Crushing more than just records: New feat for Steel Man of India
Vispy Kharadi holds 10 Guinness World Records and has been conferred with the title Steel Man of India. In his latest, internet-breaking milestone, he crushed 89 drink cans with one hand in one minute (15 more than the previous record).
“My dream was to win an Olympic medal for India. Isn’t Guinness almost in line with that?” says the Surat-based pro and former banker, who trains in karate, judo and mixed martial arts (MMA), and credits his achievements to a disciplined life: “I wake up at 3.30am for my first training session. My day is divided into training, eating right and discipline.”
The fitness icon’s tryst with sports had a rather unlikely beginning. A frail child, he would be constantly teased for his frame: “I never let the taunts get to me. It was about proving myself, and today, the world knows,” he shares.
Kharadi recalls growing up surrounded by sportspersons, some of whom did not
Arnold I related to and Schwarzenegger Sylvester Stallone’s in the Rocky characters films. If and Conan do it, I they could could, too! KHARADI, VISPY Man of India
consider Indian athletes at par with international standards. “Be it martial arts, boxing or weightlifting, so many people would say that Indians don’t have the genetics for it. But I wanted to prove to the world that Indians are a force to reckon with. We have talent in every part of our country,” gushes the fitness and MMA expert.
The 42-year-old prefers good, well-prepared homecooked meals, with a healthy amount of non-vegetarian options. “Proteins are a must for sportspersons. I have always been a non-vegetarian since my father was a wrestler. I saw him training daily at home, lifting weights and exercising. My boys, who are 10 and 13, are black belts in judo and karate. They, too, have made plans to break world records,” he smiles. Kharadi’s passion for adrenaline was fuelled by Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky films, Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer Conan series and Jacky Chan’s actioners. “I started relating to them — they were these superhumans, and while I didn’t idolise them, I thought if they could do it, I could, too!” And that was how he embarked on his record-shattering spree: be it bending 21 iron rods with his neck in a minute, breaking 51 concrete blocks with his elbow in a minute or breaking a 525kg concrete block on a bed-ofnails sandwich.
“My biggest achievement is breaking three Guinness world records in a day,” Kharadi says. “I never expected my latest video to go viral like it did, the comments were so appreciative and so full of love. This is why I do it. To make India proud,” he signs off.