At the end of May 2022, spotlights worldwide focused on Dor Bahadur Khapangi (Nepal), the shortest teenager living (male).
Dor Bahadur, who is seventeen, was presented with his Guinness World Records certificate by Nepal Tourism Board CEO Dhananjay Regmi during a ceremony held in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.
Born 14 November 2004, the record-breaking teen is the youngest son of two farmers and lives in the Sindhuli district, 130 kilometers southeast of the capital.
Dor Bahadur lives with his parents and siblings, who are all of average height, who help him with his day-to-day activities.
The teen was confirmed to be 73.43 cm (2 ft 4.9 in) on 23 March 2022.
His older brother, Nara Bahadur, recalls that Dor Bahadur’s height was like that of any other child in the first few years of his life.
However, he stopped growing after his seventh birthday.
“At the age of 12 or 13, we knew that he would not grow,” Nara Bahadur says.
“We decided to carry out his medical test. We are still trying that.”
Unfortunately, due to financial reasons, the family couldn’t continue with Dor Bahadur’s tests and treatments and still don’t know the cause for the teen’s unique height.
According to his brother, the medical tests that have been carried out so far show that nothing seems out of the ordinary in his health.
Day-to-day life is not easy for a Dor Bahadur.
Although he helps with small tasks like feeding the chickens, the teen can’t walk for long and is unable to lift anything heavy.
His family carries him back and forth from school every day: his mother takes him every morning, while a niece helps Dor Bahadur on the way back after the bell rings.
His family also help to dress him and help him eat during meals.
“We have to take care of everything, including feeding him.” – Nara Bahadur Khapangi
After school, Dor Bahadur rests for a while.
After that, he eats with the help of someone in the family.
“He doesn’t have particular interests,” Nara Bahadur explains.
“If there are other children around, he plays with them. Otherwise, he starts doing his homework.”
When he spends time outdoors, Dor Bahadur likes to play with a ball.
“He mostly plays ball with simple movements,” his brother explains.
“Normally, his playtime companions are around seven or eight years old.”
The teenager also had a couple of friends his age in the village, although they have now relocated to work or study.
At the moment, Dor Bahadur hasn’t had the chance to leave the village and work on his future.
However, his family hopes that the worldwide recognition following his announcement as the world’s shortest teen can open new doors for him.
“I’m happy that my brother has received a Guinness World Records certificate,” Nara Bahadur says, as they all hope that being a Guinness World Records title holder will give Dor Bahadur the means to further his education.
