Nepal and the Shortest Man in the World

Chandra with his certificate (photo taken from Reuters)

My current work in the Middle East gave me the opportunity to interact with the different races and nationalities around the world such as Syrians, Lebanese, Hindis, Bengalis, Pakistanis, Qataris, and Nepalese. Sometimes I have managed to adapt their own costumes and language especially the Hindis and Nepalese because we stay in the same accommodation from the company where we work at. That’s why when I heard the news the other day that the Guinness Book of World Records affirmed, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, a Nepalese villager, as the shortest living man in the world, it caught my interest and tried to search him in the net on how he looks like and of course his odd life story.

The new shortest man in the world measured 54.60 centimeters (21.5 inches) and also the oldest shortest living man in the world to be ever recorded by the Guinness. According to the Reuters ( www.reuters.com), Dangi came from a poor and uneducated family in a remote part of Nepal and unaware of the Mount Everest as the tallest mountain of the world before as well as the world title given to him. He was just discovered when a merchant once visited his place and was told about it.

I was still in the Philippines when the Guinness Book of World Records Team visited the Philippines last year (June, 2011) to officially measure Junrey Balawing, a native of Southern Philippines to be the shortest man in the world which was co-celebrated during his 18^th birthday. Junrey is 59.93 centimeters (23.5 inches) tall (FYI: Junrey also stripped the world title that time from Khagnedra Thapa Magar, also a native of Nepal)

It’s amazing how these two countries vied for the world shortest living man record. The two may have huge distinctions in terms of its culture, costumes and traditions, religion, and the society itself but the Nepalese have fairly similarities with the Filipinos. Some Nepalese (especially those who resides in the northern part of Nepal (along the famous Mt. Everest or near the Peoples Republic of China border) have resemblance of a Filipino face. There were instances when I mistakenly call some Nepalese as “kabayan” o “pare” in the work site and only to find out they’re not when they started to talk. They too are patient and industrious. Just like Filipinos, most of them went out of Nepal to work overseas due to unemployment from their country (as young as 18 years old, their government allowed them to work abroad). However, they work largely here as laborers. They have difficult gasp of English language and usually speaks their native tongue. But despite of these, Nepalese are generally friendly, honest, obedient, and hard-working people. For as low as QR600-1200 (1 QR = 11 Php = 22 NPR), they sacrifice their lives to work as labors and be separated from their love ones just to provide them a descent life.

I might feel unhappy (as a Filipino) for the passing on of the world title from a Filipino Junrey Balawing to a Nepalese Chandra Bahadur Dangi as the new shortest living man in the world, perhaps the Nepal people deserves this kind of recognition. The record means a lot to the Nepal people for they are now the home for the highest peak and the shortest human.

As Chandra tells the Guinness, “I'm very happy that I'm being recognized by Guinness World Records and that my name will be written in book.  It's a big thing for my family, my village and my country.  I am very happy. He also plans on starting a charity to help support his village saying, "I will use this to make my country proud."


Note: QR - as Qatar Riyal, Php - Philippine Peso, and NPR - Nepal Rupee