City boy climbs 50 steps while hula-hooping, sets Guinness World Record

In a chat with DT Next Aadhav’s mother Indu says, “In December 2020, he attempted the first record. But it was disqualified because the height between two steps was 150 cm. Most of the buildings’ steps in Chennai have a height difference of 150 cm (6 inches) and that is the standard height. According to the Guinness World Records guidelines, the height between two steps should be a minimum of 170 cm (7 inches). Only temples will have such a height difference because it is constructed with natural stones. We hunted for temples across the city that has 50 consecutive steps with a minimum height difference of 170 cm. We even searched temples at the city borders. Finally, we zeroed in on Kumaran Kundram Temple at Hastinapuram Main Road, Chromepet, and in April Aadhav climbed 50 stairs while hula-hooping in 18.28 seconds.” 

Kumaran Kundram Temple doesn’t have 50 consecutive steps; there is a 25-feet distance between the first flight and the second flight of steps. Aadhav’s parents send a mail to Guinness World Records officials mentioning that. “They were okay with having a landing space. So, he climbed 38 consecutive steps and then landed on a surface through which he ran to the remaining steps,” she adds. 

A Class 4 student at PSBB KK Nagar, Aadhav is excited about his record. “I am so happy to achieve this feat. Before the attempt in December, I was practicing for two months continuously. I trained at Ashok Nagar Metro Station — they have a staircase outside the station. I also practiced at all the footbridges across the Guindy road. Though it was lockdown then, there were some relaxations and the stations and roads were empty,” shares Aadhav. 

Apart from hula-hooping, Aadhav loves karate, singing, dancing. Next, he is planning to do hula-hooping while running. “My master Gokulnath is supportive and encouraging from the beginning. Though I joined GUTA to learn juggling, I still haven’t learned it. But will learn it soon,” he smiles.