In developing countries around the world being crowned the smallest or tallest is a highly sought after and lucrative achievement that can often lead to fame and fortune. India is no exception and takes its very own 'Limca book of records' extremely seriously. Swetlana (Svetlana) Singh is just one of a number of Indian record holders and at 6 ft 8 in she is officially the tallest woman in India. Fame and fortune can often be a mixed blessing and this could not be more true in the world of the tallest and shortest. Along with records come the tags of 'freak-show' or 'physically abnormal'. Record holders are often very unhappy, lonely people isolated because of their size and shape. Yao De-fen, currently the world's tallest woman, has reached her height due to a brain tumor and rarely ventures out of her house. Sandy Allen, America's tallest woman had to rely on charity to support her and still ended up a very lonely person. Is India's tallest woman any different?

Svetlana Singh (India) claims to be 7'2", but was actually measured at 6'8" tall. Her son was 4'5" tall at the age of 2,5 years old and is believed to be the world's tallest toddler. In previous films and articles Swetlana had talked of her desire to be a movie star or sports star, the birth of her son has seemed to have changed her priorities. Karan was now setting his own records and maybe taking some of the pressure off Swetlana, from her husband and the Indian media. Swetlana now has the responsibility of guiding Karan and helping him deal with the challenges that come with being a record breaker. With his mother's advice and a very healthy appetite, there is every chance that Karan could one day grow to be the tallest man in India, if not the world.

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and [email protected]