Look at the sun and not go blind? Easy! A pensioner from India has set an unusual record

An Indian pensioner has set a strange new record. He stared straight at the sun for an hour without sunglasses and never blinked. What inspired him to do such an unusual act and what is the meaning of it, read further in our material.

Mr. M.S. Verma, a 70-year-old retired government official from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has been preparing for this record for 25 years. The record holder admitted that he was inspired to do this by an Indian guru.

His attempt to break the record - to look at the sun without blinking for an hour - was watched by a representative of the Indian Book of Records, as well as a group of politicians and doctors. When the record was successfully broken, after which Mr. Verma's vision was checked and recognized that it was normal, as was his general eye health.

Mr. Verma managed to beat the previous record. It was installed a few years ago by another Indian who looked at the sun without sunglasses and without blinking for 10 minutes. Most likely, Mr. Verma's achievement will be included in the Guinness Book of Records.

And although the pensioner looked fine after looking at the sun for an hour, smiling and posing for photos with invited officials, experts warn against trying to repeat his experience. It is believed that looking directly at the sun, even for a short time, is very painful and can lead to retinal burns.

However, there are adherents of the so-called Solar Yoga who look at the sun in the mornings and evenings when ultraviolet radiation is minimal. They are convinced that contemplation of the sun is like a kind of "light massage" that improves vision and prevents headaches.