Snip, snip, snip, snip, snip...

July 15, 2018 12:03 PM

"Earlier this week, an important chapter in fingernail history came to a close: Shridhar Chillal of Pune, India, got his nails cut for the first time in 66 years." The record-setting nails on his left hand, taken together, measured a total of 909.6 cm. Chillal, 82, has sold them to Ripley's Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum for an undisclosed sum.
posted by mandolin conspiracy (28 comments total)

The 82-year-old had been growing his nails since 1952, when he was 14, after being told off by a teacher for accidentally breaking his long nail.

Not for nothing, but they should award a second world record for stubbornness...

Due to years of growing his nails and their weight, his left hand is permanently handicapped; he cannot open his hand from a closed position or flex his fingers.

"I am in pain. With every heart beat all five fingers, my wrist, elbow and shoulder are hurting a lot and at the tip of the nail there's a burning sensation always."

...and a third for...what? Greatest self-own?
posted by nevercalm at 12:17 PM on July 15, 2018 [10 favorites]

ew ew ew ew ew....
posted by Thorzdad at 12:28 PM on July 15, 2018 [7 favorites]

Less "snip" and more "buzz"—they used a friggin' Dremel to cut them off.
posted by SansPoint at 12:32 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

ew ew ew ew ew....

THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH EWS IN THE WORLD EW EW EW EW
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:06 PM on July 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

...and a third for...what? Greatest self-own?

To be fair to the guy, he was entering uncharted territory here: would nails of this length just be a colossal pain in the ass to lug around, or would there be some agonizing physiological effects?

I guess now we know.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:23 PM on July 15, 2018 [7 favorites]

Oh my goodness I feel sick. And slightly scared.
posted by RandomInconsistencies at 1:33 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’m still scarred from seeing this in a workd record book 30 years ago.
posted by gryphonlover at 2:26 PM on July 15, 2018 [10 favorites]

Guinness World Records reports he was able to live something of a normal life. Not only did a very special lady marry him, they raised two children and have three grandchildren, who we assume are all manicurists. He also worked as a government press photographer, using a special handle on his camera to accommodate his nails.

Earlier articles made no mention of how he made a living so I was wondering, but now I have more questions. How the heck do you go about daily life like this? How did his family members--who I assume were affected by his health issues and inconvenience--feel about it? Did no one tell him to literally cut it off and resume life with two hands?

Imagine the Ask: "Dear Mefi, am I being unreasonable for wanting my SO to trim his 30' nails?"
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 2:31 PM on July 15, 2018 [7 favorites]

This is the mostest scheme to get out of chores ever.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 2:42 PM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

CURLY FRIES.
posted by clavdivs at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

ClipTMFA
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:02 PM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Easiest $5 he ever made.
posted by y2karl at 3:58 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’m still scarred from seeing this in a workd record book 30 years ago.

Same thing here but make that 40 years. Yuck yuckity yuck yuck yuck. Yet, to him, it was part of what gave his life meaning for 66 years. Beats what Donald Trump decided to do with is three score and ten.
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 5:02 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

MANI-PHOBE TO MUSEUM: HANG NAILS
posted by zippy at 5:23 PM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Imagine the Ask: "Dear Mefi, am I being unreasonable for wanting my SO to trim his 30' nails?"

DTMFA.
posted by infinitywaltz at 5:24 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I too vividly remember this man from a copy of Ripley's I had as a kid in the '80s. I read the first sentence of this post and was like, 'Oh yeah, that guy.'
posted by lisa g at 9:46 PM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

Ew. I cannot look (assume photos).
I clip my nails daily.
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 3:00 AM on July 16, 2018

The accident earned Chillal a scolding and the admonition that he didn’t understand how important the nail was because he had never committed to anything.

Teachers, be careful what you say to your students; they do not always take away the lesson you hoped they would.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:14 AM on July 16, 2018

As someone who is also strongly motivated by spite, I admire the depth of his commitment to his spite-nails.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:37 AM on July 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

"I’m still scarred from seeing this in a workd record book 30 years ago."

Amen, gryphonlover! I also remember the listing about the woman miser who hoarded slivers of soap. Both of these entries in the record book haunt me. I read everything as a child but not the record book after the first time because I was so disgusted.
posted by narancia at 11:49 AM on July 16, 2018

Not only did a very special lady marry him, they raised two children and have three grandchildren, who we assume are all manicurists.

This seems unnecessarily snotty.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:33 PM on July 16, 2018

At least Chillal had the sense to keep one hand trimmed and usable. The 3 others listed at the end of TFA have disgusting talons on both hands. When I think about the hygiene aspects, I totally run out of nope.
*shudders
posted by BlueHorse at 1:08 PM on July 16, 2018

I was going to say it would be difficult not to bite them, but then I looked at the pictures and now I think it would be difficult not to cut off my entire hand, put it in a locked safe, encase that in cement, and then throw it into a deep part of the ocean.

(they look kind of gross is what I am trying to say)
posted by aubilenon at 2:27 PM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yeah ew. I once worked with a woman with two hands of merely two inch nails. She couldnt change her own tampon. Ew.
posted by supermedusa at 6:05 PM on July 16, 2018

Serious question: how does one wipe one’s butt?

This is keeping me awake at night.
posted by pecanpies at 7:29 PM on July 16, 2018

I have an older cousin once removed who had like 9" or 10" nails for many, many, many years. It handicapped her on a daily basis. To clasp her hands shut she had to keep her thumb out to the side and gently lay the other fingers flat against the bottom of her palm. Honestly, we still don't understand the motivation to this day. Eventually she got rid of them. It was horrifyingly strange, but somehow the novelty gave her a much needed sense of identity, I think.

The most asked question was always, "But, how do you.. uh.. wipe?"

The always answer: "Very carefully."
posted by bologna on wry at 10:59 PM on July 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

Wow, I made a post about this this morning and we managed to not use any of the same links in common. Such a great post!
posted by jessamyn at 7:16 AM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

So I...nailed it on the first try?

*rimshot*




I shall go now.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:06 AM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]