Surrey, B.C. - Move over India - B.C. is now unofficially home to the world's longest beard.
The whiskers of Surrey resident Sarwan Singh were measured at 2.33 metres (seven feet 7.75 inches) Tuesday night.
His beard, witnessed at Surrey's Akal Academy by three judges and close to 200 people, will be submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records for official recognition.
The previous record was held by Shamsher Singh of Punjab, India, with a beard last measured at 1.83 metres in 1977.
"This is history in the making," said Dr. Pargat Bhurji, the principal and president of Akal Academy, where Singh is a teacher.
"Mr. Sarwan Singh is a devout, humble, spiritual man and his beard is considered as a divine gift. He's blessed, he's gifted. Hair is a divine gift. So this is a divine gift from God," said Bhurji.
Singh stood on a stool while his beard was dipped in water, brushed and then measured three times on a flat service with a measuring tape as the judges and media looked on.
As he posed for pictures with his wife and two children, Singh's beard hung from his chin to the floor.
"I have a feeling of divine happiness and I am thankful that God has chosen me for the gift of the longest beard," said Singh, 42.
Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains, Surrey RCMP Sgt. Baltej Dhillon and lawyer Sukhjinder Grewal were the judges.
"This is history in the making," said Dr. Pargat S Bhurji, the principal and president of Akal Academy, where Singh is a popular and respected music teacher. "Mr. Sarwan Singh is a devout, humble, spiritual man and his beard is considered as a divine gift. He's blessed, he's gifted. Hair is a divine gift. So this is a divine gift from God," said Dr. Bhurji.
Singh stood on a stool while his beard was dipped in water, brushed and then measured three times on a flat service with a measuring tape as the judges, media and over 200 other witnesses looked on.
"I have a feeling of divine happiness and I am thankful that God has chosen me for the gift of the longest beard," said Singh, 42. The measurement was presided over by Surrey-Newton MLA Harry S Bains, Surrey RCMP Sgt. Baltej S Dhillon and lawyer Sukhjinder S Grewal.
In addition to the Guinness World record, the event started with the children from the Akal Academy performing Dhadhi Varan, a Sikh musical composition, explaining Sikh history taught to them by Sarwan Singh and other Akal Academy teachers. This was followed on by talks on the importance and significance of hair in both a scientific and from the teachings of the Sikh religion.
