Mirzapur, (UP), March 4: New York Times
bestselling author Prem Rawat and Indian author Vipul Rikhi, set a new Guinness World Record for the largest audience at a
multiple-author book reading, attracting 133,234 attendees. The event, organised by local charity Raj Vidya Kender in
Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, shattered the previous record of 20,264—held by J.K. Rowling and two Canadian authors since
2000—by an incredible margin of nearly 113,000.
Rawat known for “Hear Yourself: How to Find Peace in a Noisy World”, read excerpts first from his latest book, “Breath: Wake Up to Life”, published in English by Pan Macmillan and then in Hindi by HarperCollins India:
“Breath comes into you and you are alive. The power that ripples through the whole universe comes through you in the form of the
breath, and makes it possible for you to be. Turn within, feel this breath.This is the most incredible miracle there is! The source of the joy that you want is inside of you, not outside”, he said.
Joining him, Vipul Rikhi read to the crowd with selections from his book “Drunk on Love, a poetic exploration of Kabir’s work”, published by HarperCollins India. One of the inspiring couplets, he read:
‘Swans swans mei namm le, virtha swans mat khoye Na jaane is svaans ka phir aavan hoye na hoye’
Remember the name in each breath, don’t let a single breath go in vain who knows if in the next moment, another breath will come again.
This achievement marks Rawat’s 3rd Guinness World Record.
In 2023, he set records for the largest audience at a single-author book reading (114,704 attendees) and the largest attendance at a lecture (375,603 attendees). His latest record underscores the enduring global appeal of his message of peace and inspiration, drawing massive crowd in India and beyond.
“We’re thrilled to witness such an overwhelming response,” said Lohit
Sharma, representing Raj Vidya Kender and international sponsor Words of Peace Global. “This event reflects the power of Prem Rawat’s message to inspire humanity towards peace which is so much needed
in this world today”, he said..
