Guinness record holder for longest beard to sing kirtans this Guru Gobind Jayanti

At over nine feet, it is longer than the tallest of men. In fact, when the tallest man at 8.3 ft came to meet Sarwan Singh, the one question he asked was how Singh maintained his beard, when he found it difficult to maintain himself.

In the run up to the Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, the Sikh community in the city will be watching out for Singh for two reasons. One, for his kirtans that he has recited at the Golden Temple, and the second, his beard that finds mention in record books.

Commenting on his beard, Singh said, “Among the five essentials, kesh (uncut hair) is the most important. It is like Guru's bakshish to me.” And the bakshish has been well taken care off. Other than a helper, most people are not allowed to touch the beard. It is also nourished with a liberal dose of oil when required, a proper wash and regular combing. Singh always carries a special bag with comb and water in a spray bottle with him.

He added, “I use unscented virgin oil as those with a scent tend to ripen the beard.” After serving at the Golden Temple as Kirtankar till 1990, he left for Canada on invitation. He has come down to Mumbai from Vancouver in Canada. Kulwant Singh, vice president of the Shri Guru Singh Sabha, said, “We called him for kirtan, and also to get our people familiarised with Singh.”

The length of the beard is a sign of respect in the community. For Singh, the beard was always long enough to command respect, but started growing in leaps and bounds after he was 35 years of age. “I think it has got to do with the water there (in Canada) and the pollution free atmosphere,” said Singh. He said in India, it has to be cleaned and combed more often.

When asked if he has the support of his family, Singh said, “My wife was not troubled when I was marrying her because it was not this long at the time. In any case, she is proud of it, and so are my children.” Singh's brother is the only other person in family with over 7-feet long beard. 

A globetrotter by now, Singh has travelled to the US, China, Honk Kong, France, UK and Italy, among other places. “People are most excited in China. When they see any Sardar, they just approach and hug him, and request for a photograph,” said Singh. 

“In Orgeon in the US, a bearded-people's group called me. Men without beard were not considered men enough to stand with them,” said Singh, who won laurels there. Interest-based groups aside, he has even won compliments from different religious communities. “Muslims, who too keep a beard, are among them. They said having one is like having a mark of God,” said Singh.

Barring a few hiccups, such as the incident where the beard slipped form Singh's hands and he stepped on it, travelling has been smooth sailing for him. While in car or train, he wraps his beard and throws it back on the shoulder. During emigration checks, all he does is show the visiting card in which, standing on a stool, his beard touches the ground. 

“It happened in the US. After seeing the photograph and knowing that I have made it to the Guinness book, they called everyone for a snap. They are nice people,” said Singh, as he prepared for his three-month stay in India. “After all, that is why they have called me. Otherwise, there are many other senior kirtankars,” he said, sporting a knowing smile.

Students in Singh's Akal Academy in Canada first started talking about record books. By 2008, the beard was 7.8 feet long. In 2010, it touched 8.25 feet. In March, Singh will meet the Guinness officials from London to update the record to over nine feet.