While some of you may have caught a glimpse of the Ariel World's Largest Kurta while driving down the Karsaz flyover near National Stadium, seeing it up close and personal is a different feeling altogether. Standing in its enormity amongst a dazzling display of lights, it is 101 feet tall — almost as high as an eight-storey building! Made to scale, the sparkling white Kurta is designed to be 30 times larger than an average medium-sized Kurta. For a person to be able to wear the Kurta, he or she would have to be 175 feet tall!

This Kurta has been certified as the World's Largest Kurta by Guinness World Records and the Kurta team used this occasion as a call for celebration. The end result was a spectacular display of fireworks in the backdrop of the Kurta hoisted to its full glory that left everyone present there completely spellbound and overjoyed.

As I stood in front of this mammoth creation and marvelled at its

splendour, heightened by the fiery burst of colours in the evening sky, I was filled with a sense of delight and great pride. Made in Pakistan, this enormous and spectacular Kurta, which is also very heavy and made from 800 yards of fabric, is the first of its kind entry in the Guinness World Records. Yet another feather in Pakistan's cap to prove there is so much more to this country.

Some interesting facts about the World's Largest Kurta

• The World's Largest Kurta was certified by Guinness based on the measurement taken in January 2008

• The Kurta is 101 feet tall and 59 feet three inches wide. Each sleeve is almost 57 feet long

• It took a team of 50 hardworking professional tailors a period of 30 days to make the Kurta

• The Kurta, is made of 800 yards of cotton blend fabric

• Our very own famous designer Deepak Perwani has added subtle yet stylish adornments to the Kurta to add to make it trendy while still being traditional

• This is the first time that Guinness World Record has recognised a record for a kurta and hence, the World's Largest Kurta is a first of its kind entry

• The Kurta will be used to create smaller kurtas that will be donated to children sheltered by Edhi Foundation across Pakistan.