New Delhi: Sixteen-year-old Srushti Sudhir Jagtap from Maharashtra’s Latur district has created a world record for the longest dance marathon by an individual. She did Kathak for 127 hours, deploying Yoga Nidra or ‘yogic sleep’ to aid her performance for long hours.
Srushti broke the previous record of 126 hours set by Nepalese dancer Bandana Nepal in 2018.
“There were moments of her being too tired, but her parents were by her side all the time, spraying her face with water to keep her fresh,” Swapnil was quoted as saying by Guinness World Record’s official blog. “Very impressive performance overall.”
Srushti said that she decided to break this record because it was her “dream to represent India through dance.”
“I wanted to promote our Indian culture,” she explained.
Srushti’s attempt began on the morning of May 29 and continued until the afternoon of June 3. She then slept for an entire day. The young dancer reportedly did not take any stimulants to aid her wakefulness during the record attempt except coffee and drank coconut water and ate chocolate to “stay fresh,” Wion reported.
The final day of Srushti’s record attempt was particularly hard for her as her body was not responding. All her body parts felt frozen and in pain. But she was mentally focused towards her goal.
Due to strong practice, she was familiar with all the changes in her mind and body. That helped her to stay calm and composed until the end. Her practice sessions lasted up to 126 hours that she had in the run-up to the official world record attempt.
According to GWR’s ‘longest marathon’ records, the participant is permitted a five-minute rest break for every continuous hour of activity. These rest breaks can be accumulated if not taken. They were the only times Srushti could sleep or use the bathroom during the attempt.
Srushti took her rest breaks “mostly at midnight,” using the time to nap or talk to her parents “for brain refreshment.”