Barber snips his way into Malaysia Book of Records

S. Kalitasan, a barber from Bidor, Perak with his certificate. - Bernamapic

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): S. Kalitasan, a barber from Bidor, Perak earned himself a Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) entry on Wednesday (May 1) for giving 144 haircuts to get the "Most Haircuts in 24 Hours By An Individual" accolade.

Nicknamed Mr Dhass, the 31-year-old began his attempt on Tuesday (April 30) morning and beat MBR's given target of 100 haircuts by 44 this afternoon.

"I am grateful for being the first to break the MBR record for this category. I wanted to succeed and do something special for myself," he told Bernama after receiving the MBR certificate in a special ceremony at his barbershop in Batu Caves on Wednesday.

The Selangor Mentri Besar's political secretary, A. Rahim Ahmad Kasdi, and Batu MP P. Prabakaran were also there to see his joy at proving that a person from a poor background could succeed.

Mr Dhass said he intends to break the world record by giving 1,000 haircuts next.

Recalling his start in the business, the barber said he arrived in Kuala Lumpur in search of a better life to support his elderly father in 2002 with just RM40 in his pocket.

"I still remember my first four days in KL. I had to sleep at a bus stop because I had no house. My friend, Satis, helped me a lot and taught me hair-cutting techniques. I was able to open Kedai Gunting Rambut Dhass in 2016, and support my beloved wife, N. Malathi, too," he said.

MBR operation, research and marketing manager, Edwin Yeoh, said: "Anything is possible if you have courage and determination, and today we have Mr Dhass with his unbelievable achievement.

"MBR needs more local records like this to show the world that Malaysians are talented," he said. - Bernama