For most teenage boys, finding a girlfriend is difficult enough.
But for India’s longest teenager Yashwant Raut it’s an even taller order as he fears he will never find a girl who measures up.
The 14-year-old already stands at 6ft 7in and is still growing, with doctors warning he could reach soon reach 8ft, making him the world’s tallest.
‘I always hit my head when I’m walking around the house and in school, and I can’t fit in our car or sit properly at my school desk,’ Yashwant told MailOnline. ‘Everything is a problem for me.’
Yashwant, who wears size 15 shoes, comes from an short family – his father is 5ft 5ins, his mother only comes up to his waist at 4ft 5ins and his sister Triveni measures 5ft.
The schoolboy from Solapur in Maharashtra, western India, said: ‘I don’t fit on my bed so I can’t sleep properly at night. We need a customised bed but we haven’t got round to it yet.’
But his biggest fear is that he will never find a wife when the time comes for him to settle down.
‘I want a girl who will be tall enough,’ he said. ‘She has to suit my height. If I don’t find a girl who can match my height or get close even, I probably will not marry at all.’
But despite the daily trials and tribulations, Yashwant is trying to make the most of being unique and dreams of becoming a basketball player.
‘I feel my height is a huge strength in my life,’ he said. ‘There have been times when I feel really special, like a celebrity, when people stop me to click pictures and ask for my autograph.
‘I always wanted to be tall but I never imagined I would grow this tall.
‘My height will make me a great basketball player. I want to play for my country one day.’
Yashwant’s father, Brahmadev Raut, 40, is proud because his son stands out in a crowd.
‘People stop and look as he steps out of our home, sometimes they say good comments and sometimes bad,’ the teacher said. ‘But we teach him to take every word as inspiration and motivation and just move on with his life.’
His mother Suman Raut, 36, who also works as a teacher, wants her son to be recognised across the globe for his height.
‘People still tease Yashwant but he does not let them get him down’.
Suman added: ‘Some people call him lambu (tall man) and others tag him Amitabh Bachchan (a tall Bollywood actor).
‘Some even accuse him of being abnormal and I obviously feel bad for him. However, I choose to ignore them and tell my son to ignore them.
‘Most people are kind so we just remember the kind people.’
He has applied to Guinness World Records but he has been told he has to wait until he’s 18 to be considered for one of their records.
India’s tallest man is Dharmendra Singh, 32, from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, who stands at 8ft 1in.
In an interview last year, he revealed he was struggling to find love due to his height.
Culled from maildaily.co.uk