Bhopal, July 29: Tall men need big beds. But very tall men?

King-size beds, of course.

Balram Jakhar, the new occupant of Raj Bhavan in Madhya Pradesh, is over six-and-a-half feet and his height is forcing a change in the size of beds in circuit houses across the state.

The governor was recently in Ujjain to pray at the Mahakal temple and the district administration had made suitable arrangements. But late in the evening, officials realised they had a problem in their hands: Suite No. 1 of the circuit house had a bed barely over six feet in length, too short for the “honourable governor”.

For the next two hours as Jakhar sipped coffee and chatted with a delegation of farmers, the administration went into a tizzy. Finally, officials joined three beds and covered them with thick Jaipuri mattresses to make it look like a “king-size bed”.

Since then, officials in other districts have been scouting for “king-size” beds for their VIP suites just in case the governor turns up to spend a night. But their problem is that most manufacturers in the state make 3x6.15-foot beds whereas Jakhar needs one about seven-foot long.

At Raj Bhavan, days before Jakhar arrived, new beds specially designed for the new occupant replaced the old ones.

Speaking to The Telegraph, a district collector said while looking for large-size beds, he came across several sizes and varieties with exotic names that ranged from Dynasty King, Kensington King, White King and Majestique King to Chelsea King. Considering Jakhar’s past as a Congress leader, the official said he had no problem in zeroing in on a Dynasty King bed.

The collector added that he has learnt there are two types of king-size beds: the Standard King also known as Eastern King and the California King or the Western King. King-size beds are the only ones that offer two sleepers almost the same room as one twin bed. In fact, two extra-long twin beds can be put together to form a Standard King.

The California or the Western King is four inches narrower than the Eastern King. It measures 72 inches by 84 inches and gives each a sleeper 36 inches of personal space despite being narrower than the Standard King.

But knowledge about king-size beds has not solved the problem. The collectors are now racking their brains on how to push the huge beds through the narrow doors of the Raj-era circuit house suites.

Any suggestions?