Digestive daredevilry: Scientist savours 23 litchis in 3 minutes

Time of India

26-05-2025

Patna: In a spectacle that could only be described as fruity madness or digestive daredevilry, Shaista Tabassum, an agricultural scientist at Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University in Pusa, Samastipur, shocked everyone by downing 23 litchis in just 3 minutes.
The occasion? The university's Litchi Mahotsav, a serious (but also seriously juicy) affair aimed at promoting Bihar's famed litchi production. But the highlight was not a groundbreaking climate-resilient farming solution. No, it was the "Litchi Khao, Inam Pao" (Eat Litchi, Win Rewards) contest, essentially an excuse to stuff one's face in the name of agricultural advancement.
"The litchis were sweet, the stopwatch was cruel," said Tabassum, still blinking in post-sugar haze.
"By the 18th litchi, I could not tell if I was chewing fruit or my own ambition. But science demanded sacrifice," Tabassum added.
Vice-chancellor P S Pandey, who observed the event with a mix of pride and mild disbelief, said, "We are combining litchi with honey, lemon, gooseberry, basically anything within arm's reach, to make it marketable year-round. Soon you will find litchi in everything but your shampoo."
The event, attended by students, scientists, and an increasingly worried registrar, also discussed long-term litchi storage. But let's be honest – after witnessing someone inhale nearly two dozen litchis in 180 seconds, who is thinking about storage?