Longest nails in the world cut by owner after 66 years
Jul 14, 2018, 1:06 PM
After 66 years of growing out the nails on his left hand, Shridhar Chillal officially had them cut at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Times Square, New York.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the 82-year-old native of Pune, India had been growing the nails since he was 14 years old after he was told off by a teacher for breaking his nail.
The nails had a combined length of 29 feet, 10.1 inches when last measured — close to the same length as a London bus.
But the nails caused discomfort and eventually led to his left hand being permanently handicapped due to the weight, with Chillal no longer able to open his hand or flex his fingers.
“I am in pain,” Chillal told Guinness. “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.”
The nails also became extremely fragile as they grew, forcing Chillal to be cautious when sleeping.
“I can’t move much, so every half an hour or so I wake up and move my hand to the other side of the bed,” he said in 2015.
Keeping his right hand trimmed, Chillal managed to continue working as a photographer with a customized handle to accommodate the nails on his left.
The nails that allowed Chillal to first be featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1979 will now permanently be on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
