Campaign makes it to Guinness

PUNE, April 15: At last count today evening, almost 25,000 Puneites have found their way into The Guinness Book of World Records. Another 7,000 to 8,000 are expected to do the same by tomorrow. The record breaking feat? Gilbey’s Green Label Sign Lagao-India Jitao campaign, in which over six lakh signatures have already been collected all over the country the maximum number of wishes pledged during a single signature campaign for any event in the world.

The week long campaign which concludes tomorrow has also broken the world record for the longest banner ever with a length of 10.45 kms. “Although,” informs Saurabh of Stance Productions, “even this is falling short of the demand. For example, we had been allotted nine banners for Pune, but we have already exhausted all of them, with one day still remaining. Tomorrow we will be repeating the banners that we have already used. It has been an excellent response.”

The banners from all over the country will be collected and stitched together in Mumbai on Saturday, after which they will be displayed at Shivaji stadium. On April 22, Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin will receive a symbolic piece on behalf of the team, while the next day, another segment of the good wishes will adorn a two km stretch to the airport when the team leaves from Mumbai for England.

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In the city tomorrow, for the last day, the banners will be put up at Swargate, Railway station, Shivajinagar and Aurora Towers on MG Road, while a mobile van will also be touring the city.

Will India make history by winning the World Cup? The answer, for the present, has been made redundant. For the team has already made history by being the most popular in the entire world ever! And there are already over six lakh signatures to prove that.