Guwahati, Jan 23: In a noteworthy achievement, as many as 721 Karbi youths have etched their names in the Guinness Book of World Records by engaging in the traditional sport of Kengdongdang, forming the longest line of people walking on bamboo stilts.
Kengdongdang, the traditional sport of the Karbi community, involves participants racing on bamboo stilts. Stilt walkers navigate the competition using these bamboo structures.
The stilt-walkers assembled at Bokolia Bypass near Diphu, the central Assam headquarters of Karbi Anglong, to create a world record. They formed a single line stretching 2 km and walked for 10 minutes, successfully setting the record.
“The benchmark was 250 people, but 721 people participated to set a new record for the longest line of people walking on stilts,” official adjudicator of the Guinness Book of World Records, Rishi Nath said after the event.
Following the achievement, a certificate of acknowledgment was presented to Tuliram Ronghang, the Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). The event, organised in collaboration with the Karbi Cultural Society, was part of the 50th Karbi Youth Festival held in Diphu, the district headquarters.
“Taking our traditional sport to the global stage is a great achievement,” Mr. Ronghang said.
"There was no such record. The earlier stilt-walking record was by a group of 956 people in Sweden but not in one single line,” Dilip Kathar, the central committee member of the Karbi Cultural Society said.