Medical Researcher Quits Job So He Can Take Selfies

Pop Quiz: What’s the world record for the most selfies taken in one hour? If you guessed 7,210, congratulations, you’re wrong. The correct answer is the more pedestrian total of 1,449, with the record being held by Patrick Peterson, a cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. It seems that in order to be a world record holder in the selfie category, you need to be a world-class athlete. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson owns the record for the most selfies taken in three minutes with a record of 105. Despite being up against some spectacular competition, a 24-year-old pharmaceutical research assistant has declared that he will try for the one hour selfie world record.

Really we should call Bhanu Prakash a former pharmaceutical research assistant because he quit his job at a hospital last month to focus on training to set the world record. Prakash was no slouch in the competitive research field either, having graduated ninth in his class at G. Pulla Reddy Pharmacy College. Now, having made his announcement to the world, the resident of Hyderabad, India wants people to cheer him on toward victory. In particular, he hopes that his parents will continue to support his efforts, despite worrying about his long-term future now that he has so abruptly quit his job.

Prakash took his first selfie three years ago at his birthday party and realized he liked having a front-facing camera on his phone. But there was no indication that this would be his eventual path to fame. However, after the media buzz surrounding The Rock’s record reached his ears, the pharmaceutical researcher decided to look into the subject more seriously. He submitted his application to Guinness World Records and they accepted his challenge. Now unemployed, Prakash spends every waking moment practicing for the big event, which will occur at a Hyderabad mall on September 18.

In order to make sure that his fingers stay nimble enough to snap the photos, Bhanu has been practicing hand and wrist exercises. He’s also purchased a selfie stick and a tripod to learn the best angles. To further increase the likelihood of success, he’s been visiting local high schools to practice taking selfies with the students. By his own count, he’s snapped 1,700 selfies in one hour, well ahead of Peterson’s current record. Never satisfied though, Prakash believes that during the Guinness World Record-supervised event next week, he will be able to snap over 1,800 selfies.