Surprising detail on man's passport discovered by airport officials
A man has stunned airport officials after they discovered a shocking detail on his passport.
Swami Sivananda, from India, caused a stir when he passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport recently, Gulf News reported.
He was travelling from London to Kolkata, The Sun reported.
On Mr Sivananda’s passport, his birthday is listed as August 8, 1896.
That would make Mr Sivananda 123 years old – the oldest person currently alive and possibly the oldest person in history.
It’s not known if the date is entirely accurate but both The Sun and Gulf News report the date was confirmed by India’s temple register. It’s said to be the only record of his birth.
If it is indeed accurate, it means Mr Sivananda lived through both world wars, the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the birth and death of Charlie Chaplin.
As to how he’s apparently managed to live this long, Mr Sivananda puts it down to discipline and the principles he learned as a Hindu monk.
He’s abstinent and does yoga.
“I eat very simply - only boiled food without oil or spices, rice and boiled daal (lentil stew) with a couple of green chillies,” he said in an interview in 2016.
Mr Sivananda also sleeps on the floor with a wooden plank for a pillow.
If he is 123, it means he’s older than Japanese woman Kane Tanaka who is recognised as the oldest living person at 116 years old.
It also means he has lived longer than French woman Jeanne Clement who died in 1997 aged 122. Ms Clement is recognised as the oldest person ever.
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