They stand out wherever they go and now India’s
tallest family is hoping to set a new world record
with their combined height.
The Kulkarnis, from the city of Pune in the east of
the country, tower above their countrymen.
Sharad Kulkarni, 52, stands at 7ft 1.5ins tall and his
wife Sanjot, 46, is 6ft 2.6ins tall.
Their daughters Mruga, 22, and Sanya, 16, are 6ft
1ins and 6ft 4ins respectively.
Mr and Mrs Kulkarni were crowned India’s tallest
couple by their country’s Limca Book of Records
after they married in 1989.
They had hoped to be named the world’s tallest
couple by the Guinness Book of Records, until it
emerged that Wayne and Laurie Hallquist, from
Stockton, California, stand a combined inch taller at
13ft 4ins.
Mr Kulkarni said: ‘We were a little disheartened. It’s
nice to have recognition when you live your life
being so different. It ends up meaning something.
But we’re excited about new prospects.’
Growing up, Mr and Mrs Kulkarni faced years of
teasing and ridicule.
When Mr Kulkarni hit 7ft as a teenager he ploughed
his energies into sports and ended up playing
basketball for his country.
But Mrs Kulkarni struggled to go unrecognised and
fit in in the remote Indian village where she lived.
The pair began to accept early on in their teens that
marriage one day might be difficult.
Mrs Kulkarni said: ‘It’s hard for a woman to be
taller than a man in India. The man is the more
authoritative role so I would never want to marry a
smaller man and then him be ridiculed about his
wife.
‘It was a big possibility that I’d never marry really.’
But Mrs Kulkarni’s grandmother spotted
Mr Kulkarni walking down a street in Mumbai one
evening and approached him.
Mr Kulkarni said: ‘This older lady came up to me
and asked if I was married or single and would I
meet her granddaughter who was over 6ft.
‘I didn’t believe her at first so I refused but my
friends persuaded me to take her number.’
A few weeks later Mr Kulkarni’s parents called the
number and a meeting was arranged for the
potential couple, as is traditional in India.
Mr Kulkarni, who works at a bank, said: ‘Many
women have claimed they’re 6ft but then, when we
meet they’re only about 5ft 10ins and too small for
me.
‘But when I met Sanjot I was happy she was well
over 6ft. I knew we’d be happy together.’
The couple married in December 1988. A year later
Limca Book of Records pronounced them India’s
tallest married couple.
India’s tallest couple: Mr Kulkarni stands at 7ft
1.5in and his wife Sanjot at 6ft 2.6in
Now, along with their two grown-up daughters
Mruga and Sanya, they hope to have the chance to
be the world’s tallest family.
Mruga said: ‘I’m so excited. We love being tall.
‘So many people would love to be taller. I hear girls
moan every day about their short height but we’re
so happy and content.
Both Mruga and Sanya want to be models and hope
that their height could give them a huge advantage
in the industry.
Mruga said: ‘At the moment we’re studying and
working hard on our exams but we’re trying to apply
to model agencies and build up a portfolio.
‘We hope our height helps us get a long career in
modelling. Husbands are a long way away yet.’
The Kulkarnis have wardrobes full of custom-made
clothes and shoes. Shopping on the high street is
impossible. Their shoe sizes range from 8 to 12 and
they often order their footwear online from Europe.
Their house has been adapted to meet their needs –
they had to change all the door frames from 6ft to
8ft high.
They have customised their furniture including beds,
wardrobes, kitchen shelves, and even the height of
the toilet.
But they never use public transport, preferring to
travel on scooters. When flying is necessary, they
ask for a front seat or emergency exit row.
Mruga said: ‘It’d be easier if we lived in Europe and
lived around European open-mindedness. India can
be very narrow-minded. But I wouldn’t change a
thing.’
Guinness Book of Records does not currently have a
tallest family category but would consider it.
Spokesman Anne-Lise Rouse said: ‘We do monitor
this category so we’d like to know of any family that
could potentially set this record and we’d then
advise them.
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