An army man, a hard-core football buff, is eyeing a place in the Guinness record books through his juggling skills that had already won him accolades from top army brass and the Jharkhand sports minister.
"I juggled a football continuously for 27 hours in my village last year. I can again repeat the show whenever I get the opportunity," Ashok Oraon of the 17th Bihar Regiment posted in Darjeeling claimed on Sunday.
He had already displayed his antics before top army officials, Chief Minister Madhu Koda and state Sports Minister Bandhu Tirkey and the latter, pleased with his talent, presented him a cheque for Rs 10,000 in August 2007.
The lance naik wants to emulate and better the records set by Martinho Eduardo Orige, Tomas Lundman and Erick Hernandez. "I have seen the timing of all the three. I bet I would one day rewrite their records."
Orige entered the record book on August 2-3, 2003, for frolicking with a regulation soccer ball for 19 hours and 30 minutes non-stop using his feet and head with the ball never touching the turf.
Lundman went on heading a ball for eight hours, thirty two minutes and three seconds on February 27, 2004, and Hernandez nudged the ball with his head an amazing 319 times.
Oraon, who undergoes seven-eight hours of daily grind to chisel his skill, said he was in touch with senior officials to help him take up his claim with the Guinness authorities.
Oraon has named his two sons Brazil and British Toppo, after the soccer powerhouses and cherishes his meeting with soccer icon Bhaichung Bhutia.
"The most thrilling moment came when I got a chance to treat Bhutia for 15 minutes during the visit of Indian soccer captain to attend an exhibition match on January 23," said a beaming Oraon.
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