A 21-year-old man, hailing from Tamilnadu, has managed to put out 151 candles in a single breath. This feat got him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Earlier, David Lamy of France held this record by snuffing 117 candles in 2001.

Sankaranarayanan is a resident of Velipattinam, Tamilnadu. He performed the feat in January 2008. The Guinness Book of World Records has awarded him a certificate for the exceptional record he has created in his name. The certificate was handed over to him by the district collector, A Kishorekumar, at a felicitation ceremony recently.


The record holder managed to outperform the earlier record, held by David Lamy of France, who extinguished 117 candles at a time in 2001.

A master in holding his breath, an art that he learnt from his yoga guru, Sankaranarayanan, avers, “It is difficult to blow even 20 candles in a single breath. I practised breathing exercises for at least six months, increasing the number of candles slowly and gradually to reach this feat.”