An hour-long fun programme in Visakhapatnam eyes Guinness record

Steel Plant employee presents 654 jokes at a pace of 10 jokes per minute

Korukonda Ranga Rao, employee of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and founder-secretary of Laughter Fun Club, presenting jokes as part of 'Most Jokes Told in an Hour' at Vysakhi Jala Vudyana Vanam in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

“Patient: Doctor, I could not understand the last medicine that you have prescribed. Doctor: That’s my signature”, ‘What does it mean if a person goes to office even after his retirement? He is not able to sleep at home’, ‘If marriages are made in heaven, the rest of the episode happens in hell’, ‘A director needs a rehearsal for every activity’ and the witty lines went on for an hour.

In a bid to break the record of Anthony Lehmann from Australia for ‘most jokes told in an hour’, Korukonda Ranga Rao, a recipient of Limca Book of Records, founder-secretary of Laughters Fun Club and an employee of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, had the audience in splits as he went on with his mission to enter Guinness Book of World Records at Vysakhi Jala Vudyana Vanam here on Sunday.

The hall was packed with the audience waiting impatiently for the programme which began at 11 a.m.

According to the 12 judges, who were present at the event, Mr. Ranga Rao presented 654 jokes at a pace of almost 10 jokes per minute.

During the entire hour, Mr. Ranga Rao floored the audience with his untiring clarity, body language, tone and presentation skills. Audience filled the air with a roar of laughter when he narrated jokes on a wife’s nagging traits and how most men tend to lose their peace of mind after marriage. Many were able to relate to him when he said: ‘when a man laughs wholeheartedly that means he is unmarried’. Mr. Ranga Rao jokes touched varied subjects like beggar, politicians, neighbour, amateur doctor, barber and actor, among several others.

Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao who turned up for a few-minute presence, ended up enjoying the show till the last-minute.

Along with others, MLAs Malla Vijay Prasad and Tynala Vijay Kumar, director of Academy of Robotics M. Srikanth, director (Personnel) Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Y.R. Reddy, film actor Poornima, VSP trade union leaders and officials were seen laughing to their heart’s content at the event.

Great relief

In today’s world where it is easier to make someone cry, Mr. Ranga Rao’s effort to make people laugh for 60 minutes offered a great relief and is likely to find a place in the Guinness book after due process of verification.