Over 60 records from India in Guinness Book 2024, rain in Cherrapunji among oldest entry
Cherrapunji being one of the oldest.
Distributed in India by Penguin Random House, the book has nine fact-packed chapters — Blue Planet, Aquatic Life, Humans, Recordology, Adventures, History, Science and Technology, Arts and Media, and Sports — and five special features: Hall of Fame, Young Achievers, Gaming, Explainers, and Bucket List.
The 2024 edition is the final installment in the partnership with award-winning artist Rod Hunt. According to the publishers, completing the illustrated Guinness World Records universe, the cover artwork takes readers on a deep-sea odyssey to the bottom of the ocean.
Among the oldest records involving India is related to rainfall.
On June 15-16, 1995, Cherrapunji, a high-altitude town in Meghalaya, received 2.493 m (8 ft 2 in) of rain over the complete 48-hour period, the record book says.
«While this normally means that the region gets a high level of annual rainfall, this is the most extreme 48-hour period on record — as verified by the World Meteorological Organisation,» it says.
«For a calendar month, the record is 9,300 mm (366 in) at Cherrapunji in July 1861 and the 12-month record was also set at Cherrapunji, with 26,461 mm (1,041.75 in) between August 1, 1860 and July 31, 1861,» it adds.
Between August 1, 1860 and July 31, 1861, a total of 26,470 mm (1,042 in) of rain fell at Cherrapunji, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
There is one record which holds good since 1937. It is Jalakanyaka (or Mermaid) by Indian sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, the largest sculpture of a merperson in the world.
