An Indian man who holds the record for the “longest fingernails on a single hand” reportedly got them clipped for the first time in more than six decades.
Shridhar Chillal, 82, went to New York City’s “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” for the long-awaited clipping, according to a Wednesday report from Guinness World Records.
Ripley’s reported that Chillal’s nails had grown to exceed 350 inches and showed photos of them both curled and stretched out over a table.
The last time Chillal’s fingernails were clipped was reportedly in 1952 and his choice to keep them long stemmed from an incident when he was a teenager, according to the outlet. Ripley’s said it all began after the future record-holder had gotten in trouble with a teacher for inadvertently breaking the educator’s own lengthy finger nail.
In a post on Instagram, the Guinness World Records described the occasion as “the end of an era.”
“After 66 years of growth, record-breaker Shridhar Chillal from India has cut off his enormous fingernails – which will now go on display at @ripleysbelieveitornot in Times Square, New York, USA,” the post said.
It included photos of Chillal, which appear to be after the cutting, and others showing the now-trimmed nails in a display case.
“Due to years of growing his nails and their weight, his left hand was permanently handicapped; he cannot open his hand from a closed position or flex his fingers,” the post said. It went on to quote Chillal as saying, “I am in pain. With every heart beat all five fingers, my wrist, elbow and shoulder are hurting a lot and at the tip of the nail there's a burning sensation always.”