| By Barbara Healy
Not many people in this world dare to defy the boundaries
of physics the way Narinder Singh does. Singh, a native of
India, holds the Guinness World Record for pulling the heaviest
vehicle -- with his teeth.
It all began when Singh -- now a sturdy 6-foot tall, 40-year-old,
100 kilograms -- was 15, growing up in the village of Killa
Rai Pur, in India's Ludhiana District. Singh says he was inspired
when he saw one man in his village compete in a competition
with the talent of pulling a very heavy piece of machinery
a few meters -- with his teeth. Singh was so impressed that
he went home and began testing his own strength, pulling things
with his own teeth.
Singh started with sugar cane processing machines, and then
slowly moved up to tractors. In his twenties, he took on bigger
challenges. He began pulling heavier objects such as railroad
engines and railroad cars, buses, barges and ships. In 1992,
he set his first Guinness World Record by pulling a 219-ton
set of railroad cars in Armenia. He went on to set yet another
World Record in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, by pulling a 320-ton ship
six meters on January 4, 1997.
Singh's real job is in India, where he works as a member of
the Punjab Police Department. His home is in Nawabind Akalgarh,
Vhagwara, Katurthala, Punjab. He and his wife Charanjeebgour
have recently spent much time traveling in-between Taiwan
and India so that he can make his performances at Taichung's
Guinness World of Records Museum.
Singh is currently a guest performer at the Guinness Museum
in Taichung through December 28. While visiting the island
this time, he has pulled a 16-ton bus packed with 82 students
and also shocked a Taipei crowd by pulling a similar bus packed
with people at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial square. Last year,
he pulled a 190-ton railroad car in Taipei. Upon his return
this year, he doubled this weight by pulling two of these,
both times just for practice.
Singh's active lifestyle stretches beyond time spent breaking
world records. In his lifetime, he has run 20 marathons, always
finishing in the lead, or close to it. For six years starting
in 1983, he ran 42 kilometers, taking first place every time.
One of his best times was two hours and twenty-nine minutes.
The set of pearly whites, he would like his audience to know,
are 100 percent natural. He brushes regularly with Colgate
toothpaste and weight trains three times a week. Aside from
the regular sit-ups and push-ups, Singh also pulls two tractors
up a hill twice a week using his teeth. His work and performance
attire? A traditional robe, turban and sneakers, with good
traction.
A staunch vegetarian, Singh opts for traditional Indian favorites
such as sugar cane juice, fruit juice, bedam, dahlia, soy
bean, nan (Indian whole wheat flat bread), green vegetables
and a multitude of fruits. With regard to fruits alone, Singh
often eats one papaya, a dozen apples, two guavas, and a large
bunch of grapes per day. His grandmother lived to 113 years
old and kept a full set of healthy teeth until the day she
died.
He believes the secret to healthy living and keeping the toothaches
away could also be the fresh cow's milk he, his wife and 14-year-old
son drink, as well as his mother's fresh garden vegetables.
So what next? How could he possibly add on to his present
record without yanking out his pearly whites? According to
Singh, he still has more records to break. In February, 2000,
he intends to attempt to pull two airplanes -- 737s or 747s.
He will warm up for next year's attempt by pulling one plane
this December.
Singh says he'd also like to bring a helicopter down, using
a scale to measure the weight of the pull. For now, Singh
can be found at the Guinness World of Records Museum, where
he practices two hours in the morning and two hours in the
afternoon pulling a two-car train with 30 people on board.
The museum is located at 77 Chaofu Road, Taichung, (04) 259-7123
at the intersection of Taichung Harbor Road and the North-South
Freeway. The Guinness World of Records Museum in Taichung
is the largest of its kind (as of 1998).
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