The previous world record was held by Dubai, where the migrants and local citizens had donated 2,95,122 articles of clothing in 2016
More than 76,000 donors from across the globe donated about 300,000 plus articles of clothing to break the world record in clothing donation, in a campaign initiated by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, a former royal from Udaipur. The feat was officially recognised by Guinness World Records on 9 March, by issuing an official certificate in this regards.
The previous world record was held by Dubai, where the migrants and local citizens had donated 295,122 articles of clothing in 2016.
The donation campaign, initiated on 15 January, was run for around three months with the help of 1,700 volunteers across the globe, said Singh, the man behind the campaign. It culminated with the counting of the donated articles at a hotel in Udaipur on Sunday, he added.
Donations came in from more than 12 countries including Australia, USA, Oman, Sri Lanka and the UAE. More than 80 drop points within and outside India were set up for the campaign.
Donors for the three-month long campaign included students from more than 120 schools and 10 colleges from across the country. A concurrently run social media outreach got the campaign 6 lakh online supporters as well.
Prince Lakshyaraj said, “Roti, Kapda and Makaan (food, clothes and shelter) are three essentials of one’s life. There are several government schemes for food and shelter, but we forget that clothes are equally important. This campaign was just a beginning for us. We will soon distribute these cloths to the needy people from underserved communities of India.”
“We had an overwhelming response from across the world. This record will etch Udaipur’s name on world map as the city of big hearts,” he added.
The campaign was supported by Khodal Dham Trust of Gujarat, music maestros Salim Sulaiman, cricketers Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, NGOs Goonj and Clothes Box Foundation.
Prince Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar did his graduation from Australia, and still continues his deep engagement with Australian Indian community. He is also an “Honorary Member” for Richmond Tigers FC in AFL, apart from being a devotee of ISKCON Temple in Albert Park.
Leading up to the Victorian State Elections in November 2018, the Liberals had announced to nominate Prince Lakshyaraj as Victorian Business Ambassador for India. Premier Daniel Andrews is yet to formally announce his support for the same move.
Commented former ministerial adviser Mr Nitin Gupta: “I would like to congratulate HH Prince Lakshyaraj on his world record. I would also request Premier Daniel Andrews for bi-partisan support on nomination of Prince Lakshyaraj as Victorian Business Ambassador.”
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