Bikram Timilsina, 19, and his cousin Santosh Timilsina, 17, had just the other day shaken hands longer than anyone else in the world. For a complete 48 hours, the brothers sat at the premises of Pashupati Plaza Complex, New Road, and broke the existing world record of the longest handshake.[break]
The previous record had been a tie between Nepal and New Zealand when both the countries had performed the shake for 33 hours and three minutes. The Nepali participants at the show were Rohit and Santosh Timilisina. Rohit is Santosh´s elder brother and an inspiration.
Both of them, personality wise, are not very vocal but while they discuss the common dream they share of bringing Nepal to spotlight through their record holding endeavors, there´s no stopping them.
Extremely animated, Bikram shares how a simple gesture like shaking hands can take a toll on your body and mind. "Food and water consumption is the most difficult part," he says. While the body will demand the regular amount of solid and liquid consumption the boys would have a difficult time going to the toilet time and again.
"The camera needs to keep rolling while we shake hands without a pause," he elaborates.
Apart from that, the boys faced problems of dizziness and concentration. "We did not sleep for 48 hours but once in while we did close our eyes and give our eyes a rest," says Santosh, adding, "While one of us relaxed, the other put in extra concentration."
The message that the boys wish to spread through the handshake is ´peace and brotherhood´. "The world is crying for peace today and handshake is the primary gesture signifying peace," elaborates Bikram when asked why they chose to shake hands over everything else.
These young record holders say more and more people are showing interest in the field. "Our friends come to us and discuss their ideas on current records and how they plan to break it," smiles Santosh. He, along with the current one, has three world records to his credit and wants more youngsters to try out.
The boys share with us the procedure of carrying out such an event. The basic format of the Guinness Book of World Record, according to Santosh, is that the interested candidate needs to fill from at the official website. The authorities respond to the form by sending the guidelines on how to carry the act. The video of the act is to be recorded and then submitted to the authorities. The results are usually declared within the next few months.
The wait is a long one, they agree, but what is even more disheartening is the fact that the government has shown no interest in helping them.
"Help is a distant dream," Bikram sighs, and furthers, "Even a little support would be very encouraging."
They shared how throughout the 48 hours they did not receive any calls or visits from any government officials. "It´s all over the news now and we are yet to receive a pat on our shoulders, let alone a certificate of appreciation or anything of that sort," the duo bemoaned.
Talking about his immediate future plans, Bikram, who is soon sitting his upcoming 12th grade board exam, says he desperately needs some time off. While Santosh, who had just attempted his SLC exam, says he will work on creating more records.
"I want to break Ronaldo´s current record of fifteen world cup goals," he said, expressing his passion for football. Santosh next plans to set a world record for the longest hug and give the same message of peace and brotherhood.
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