“With every push, I gave my wheelchair, my body strained and screamed with pain. With the summer heat of Dubai raging against me, all I could see in my mind’s eye was the mission at hand – to send a message to all those who are held back by their disability, to let them know this is not the end, but only the beginning of a new chapter in their life,” reads the Instagram post uploaded by Sujith Varghese after creating a Guinness World Record.
But what was so special about the record? Well, knowing the reason may leave you in awe.
Travelling 8.71 km (5.41 miles), passing by the giant Burj Khalifa and going through Dubai Mall, a Kerala-based artist with mobility disabilities inspired millions of people by setting a new Guinness World Record for creating the largest GPS drawing of a wheelchair.
It takes grit and resilience to think, plan and strategies such a challenging mission. Let’s hear what Sujith has to say about this achievement.
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How do you feel after setting the Guinness World Record? How did this idea come into your mind?
I am very grateful for what has been achieved. It’s not a solo achievement as many people were a part of it. People from the Guinness Book of World Records, Dubai police, and Dubai Mall supported me in making this mission successful.
And yes, there was a mission to empower people of determination also, to empower others that limitations are only what one places on their minds and don’t have to be one’s reality!
I have been doing fitness events for a very long time. I am the first person of determination in the UAE to be a personal trainer who is on a wheelchair. In 2018, I pulled a car weighing 1250 kilos for about 8 metres to prove to people that nothing in this world is impossible.
From 2020 onwards, I always had this idea of creating a Guinness World Record. In December 2022, I got a message from the Senior PR Manager of the Guinness World asking if I would be interested in breaking a Guinness World Record. I knew I had to grab that opportunity. And that’s how this mission took birth and with everyone’s support, I could achieve it.
View this post on Instagram
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Your mother appears to be your biggest supporter. What role has she played in your achievements?
My mother is my pillar of strength. In 2018, when I met with a bike accident and got paralysed, I went through trauma, depression and loneliness. It was my mother who took me out of that phase. She always encouraged me and helped me overcome my anger and my adversities. That’s how I bounced back and slowly & steadily reached a position where I could inspire people due to my actions.
I owe my life to my mother. If I would be willing to die for something, it would be for my mother.
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What’s the next plan?
I always love to make a difference. In 2013, when I found myself placed in a position of no choice. I had two options- To give up or make a difference and prove everybody wrong. I chose the latter. I understood that it was all about the mindset. If you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. I realised that mindset has everything to do with perspective. All I needed was the right mindset to bounce back. That’s what I did.
Whatever I have achieved so far is because I wanted to lift myself up but in the process, it helped thousands out there to make better choices. And I am grateful to be in such a position. I will continue to elevate myself and make a difference in people’s lives.
What’s next would definitely be something that empowers many. I will let my action speak louder than words and let my success make the noise.
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What would you like to say to people of determination? Any piece of advice for the readers/viewers?
Be grateful for what you have in life. If you are placed in an opportunity of adversity, that is where you have a true fighting power to rise. I would like to say to all the people who think that they are weak because they are on a wheelchair, they need to stop, rethink and know that they are more powerful than ever.
There is so much an individual can do. If you want to achieve something, go for it. Start it. And it all starts within because within is where all things begin.
