Shishir breaks Guinness Records for fastest backward spelling

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, March 17, 2011: Shishir Hathwar of coastal Karnataka has been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for spelling 50 words backwards faster than anybody else in the world. He has spent a considerable portion of his time mastering this art.

Shishir spelt 20 six-letter words, 15 seven-letter words, and 15 eight-letter words backward without a pause in 1 minute 22 seconds in Bangalore in Nov 2010 in the presence of experts. Job Pottas of Kerala, who had also participated in this contest, spelt the same in 1 minute 40 seconds. The words were chosen from a wide range of words from arts, literature, and science.

Shishir, the son of Bangalore-based senior scientist Dr. Ramamurthy Hathwar, grew up in Canada and came to Bangalore when he was five. He is a voracious reader who spells words backwards as a hobby. He is an electronics engineer in Bharath Heavy Electricals Ltd.