2015 Limca Book of Records launched at Jaipur Literature Festival amid much fanfare

The 2015 Limca Book of Records being launched in Jaipur

The 26th edition of the Limca Book of Records (LBR) was launched by Coca-Cola India on the first day of the Jaipur Literature Festival. The edition carries a special section on literature but also includes 19 other sections, celebrating various achievements by Indians over the years.

Launched in India 25 years ago in 1990, the LBR is the most second book of records after the Guinness Book of World Records. The book provides a platform for Indians to showcase their talents in several fields.

The Limca Book of Records features every sporting achievement by Indians

The sports chapter of the LBR boasts records of countless Indians who have scaled remarkable heights in the world of sport. From cricket to boxing, the LBR has ensured that no sport is left untouched.

MS Dhoni, who recently retired from Test cricket, hanged his bat on a high, and the LBR fully recognizes that. The Ranchi-born wicket-keeper retired with the record of the most number of dismissals in Tests. In his illustrious career, Dhoni registered 294 dismissals (258 catches and 36 stumpings) in 90 matches.

The LBR also recognises some of the finest performances by Indians such as Kashyap winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, Dola Banerjee winning India’s only gold medal in the women’s individual recurve competition at the World Cup finals and the chess team of Parimarjan Negi, K Sasikiran, SP Sethuraman, B Adhiban and MR Lalith Babu winning India’s maiden medal at the Tromso Chess Olympiad.

Cricket players including Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa are also featured for scoring the fastest century and the most number of runs on debut respectively.

Inspirational records that deserve to be celebrated

The book also features some unique records by Indians such as that of Diana Edulji, who sent down as many as 5,248 deliveries in Test matches.

Not many would know that Major Devender Pal Singh is the first amputee to run at high altitude. He achieved the feat when he ran the 3rd Himalayan Running and Living XC marathon (21 km) with blade prosthetics. Starting at 8,700 ft, he ran along the mountainous terrain and climbed over 10,000 ft before completing the marathon in three hours.

Perhaps a more well-known fact is that squash player Dipika Pallikal is the first Indian to feature in the top-10 of the world squash rankings; she achieved the rank in December 2012. Meanwhile, Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri is India’s top scorer in the Nehru Cup, with India winning the event thrice in a row – in 2007, 2009 and 2012.

Jaspal Rana holds the record for the most number of gold medals at the South Asian Games (SAF). He won eight gold medals at the 1995 Chennai Games, eight at the 1999 Kathmandu games and seven at the 2004 Islamabad games.

The LBR features many more records in addition to those mentioned above. With the launch of the book in Jaipur, Indians can get their hands on this special edition to read all about their sporting heroes and the records achieved.

The book promises to inspire budding athletes and held them take that extra step to achieve sporting success on the global stage.