M A I N   N E W S

Special to the tribune
141-yr-old Valley man may be world’s oldest
Shyam Bhatia in London

Guinness World Records may investigate claims that India is home to the oldest man in the world. The claimant is a retired fruit trader, Feroz-un-Din Mir, from Uri in Baramulla district of Kashmir, only 18 km from the Line of Control.

Married to a woman in her 80s, Mir has had four previous wives and claims he is 141 years old.

Guinness World Records currently recognises 115-year-old Japanese Misao Okawa (nee Aoki), who was born on March 5, 1898, as the oldest living person.

Feroz in his testimony claims a birth certificate issued by the government confirms he was born in Bijhama village, Uri, on March 10, 1872.

The eldest son of fruit trader Matulli Mir, Feroz used to accompany his father on trips from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad and Karachi.

He is quoted by the weekly, Kashmir Life, as telling what happened when Pakistani raiders crossed into Kashmir (in 1947-48). “We all went hiding in the mountains when they came. They destroyed the Mohra power house and killed the man guarding it.”

His grandson Abdul Rashid recounts how Feroz used to “tell us stories about Pakistan of old days when it was not called Pakistan but was still a part of India… we used to hear so many stories from him when we were young and we would never get fed up.” A spokeswoman for Guinness World Records told The Tribune: “Guinness World Records has not been contacted by Mr Din Mir’s family. If the family wishes to have their claim verified by our record management team, they can contact us via our website www.guinnessworldrecords.com.”

Guinness may probe

• Feroz-un-Din Mir, a retired fruit trader from Uri in Baramulla district, claims he is 141 years old
• Says he has a government certificate that confirms he was born in Bijhama village, Uri, on March 10, 1872