The dual life of Taj Muhammad

KARACHI: In a dingy hotel in Karachi’s Shah Faisal Town, Taj Muhammad busies himself with preparing tea for the many customers that sit on the white plastic seats and wooden charpoys scattered across the Taj Hotel.

He doesn’t stand out, nor does he seem out of place behind the counter; working diligently, concentrating on the task at hand, talking softly to those who come within earshot.



But behind those clever eyes, Taj holds a secret — he is a national treasure. Not too long ago, in the neighbourhood’s Pakistan Martial Arts Academy, this otherwise unremarkable tea-maker had completed 2,175 knuckle push-ups in an hour, thus entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the single greatest production of the callisthenic exercise in that time period.

For many, such a feat is a ticket to bigger and better things — to fame, wealth and recognition. But Taj is happy with what he has. He doesn’t yearn for more and he is proud of his day job.

Nor, unlike a vast majority of Pakistan’s athletes, does he whine and complain about his finances and expects the government to support him. In fact, contrary to the reports on TV that portrayed him as an impoverished man finding it hard to make ends meet, Taj actually owns the hotel.

Taj told The Express Tribune that making tea is his family business and he will never give it up. “This is what my father did and this is what I do. I am not ashamed of it,” he said.

He may be a record holder but he is almost more proud of his tea-making prowess than he is of his almost otherworldly feat of strength and endurance.

Tea-maker holds record for most knuckle push-ups in 60 minutes .PHOTO COURTESY: MUHAMMAD RASHID

His cardamom tea, prepared on coals, is one of the best in the city, if not the very best. And those who gather at the Taj Hotel, coming from all parts of the sprawling city, certainly know Taj the tea-maker extraordinaire more than they know Taj the world-record holder.

“I don’t know much about the Guinness and push-ups business, but he most definitely deserves an award for the tea he makes,” said one tea enthusiast who frequents Taj’s establishment opposite Malir’s railway track almost every single night.

“It gets you hooked,” he says fondly, a smile curling ever so slightly across his lips as he savours the taste.

An athlete like few others

And despite being ignored by the government like most of the country’s athletes, he bears no grudges against them and refuses to complain.

Taj has taken a leaf out of the book of his long-time coach Muhammad Rashid — who himself has multiple world records to his name. “Guinness, TV packages, complaints, promises — I’ve been through all of that,” said Rashid. “It gets you nowhere in our country, so why complain? It’s a futile exercise.”



The despair in Rashid’s words speaks volumes about the struggles most of the country’s sportsmen face, especially those not playing cricket.

In such dire circumstances — both unable and unwilling to concentrate on his talent on a full-time basis — Taj’s achievements are nothing short of miraculous. In the meanwhile, deep into the night, a national treasure and world-record holder continues to proudly make the best cardamom tea in town.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2016.

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