Lantern puts them in world eye

PUNE, Feb 2: Pravin Nayak's lantern has sure managed to light up his life. His team's 38 feet high and 22 feet wide creation has been off...

PUNE, Feb 2: Pravin Nayak’s lantern has sure managed to light up his life. His team’s 38 feet high and 22 feet wide creation has been officially recognised by the Guiness Book of World Records.

In October Nayak and eight others put together a gigantic lantern made out of 2000 sheets of thermacole and 25 kilograms of nails that was further lit up with 10 bulbs of 250 watts each. The huge and colourful lantern was then put on display at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch around Diwali last year for a month. Simultaneously, Nayak dispatched all the information and photographs regarding the lantern to the Guiness Book of World Records for an entry into the prestigious record book.

On February 1 he was thus pleasantly rewarded for his and his team’s efforts when a letter and a certificate arrived at his doorstep from London, United Kingdom informing him that “the largest lantern has officially been recognised by the Guiness Book of World Records.” According to the letter, the editors will now further consider this record for an entry into the world’s biggest selling copyright book.

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Nayak, who works in Bajaj Auto as a machinist, had earlier created a lantern 15 feet high and 10.5 feet wide that had gained entry into the Limca Book of Records. “In February last year too I had written to the Guiness Book of Records but they wrote back informing me that they had closed this category but would consider its reinstatement. This time round they probably decided to reinstate the category and I am deeply obliged to them for it,” gushes Nayak. According to Nayak, the entire project that was put together in 15 days cost around Rs three lakh, with Oberoi Towers, Mumbaifunding a major part of the expense.

The other members of the team of nine that put together the mammoth lantern include Ashok Gajamal, Nitin Dhanve, Sushil Manjre, Shreeram Bhalerao, Rahul Raut, Sachin Shinde, Mahadeo Kadam and Nitin Kumbhare. Their next venture is to institute their own website on the net and to put together similar lanterns in the United States and United Kingdom. “We feel we will receive more financial support abroad. In Pune it’s been very difficult to get people to fund the project”.

Also on the agenda are plans to put up such colossal lanterns at the venues of the day and night cricket matches with the World Cup being the ultimate aim.

Wonder if the lanterns could, amongst other things, also brighten India’s chances at the World Cup?