Records in Arts

Largest Garudan Parava Performance

Nattukalakarakkoottam Ernakulam District Committee and Koottam Nattarivu Padanakendram, Arayankavu, Ernakulam jointly organized ‘Garudayanam’, the world’s largest Garudan Parava ensemble at Arayankavu Kshethra Maithanam, Ernakulam, Kerala, India on May 12, 2024. The hour-long folk dance event involved synchronized performance by a team of 333 artists — Garudan Parava (196), Chenda (31), Valamthala (27), Elathalam (28) and makeup (51).

Largest Live Display of Marian Forms

As part of its Ruby Jubilee celebrations, St Thomas Forane Church & Diocesan Pilgrim Centre, Dharmaram, Bengaluru, India organized ‘Maria Divina - 111 Shades of Grace’, in which 111 forms of the Blessed Virgin Mary were displayed live before an audience for 2 hours at St Thomas parish hall on March 17, 2024, making it the largest such parade in the world. The live show was presented by a team of 300 people including the 111 women appearing in Marian forms.

Largest Live Display of St Mary Magdalene Lookalikes

To celebrate their titular feast, St Mary Magdalene Church, Moothedam, Maradu, Ernakulam, Kerala, India organized the world’s largest live display of St Mary Magdalene lookalikes, in which 313 women dressed up like living images of the saint presented themselves before an audience at the church premises on April 10, 2024.

Largest Kolkali Performance

The world’s largest Kolkali was organized by Mathruvedhi, Archdiocese of Thrissur at the premises of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, Thrissur, Kerala, India for 10 minutes from 4.00 pm on Nov 21, 2023. As part of the mega event commemorating the arrival of St Thomas the Apostle in India (AD 52), a group of 1,276 mothers, all dressed in white and red, performed the folk dance, striking small sticks to the rhythm of a song sung in honour of St Thomas.

Largest Drawing Competition

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), Maharashtra, India organized ‘Swachh Drawing Competition’, the largest drawing competition in the country, simultaneously at all the NMMC schools from 9.00 - 11.00 am on Sept 15, 2023, in which more than one lakh students participated. The event was a part of the Indian Swachhata League 2.0.

Largest Thudi Ensemble

Nattukalakara Koottam Kerala State Committee and Unarv Nadan Kala Patana Kendram, Wayanad jointly organized ‘Arabuttalu’, the world’s largest Thudi ensemble, at SKMJHSS, Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala, India on Oct 15, 2023. The hour-long event had a total of 702 folk artists playing tribal instruments — Thudi (615), Cheeni (7) and Mani (33) — and performing Vattakali with Pin Pattu (47).

Largest Margam Kali Performance

Mathruvedhi - Diocese of Irinjalakuda, an association of mothers from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India successfully organized the world’s largest Margam Kali, a traditional dance form of Kerala’s St Thomas Christians, at Carmel School stadium, Chalakudy on Nov 11, 2023. A team of 1,506 mothers, dressed in mundu and chatta and standing in circles around a lit nilavilakku (lamp), performed the dance for 10 minutes and 34 seconds.

Non-stop Chenda Recital

Chenda artist Manoj Kumar K C (b Dec 10, 1988) of Nallur, Kozhikode, Kerala, India successfully completed the world’s longest non-stop chenda recital (double Thayambaka) at GGUP School, Nallur on April 21, 2023. He played the percussion instrument continuously for 125 hours 18 minutes from April 16 - 21, 2023.

Most Mono Acts Against Drug Abuse

Ratheesh Varavoor (b. Nov 28, 1981) of Wadakkanchery, Thrissur, Kerala, India has been a solo crusader against drug abuse, spreading awareness through his mono act performances since Oct 02, 2022. He has staged his 20-minute-long ‘Mono Act Against Drug Abuse’ at more than 100 venues across the country, as of Feb 15, 2023.

Unique Book on Masks of Indigenous Performing Arts of India

Bindu P V (b July 9, 1975), Curator and Conservator, White Sanctum Art Gallery and Conservation Centre, Bengaluru brought out a unique edutainment book on indigenous performing arts masks of India, titled Masks of India - 1, in 2022 all by herself, i.e. taking up the roles of the author, cover-designer, illustrator, producer, publisher and distributor. The book introduces 19 traditional performing arts of India which use masks and features 20 colour illustrations of representative masks along with and a colouring page for each.

World's Longest Non-stop Chenda Recital (Individual)

Vishnu T T (b 1996) of Odumbra, Olavanna, Kozhikode, Kerala, India successfully completed the world’s longest Chenda recital by an individual at the Kozhikode Corporation Town Hall on Jan 21, 2022. Starting at 00:01 am on Jan 17, 2022, he played the percussion instrument continuously for 104 hours!

World's Longest Piano Marathon (Individual)

Timothy K Abraham (b 2004) of Palakkad, Kerala, India successfully completed the world’s longest piano marathon at LEAD College of Management, Dhoni, Palakkad on Dec 25, 2021. Starting at 7.00 am on Dec 20, 2021, he played the instrument for 140 hours!

Youngest Indian ATCL Holder in Piano

Sourojit Dutta (b July 6, 2009), s/o Dr Sumit Dutta of Kolenchery, Ernakulam, Kerala, who cleared the Associate of Trinity College London (ATCL) in Piano at 12 years became the youngest Indian to achieve it on Oct 1, 2021. He qualified the level-4 diploma in music performance with 73% marks following a 33:46-minute recital at Classicplayers Academy, Kolenchery on Sept 29, 2021.

Longest live music show on virtual platform

All India Malayalee Asociation (AIMA) organized ‘AIMA Music with Dinner’, the longest daily live online music show on its Facebook Group, which completed 303 hr 36 min 57 sec on air in 100 days between May 25 – Sept 30, 2021 (and continued further). Hosted by P N Sreekumar, the live shows involved 106 singers from various parts of the world and reached over 7,00,000 views in 100 days (with the highest daily average of 12,000).

Most prolific writer of introductions to books (Malayalam)

Dr Ezhumattoor Raja Raja Varma (b Oct 1, 1952) of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has written 101 introductions and forewords to books by famous authors in Malayalam, which were compiled and published under the title ‘Ezhumattoorinte Avatharikakal’ in 2020. He has another 20 introductions to be compiled too.

Most prolific editor of books by an author

The most prolific editor of works by a single author in Malayalam is Dr Ezhumattoor Raja Raja Varma (b Oct 1, 1952) of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala who has compiled and edited 12 books of renowned author Prof. N Krishna Pillai between 1988 and 2014.

Most prolific writer of books on an author

Dr Ezhumattoor Raja Raja Varma (b Oct 1, 1952) of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has authored seven books on renowned literary giant Prof. N Krishna Pillai between 1993 and 2021 becoming the most prolific writer of books on an author in Malayalam.

Most prolific biographer of an author

Dr Ezhumattoor Raja Raja Varma (b Oct 1, 1952) of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, who has written four biographies on renowned literary giant Prof. N Krishna Pillai between 1993 and 2013 is the most prolific biographer of an author in Malayalam.

First initial-letter rhyme book (Malayalam)

Joseph K J (b Nov 16, 1985), pen name J K, authored the first initial-letter rhyme (Adyaksharaprasam) book in Malayalam, titled ‘Sukrutha Sookthangal’. The 146-page book, published in February 2021, contains 365 thoughts of six lines (one thought per day) with each line beginning with the same letter from the Malayalam alphabet.

Largest plastic pipe mosaic portrait

Bhavarlal and Kantabai Jain Foundation in association with artist Pradip Vishnu Bhosale created the world’s largest plastic pipe mosaic portrait measuring 1,672.25 sq m (18,000 sq ft) at Bhounchi Srushti, Jain lrrigation Systems Ltd (JISL), Jalgaon, Maharashtra, lndia on Feb 23, 2021. The 150 x 120 ft portrait depicted Padma Shri Dr Bhavarlal Jain, Founder of JISL. It was completed in 7 days (98 working hours) with the help of 15 people and using plastic pipes of a cumulative length of 27 km.

Longest ghazal

At 73 years, Vijender ‘Ghafil’ Bhardwaj (b April 17, 1947) of Bhiwani, Haryana, India wrote the longest ghazal consisting 11,000 couplets (sher) in 2015. Titled 11,000 Titliyaan (Butterflies), the book has all couplets written in both Hindi and Arabic, taking the total count to 22,000!

Spearheading a new literary form

P P Mohanakumar, known as ‘Vennala Mohan’, (b May 18, 1961) of Thripunithura, Ernakulam, Kerala introduced ‘Nurungukal’, a new literary form in Malayalam literature. Neither a poem nor a story, it’s a molecular form of prose expressing various social, cultural, philosophical and spiritual nuances in minimum words (just as a tiny molecule possesses all properties of a large substance). He has been publishing them in various magazines and books.

Unique arecanut palm painting

Ashmi Kuriakose (b Oct 9, 2000) and Aswathy Suresh (b March 6, 2001) of Kerala, India painted 110 satellites and seven launch vehicles of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on a 5 m (16.4 ft) tall arecanut palm trunk. The duo completed the art in less than 48 hours on Nov 29, 2020.

Longest hand-painted Kerala saree on Covid-19 theme

Sindhu K P (b May 25, 1975) of Sapthavarna Sarees, Valanchery, Malappuram, Kerala, India hand-painted a 9.41-metre-long and 1.22-metre-wide Kerala (Kasavu) cotton saree with 46 images (20 on the body and 26 on the border) related to the Covid-19 pandemic. She completed it in 75 days from April 3 - June 16, 2020 with assistance from Anuraj V J.

Longest continuous live musical session on Facebook

In an effort to keep the people entertained during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kuwait-based event management team MusiQ Beats organized a 24-hour-long live musical session on their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/musiqbeatspage from 6.30 am (Kuwait time) on July 3, 2020 till 6.30 am the next day. The virtual event had a total of 49 participants including well-known singers, instrumentalists and members of the MusiQ Beats team joining from different parts of the world.

Most 'quarantined' artistes in a short virtual album

As a musical tribute to all who fight the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe, Risen Love Creationz, Bengaluru, India created a unique album titled ‘The Warriors’ with 327 singers and instrumentalists, living under quarantine or isolation, recording from 14 different countries. The virtual album led by seven playback singers from Kerala was released on Youtube on May 16, 2020. Justin Thomas Chengannur has done the music, direction, consolidation and harmony.

First/ largest online exhibition of Covid-19 cartoons

Kerala Cartoon Academy, India compiled a collection of 2,500 cartoons related to corona virus (Covid-19), created by 300 cartoonists from India and abroad and organized an online exhibition titled ‘Sanitized Toons’ on their Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/Kerala-Cartoon-Academy-147605295412545/) from April 3 - May 3, 2020, making it the first and largest such exhibition in the world.

Largest tribal dance festival

The three-day National Tribal Dance Festival in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, organized by the Govt of Chhattisgarh from Dec 27-29, 2019, had a participation of around 1,800 artistes from 25 states, three union territories and six other countries (Sri Lanka, Uganda, Belarus, Maldives, Thailand and Bangladesh), who presented varied folk dance forms of their respective regions.

First collage story

Gopi Mangalath (b May 2, 1962) of Malayattoor, Kerala wrote ‘Pakalil’ (In the Daylight), the country’s first collage story. The four-page story in Malayalam was published in Prasadhakan magazine’s Onam Special issue in September 2019.

Most artworks using feathers

Creating the most artworks using feathers was accomplished by Sreeja Kalappurakkal of Ayyanthole, Thrissur, Kerala, who created 108 such artworks on handmade paper sheets in eight months. She used acrylic paint and feathers of 200 different birds, collected over 20 years.

Most stone paintings

Sreeja Kalappurakkal of Ayyanthole, Thrissur, Kerala painted 150 stones / large pebbles with acrylic paint depicting various traditional art images in 12 months. She collected the stones from river basins across the country.

Most cartoon exhibitions held simultaneously

To celebrate Kerala Piravi Dinam, the day marking the birth of Kerala State, a unique exhibition of 60 cartoons by Cartoonist Unnikrishnan of Kochi, Kerala was held simultaneously at 10 centres in 10 States from Nov 1, 2017. Titled ‘Kannirukkikaalam’, the exhibition attracted hundreds of viewers in New Delhi (Delhi), Kochi (Kerala), Thane (Maharashtra), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Vasco da Gama (Goa), Jagatyal (Telangana), Kolkata (West Bengal) and Ludhiana (Punjab). The collection of cartoons, which originally featured in Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, depicts interesting transformations in the Kerala society during the 60 years after the State’s formation. The entire event was organised by his friends and well-wishers across the country. Earlier, he had held the first such exhibition at Thiruvananthapuram on Nov 30, 2016.

World’s longest musical combo-marathon – 11 instruments, 111 hours!

Godwin Roshin K J of Chottupara, Thrissur, Kerala, India performed the longest solo combo-marathon on musical instruments, playing 11 instruments continuously for 111 hours at LEAD College of Management, Dhoni, Palakkad, Kerala. He started at 6.00 am on May 1, 2018 and concluded the feat at 9.00 pm on May 5, 2018. The 11 instruments included keyboard, tabla, drums, dholak, triple drum, keytar, melodica, harmonium, rhythm pad, launch pad and nano pad.

Largest Puthanpana recitation

The world’s largest Puthanpana mass recitation was conducted at the premises of St Xavier’s Church, South Thanissery in Thrissur district of Kerala, India on 9 April 2017. A group comprising 1,518 parishioners of the Syro-Malabar Catholic parish recited in unison the 12th ‘padam’ (chapter) of the famous Malayalam poem dealing with the life of Jesus Christ, written in the early 18th century by German missionary Arnos Pathiri (Johann Ernst Hanxleden).

Longest marathon drumming

Drummer Jaffer H of Palakkad, Kerala successfully performed non-stop drumming for 75 hours at LEAD College of Management, Palakkad, setting a new record in marathon drumming. The event started on Nov 5, 2017 and concluded on Nov 8, 2017. He played the acoustic drums with the accompaniment of vocal and instrumental music performed by others.

World’s largest Margam Kali performance

As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, Mathruvedhi, an association of mothers from the Catholic Archdiocese of Trichur, Kerala, India organized the world’s largest Margam Kali performance at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral Church premises on Dec 22, 2017. A team of 1,200 women dressed in traditional mundu and chatta (dhoti and blouse) and standing in circles around a lit Nilavilakku (lamp) presented the traditional dance form of Kerala’s St Thomas Christians for 10 minutes from 4.00 pm.

Biggest puppet installation

Vrinda Haldia and Umakant Meena, former students of Rajasthan School of Art, Jaipur, Rajasthan created the tallest puppet installation measuring 25 feet at the Jaipur Art Summit, held in Jaipur from Dec 7-11, 2016. It was part of a larger artwork titled ‘Puppet Installation on Women Empowerment’ which also included six puppets of 6 ft, two puppets of 4 ft and 150 puppets of 1 ft. They used iron mesh and paper-mache for the basic structure and completed the entire installation in 20 days.

Most bas-relief works in churches (career)

Isidore M O, an artist from Kerala, has done bas-relief works and paintings in more than 500 churches across India since 1977, the most by an individual, as of March 31, 2018. He takes 15 days to 2 months to complete the artworks depending on the size of the work.

World’s longest painting without brush

World’s longest painting without using brush was made by Anil Kumar (b Jan 24, 1956), a retired teacher of St Joseph’s School, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India. The 450 m long and 1 m wide painting, created using rubber foam, was displayed at IGNCA, New Delhi on Feb 15, 2018. The artwork presents the culture and history of Bihar’s ‘Ang Desh’ at a glance.

First graphic novelist (woman)

Writer and painter Amruta Patil, author of ‘Adi Parva’, is the first female graphic novelist in the country.

World’s largest Marathaalam ensemble

Kadiyenakkam 2018 – Marathaalam, the world’s largest ensemble of indigenous percussion instrument ‘Maram’ (resembling mridangam) was conducted for an hour at Santha HSS Avanoor, Thrissur, Kerala from 6.00 pm on May 6, 2018, in which 225 artistes played the instrument with the accompaniment of Kuzhal (a wind instrument) and Otta (bass drum). It was jointly organised by Kerala Folklore Akademi, ACTA Avanoor, Nattupacha and other cultural groups with a view to revive the rich folk traditions and cultural heritage of the Paraya community of Kerala. The first-of-its-kind event was part of the annual folk meet ‘Naattakam-2018’.

Smallest crochet mat

Vinay M E of Bengaluru, Karnataka made the smallest crochet mat of 41 mm diameter using a single stranded silk thread on August 5, 2015. It weighs just 390 mg.

Most creative images from numerals and alphabet

Puppala Bapi Raju, an artist from Dowlaiswaram, Rajahmundry Rural, Andhra Pradesh has the unique skill of developing creative images out of numbers and alphabets, which he has been honing since 2012. He has drawn pictures out of Hindu-Arabic numerals 1 to 1000 and English alphabet A to Z.

Most singers singing together (light music)

Bengaluru-based arts training centre Ranga Samsthana organized the largest ‘Kannada Geetha Mela’,a mass singing event in which 1,112 singers sang Kannada light music melodies simultaneously for 90 minutes at Samsa Open Air Theatre, Bengaluru on Jan 10, 2017. The musical evening was conducted under the leadership of Bandlahalli Vijayakumar.

Largest Thiruvathira dance performance abroad

Largest Thiruvathira dance performance outside the country of its origin, India, was staged by a group of 1,246 women at Etisalat Academy, Dubai, UAE on Oct 27, 2017. Dressed in Kerala’s traditional set sari, the women danced for more than 20 minutes. They were trained by Kairali Kalakendram. The Mega Thiruvathira @ Dubai programme was part of the cultural event ‘Pooram 2017’ organized by Crystal Top Events and Canopy Security Services, Dubai.

World’s largest Djembe ensemble

The world’s largest ensemble of Djembe (also Djambe), a West African percussion instrument, was conducted by a group of 640 artistes gathered at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India on Jan 26, 2018. The 6-minute event was organised by Drums India and Sri Veena Vani Music School under the leadership of Dr B Gireesh Kumar.

Most ‘live’ pencil sketches of personalities autographed

Sharad Bhaskar Patil (b April 29, 1981) of Dombivli (E), Thane, Maharashtra has a unique hobby – he draws pencil sketches of famous personalities and gets them autographed by the person. He has a collection of 545 such autographed ‘live’ sketches of celebrities including politicians, singers, poets, actors, sportspersons, Facebook friends and the like, the largest in the country, as of August 31, 2018.

World’s Smallest Durga Face sculpture

Saheli Pal (b Feb 27, 1998) of Krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal made the world’s smallest clay sculpture of Maa Durga face on Sept 10, 2018. It was 1 inch (2.54 cm) high, 0.76 inch (1.93 cm) wide, 0.3 inch (0.76 cm) thick and weighed just 2.3 grams! She took one hour to make it.

Ramayana series without artificial colours and human images (world record)

Artist Manu Kallikad (b June 7, 1961) of Malappuram, Kerala created ‘Varayanam – An Epic of Earth’, a unique Ramayana series of 40 paintings on a 3×2 feet canvas, composed without artificial colours and human images! He used different coloured soil collected from various parts of the country. The first exhibition was conducted by Kozhikode Bank Men’s Association at Kozhikode Lalithakala Academy Arts Gallery, Kozhikode from August 27-31, 2016.

Most people singing a state anthem together (world record)

The largest mass singing of a state anthem was performed by a group of 12,000 people who sang together the Karnataka State Anthem ‘Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate’ at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India on the Republic Day, Jan 26, 2018. The 6-minute rendition was organised by Sri Veena Vani Music School under the leadership of Dr B Gireesh Kumar.

Flags of 197 nations drawn on an A4 paper

Binkal Badiyani and Bhoomi Raichura of Lohana Kanya Chhatralay, Master Colony, Jamnagar, Gujarat successfully completed drawing the flags of 197 nations on one side of an A4 size sheet of paper using pencil colours on Feb 14, 2018.

Biggest sand sculpture of Santa Claus with plastic bottles (world record)

On the eve of Christmas 2018, world renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik of Puri, Odisha created the world’s biggest sand sculpture of Santa Claus with plastic bottles at Puri beach. Assisted by 40 of his students, he completed the 30 ft high and 100 ft wide sculpture in two days using nearly 800 tonnes of sand and 10,000 plastic bottles. He also created two Christmas trees. The sculpture showing the slogan `Beat Plastic Pollution’ remained on display till the New Year day.

First novel without the protagonist’s name

‘Thulavarsham Peithozhinjappol’, authored by Kavalam Madhavan Kutty and published in 2018 by Golden Jokes Books, is a Malayalam novel with a first-of-its-kind feature – the 128-page fiction never mentions the protagonist’s name!

Kathak performance at most Himalayan Passes

Shruti Gupta (b August 15, 1987), a classical dancer from Solan, Himachal Pradesh performed Kathak at five Himalayan Passes situated between Manali, Himachal Pradesh and Leh, Jammu & Kashmir in two days from June 15-16, 2018. She danced at Rohtang La (13,051 ft), Baralacha La (16,400 ft), Nakee La (15,547 ft), Lachulung La (16,616 ft) and Tanglang La (17,582 ft), wearing the traditional Kathak costume under freezing conditions of the region.

Finger Dance by Gregorian School Kids wins World Record!

The finger dance performed by a group of 504 students from Gregorian Public School Kochi, Kerala on July 15, 2017 has won the world record status with Best-of-India Records! The 5:01-minute long performance, titled Rhythm of 1K1 Hands, spread the message of world unity, peace and harmony. The show was choreographed and led by Imthiyas Aboobacker.

Largest All-Male Classical Dance Performance on a Single Theme

Delhi-based Ganesa Natyalaya, founded by Dr Saroja Vaidyanathan, presented ‘Shivaargya’, the world’s largest all-male classical dance relay performance with 38 male artistes from various traditional dance forms of India performing on the theme of Lord Shiva at Ganesa Natyalaya premises in New Delhi on March 3, 2019. The 8-hour event, organized as part of Shivaratri celebrations, also honoured 13 male classical dance gurus.

First drama with animatronic real life characters live on stage

Marathi play Jungle Book the Treasure, written and directed Architect Preeti Mohan Chorghe and presented by Lakshmi Narayan Productions, is the first such large-scale theatre production with live performance of animatronic (robotic) real life characters, Eva the dinosaur (20 ft long) and Bubo the gorilla (6 ft tall), along with other artists. It was first staged at Vasudev Balwant Phadke Auditorium, Panvel, Maharashtra on Feb 23, 2019.

Largest finger dance performance

A group of 504 students from Gregorian Public School Kochi, Kerala, trained and led by choreographer Imthiyas Aboobacker, performed the world’s largest finger dance at the school auditorium on July 15, 2017. The 5:01-minute long performance, titled Rhythm of 1K1 Hands, spread the message of world peace, unity and harmony.

Longest marathon violin playing

World’s longest marathon playing of the violin was accomplished by violinist M S Viswanath of Tripunithura, who played the instrument for 36 hours from 8.00 am on Sept 1, 2018 till 8.00 pm the next day at Riverbourne Centre, Tripunithura, Kerala, India.

Largest / longest Kathakali by all-woman team

The world’s largest and longest Kathakali by an all-woman team was performed by a group of 66 female artistes, aged 8-54 years, at Chembai Memorial Govt Music College, Palakkad, Kerala, India on May 19, 2019. The 14-hour presentation titled ‘Sampoorna Ramayanam’ was staged under the guidance of Kalamandalam Venkittaraman of Kathakali Gramam, Kallekulangara, Palakkad.

Most Goddess Saraswati illustrations in 12 hours

P L Vijay Ragavan (b Dec 18, 1980) of Hyderabad, India made 108 distinct illustrations of Goddess Saraswati in 12 hours from 9.00 am on Feb 10, 2019 while a team comprising 17 of his students completed painting them at V V Nagar Colony Yoga Hall, Kukatpally, Hyderabad.

Most seashell paintings

Sreeja Kalappurakkal of Ayyanthole, Thrissur, Kerala, who has already made it into the Best-of-India Records twice earlier, set her hat-trick record with paintings on seashells! More than 200 of her seashell paintings were on display at ‘Luminous 10’, an exhibition held at Lalita Kala Akademi, Thrissur, Kerala from Sept 6-15, 2019.

Most names calligraphed by an individual

Syamalan P P (b June 11, 1962), a sub-inspector with the Delhi Police, set a new world record by writing the names of 2,160 persons in English calligraphy in less than six hours at Kerala House, New Delhi on Nov 3, 2019.

Largest simultaneous cartoon-cum-photo exhibition at multiple venues

The All India Malayalee Association (AIMA) organized ‘Sudheeralokavum Keralappazhamayum’, the country’s largest cartoon-cum-photo exhibition at multiple venues on Nov 1, 2019. The simultaneous exhibition held at 52 centres across 23 states included 50 cartoons of Cartoonist Sudheernath and 50 vintage photographs of Kerala. The 8-hour event which started at 10.00 am involved more than 500 volunteers.

Largest pencil portrait

The pencil-drawn portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on a 410.26-square-metre (4,416 sq ft) canvas, unveiled at the Gandhi Bhavan, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh on Oct 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma is the world’s largest such pencil drawing. The 70 × 65 ft artwork was created by artist Aman Singh Gulati of Lakhimpur, UP for the Kasturba Gandhi Kendra Trust, Tirupati.

Largest professional oil painting by a single artist

The world’s largest professional oil painting by a single artist was achieved by artist Sandeep Sinha of Pune, Maharashtra, India, who created a 48.78 sq m (525.06 sq ft) artwork depicting a pastoral scene in the Himalayas. He took two months to complete it on Oct 25, 2018. Dedicated to victims of acid attacks, it was exhibited at the Raja Ravi Verma Art Gallery, Pune.

Most seashell art paintings

Sreeja T V (Sreeja Kalappurakkal) of Thrissur, Kerala has done art paintings on 207 seashells, the largest collection of such paintings in the world, which she exhibited at Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Thrissur from Sept 6-15, 2019. The size of each seashell varies, the largest ones measuring up to 40 cm long and 25 cm wide.

Largest Sinkari Melam

The world’s largest Sinkari Melam performance with 2,001 participants was achieved by Sinkari Melam Welfare Association at Thekke Gopura Nata, Thrissur, Kerala, India on Dec 14, 2019. The hour-long event, titled ‘Sinkari Pooram’ started at 5.00 pm.

Largest Kaala Kali performance

Nattukalakarakkoottam Thrissur Thekkan Meghala Committee and Kerala Folklore Academy jointly organised Thaiva Kala Sangamam 2019, which included the world’s largest Kaala Kali performance by 202 persons carrying 101 figures of oxen, besides folk songs and folk rhythms by 200 persons, Kutakutthi Kali and Mutiyattam by 50 persons each and Vatitthallu by 20 persons at Ayyankavu Ground, Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Kerala from 5.00 pm on Dec 29, 2019. The hour-long performance had a total participation of 522 people.

Largest seashell sculptures of famous temples

Sreeja T V (Sreeja Kalappurakkal) of Thrissur, Kerala created artistic replicas of two famous temples of Kerala using small seashells and displayed them at Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram from Jan 7-11, 2020. Her seashell sculptures included a 3.75 ft × 3.25 ft replica of Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, Thiruvananthapuram and a 2.5 ft × 4 ft replica of Sree Vadakkumnatha Temple, Thrissur.

Arts