled and gilded to reflect the rays of the sun. According to the Bhaskara Samhita, an ancient text on organizational practices, the library was to be built in a “finely built stone building” and each manuscript would have been placed on iron shelves or stack and covered with cloth and tied up. Furthermore, the librarian in charge, according to the text, was not only responsible for maintaining the materials but also for guiding readers in their studies. The exact number of volumes of the Nalanda University Library is not known but it is estimated to have been in the hundreds of thousands. The library not only collected religious manuscripts but also had texts on such subjects as grammar, logic, literature, astrology, astronomy, and medicine.