|
||
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Astrology
Chat
Cityscape
Classifieds
Entertainment
Health
Matrimonial |
|
|
|
Raghav Somani, a 14-year old Chennai kid, makes it to the Guinness Book with his collection of airline baggage tags! He has collected the maximum number of cabin baggage tags in the world. He has 469 tags covering 115 airlines. Collecting the baggage tag has been a curious learning experience and a story of perseverance for the young boy. It started quite unintentionally. Raghav liked drawing aeroplanes as a little boy. The only hassle was that he could not get the logo on the tail of the planes quite right. So he used to cut out the logos on baggage tags and paste it on his drawings. Thus, collecting tags became a habit with the young boy. He put these away in a box and did not think about it. The collection, however, kept growing. Raghav, who is a computer game buff, loves to browse the Internet. In one of his surfing sessions last year, he stumbled on the official website of the Guinness World Records. He saw the application form on the website that invited the public to send information on their feats and look for a place in the Guinness. Raghav went back and counted the baggage tags he had. He found that he actually had 299 unique, cabin baggage tags from airlines around the world. Raghav filled the Guinness application form, though he hardly expected a reply. Meanwhile, he looked around more actively for tags and friends, relatives, airport officials and airline staff obliged him. Wherever he went, he visited airports and any airline offices to look for tags. Raghav says collecting baggage tags is not an easy task. It is very difficult to get the tags of foreign airlines. Eventually, Guinness replied very unenthusiastically. They did not have a category for tag collectors and his collection was too small to be listed. For most children it would have been a disappointing end of story. But for Raghav, it just triggered a passion. Raghav posted messages on newsgroups in the Internet about his collection and began to receive tags from unknown well-wishers. Cousins, friends, classmates, hotel bell captains, and teachers pitched in. An unexpected bonus came as a response to the mail through newsgroups. A printer from New Jersey, Bob Gober, wrote saying he had printed baggage tags for different airlines and he could spare him a few and sent him 80 tags! The Guinness Book of Records office wrote to Raghav saying they had decided to include Baggage Tags as a new category. They needed a fresh application that was quite a list of requirements including authentication, press coverage, signed attestations etc. Raghav worked on fulfilling these with the help of his parents. His tag collection came out of the box and was sorted and displayed in albums. Guinness' acceptance came too late to make it in the current edition of the book, but may find a place in the next. Their acceptance letter and citation are with Raghav now. Getting a mention in a book that sells more than 94 million copies in 100 different countries and 37 languages and provides a glimpse into the worlds of perseverance and accomplishment makes Raghav happy.
The tag boy has become quite a popular guy in his school, Sishya. The principal was impressed by his enthusiasm and perseverance and helped him find a place in the Limca Book of Records. Raghav, who studies at class IX, plays keyboard, loves Bryan Adams, watches football and racing and plays tennis and golf. What if his record is broken? That does not worry Raghav. No one can take away his achievement and the fun he had collecting tags. Besides, there is room to grow. With over a thousand airlines, innumerable special charters and changing designs of tags, the sky is the limit for an airline tag collector!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Copyright
2008, Chennai Interactive
Business Services (P) Ltd. |
|
The baggage tag, a piece of attractive paper used by all airlines for safety purposes, meets its end in the trashcan. Its fate is decided even before it gets torn off at the airline counters at the airport. But it does have its moments, where it adds vanity to the baggage for a few hours. Who would have thought that it could be a visa to the Limca Book of Records or the Guinness Book of World Records?
His little tags have brought Raghav friends and novel experiences. He has also picked a lot of trivia about airlines. (There are 1,100 airlines in the world!).
