Alka Jahagirdar is in the record books for whistling 602 tunes non-stop for 14 hours. Can a Guinness mention be far behind?
As a child, when little Alka used to whistle tunes, her grandma would shut her up saying no self-respecting man would marry a girl who whistles like a tapori! But at 44 today, Alka Jahagirdar has been acknowledged by the Limca Book of World Records for whistling 602 different tunes non-stop for 14 hours, in various languages like Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, etc. And she''s also trying for a mention in the Guinness Book.
And it's her husband she thanks for this unique achievement. "Sadanand is the one who told the authorities at Limca Book of World Records about me," gushes the doting wife. But that''s not all. Alka has performed 733 live shows across India, recorded three cassettes and has been felicitated by the likes of Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, and Kalyanji-Anandji.
"My grandfather used to play the shehnai. Soon I found that I could whistle all the ragas he played," says Alka. "I now whistle all the time... while cooking, bathing, playing with my children. But there is also a lot of serious riyaaz involved. I get up at 4.30 am, shut myself up in a soundproof room and whistle to the tune of my tanpura continuously for an hour every day. I also practise pranayam for breathing," says Alka.
Alka will next be seen in Mahesh Bhatt''s film Filmstar. "I play a corrupt constable, who provides the comic element by whistling sad and happy tunes in the film, whenever the occasion demands," says the ''whistle-blower''. "It''s very much like me in real life," she says.