NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 23, 2002: He has a degree in forensic science, but at the age of 23, it is as the fastest mehndi artist that Ash Kumar’s name appears in the Guinness Book of World Records. If that isn’t enough, this London-born counts the likes of Julia Roberts, Madonna, couturier Calvin Klein and British super model Sophie Dahl among his regular clients. At the moment, Kumar is in Mumbai for the ongoing wedding season. It was about two years ago that officials from Guinness Book of World Records got in touch with Kumar for the record. “At that time I didn’t know that, not only was I the youngest of the seven contestants, but also the only male,” says Kumar with his trademark smile. He literally swept the floor with the new record of 134 hennaed armbands in an hour. “I drew a different design, seven inches across and two inches broad, every 11 seconds.” Past clients on the receiving end of his signature style — bold, traditional-meets-contemporary — include Victoria Beckham and Demi Moore. Most of Kumar’s work is either the regular, bridal mehndi or mehndi as a fashion accessory. Now that Kumar is an established name in the world of fashion, he is hoping that no one breaks his world record for another three years. “If my record is not broken for a total of five years, it would become a golden record, and will also be a part of the record books. What better way of being immortal?” he says.
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