The cover of the Asomiya Book of Records

Guwahati, Dec. 10: If you have lived in Assam all your life and thought you knew all about it, here’s a book that will make you think again.

Sample these.

In which district does the largest joint family of Assam live?

Who has written the largest number of books in the state? Under what pseudonym does he/she write?

Stumped, right?

Well, answers to questions like these and many more feature in the first Assamese book of records that hit the stands today.

Compiled by writer Shantanu Kashyap Baruah and published by Guwahati-based Jyoti Prakashan, the Asomiya Book of Records is being touted as the regional cousin of The Guinness Book of Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

“There are many unusual facts and feats by the people of Assam, which are almost impossible to confirm through reference books. Therefore, I realised that a book supplying such information might prove popular,” Baruah said.

“Since The Guinness Book of Records has completed its golden jubilee, my book will be a tribute to one of the most popular books in the world.”

Baruah’s method of gathering information was as interesting as the book itself. First, he published advertisements in newspapers inviting information about interesting feats from people.

“When the advertisements evoked good response, I visited all these places and verified the facts myself before including them in the book,” said Baruah.

His search for information has taken him to almost every nook and corner of the state.

Though he has been working on his “dream project” for the past couple of years, Baruah always had a knack for collecting interesting facts, which culminated in the Asomiya Book of Records.

The book contains 15 chapters, including separate sections on history, sports, culture, transportation and communication, language and literature, human body, science and technology.

Now, the man behind the Concise Assamese Encyclopaedia hopes that his book will encourage people of the state to attempt new records.

But, is there a possibility of certain records being left out? “Of course,” said Baruah. And he has already engineered a method to gather facts that will be included in the second edition of Asomiya Book of Records.

“A form has also been enclosed with the book. If any reader is aware of any such interesting information, he can fill up the form and send it to us. Moreover, if someone breaks a record, it can be intimated to us for inclusion during the next revision through that form,” he said.

So, if you are still guessing who that Assamese writer with the greatest number of books to his credit is, you know where to look it up.