BHUBANESWAR: For 40-year-old Keshab Swain, breaking coconuts is as easy as breaking bread. Unlike most people who use various implements like hammer, sickle or a large stone to get to the inside of a coconut, Swain deploys nothing but his elbows, knees and head to crack open as many as 85 coconuts in just a minute. And with this record, Swain entered the Guinness World Records on Wednesday.
“It’s a wonderful achievement by Kesab Swain, who is the fastest coconut breaker in the world. This is also first-of-its kind record in Guinness,” said Nitin Shukla, a Guinness World Records official from Pune, who witnessed the act in an event organised at the Janata Maidan here. Swain was handed over the Guinness World Records certificate at the venue.
Swain breaks green coconuts, with their husk intact, by striking on the fruits with his palms, elbows, head and knee. He started doing this rare act in 2007 by breaking 144 coconuts in seven minutes and 16 seconds to set his first Limca Record. He continued improving on his records every year. Prior to the Guinness record, he had created five records for the Limca Book of Records.
A native of Baharpur village, the coconut breaker currently lives in Bhubaneshwar with his father, wife and two children. He works as a physical trainer for livelihood. Swain said, if provided with monetary help, he can break three such records in a year. “I have to spend a lot of money on preparation for such feats. Everyday I practice with at least 500 green coconuts. Since I don’t have any permanent source of income it is very difficult to continue the act,” he said.