Sharjah students claim ‘human image’ world record

A total of 4,882 students from 12 different nationalities dressed in the UAE’s national colors and took to the school’s football pitch to form the world’s largest human image of a boat.

DUBAI: Children from the India International School in Sharjah, UAE, sailed into the Guinness World Records on Tuesday.

A total of 4,882 students from 12 different nationalities dressed in the UAE’s national colors and took to the school’s football pitch to form the world’s largest human image of a boat.

The event was held to celebrate India’s Children’s Day, which is the birthday of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Previous attempt

The previous record was set by Kellett School in Hong Kong, where 1,325 students participated in creating an image of a boat in November 2016.

According to Dr. Manju Reji, principal of India International School, her students decided to create an image of a boat because it “represents the journey of students in the field of education, which continues through life. [As] the boat involves travelers from all walks of life, they wanted to make a human image of a boat in the color of the UAE’s National Flag; the United Arab Emirates being a nation which glitters for its moral values of universal peace and unity in diversity accommodates various nationalities in its prosperous land.”

Flawless performance

Headmistress Shifana Muiz, who led the project, which involved 275 staff members, said she was proud of her students, who performed their task “flawlessly.”

“The children were extremely disciplined,” she said, describing their ability to hold their positions for over six minutes as “amazing.”

It took around one hour to assemble the students correctly in temperatures over 31 centigrade, she added.

“I (was) very impressed with the young kids of kindergarten whose enthusiasm was as good as a senior-class student,” said Muiz.

Part of the record

Ten-year-old Arav Prasad explained how proud he was to be part of a world record.

“I was so excited that I was not able to sleep last night. But I had my healthy breakfast because my teacher and my mother told me that I have to be healthy and strong if I want to be the part of a world record,” he said.

Guinness World Records’ representative Ahmed Gabr presented Reji with certification of her students’ record-breaking achievement.