LARKANA, SINDH: When Ameer Ali Mangi, 54, married Khudeja Ameer, 49, on August 1, 1991, little did they know that the date would not only serve as a cause for several celebrations years later, but also help the family rewrite history books.
Mangi, a resident of Larkana city in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, helped his family make it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2019 after getting recognized for having the most family members born on the same date.
In an astounding coincidence, all nine members of the family were born on August 1, something that has never happened before.
Despite the global recognition, Mangi feels he hasn’t received enough recognition in his own country.
“The change I faced after achieving the Guinness World Record is that I became popular worldwide, but I am not as popular in Pakistan,” Mangi said. “Unfortunately, my family did not receive the level of appreciation in Pakistan that it deserved.
Ameer Ali Mangi, the head of the Pakistani family that holds the Guinness World Record for having nine family members born on the same day, is pictured posing with a medal representing the record. (AN Photo)
Mangi says he received congratulatory calls from countries such as the US, UK and Australia. However, apart from Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, Mangi believes his family got “little appreciation”
“The Guinness Book of World Records has made me famous throughout the world, however, I wish the government (of Pakistan) should acknowledge me,” Mangi said.
Mangi was born on August 1, 1968, while his wife was born on August 1, 1973. Among their seven children, the couple are blessed to have two sets of twins, comprising two daughters and two sons.
Twin sisters Susui Ameer and Sapna Ameer were born on August 1, 1998, while twin brothers Ammar Ahmar Ali and Ahmar Ameer Ali were born on August 1, 2003.
The other children, Aamir Ameer Ali, and his brother, Ambar Ameer Ali, were born on August 1, 2001, and August 1, 2002, respectively. Their sister Sindhoo Ameer was born on August 1, 1992.
Ameer Ali Mangi, the head of the Pakistani family that holds the Guinness World Record for having nine family members born on the same day, is discussing a family photo with his son Ahmar Ameer Ali in Larkana on May 05, 2023. (AN Photo)
An American family of five previously held the world record for the most number of family members born on the same date. The family held the record till 1966.
Upon finding out they were no longer the record holders, the family called Mangi and congratulated him.
“When my family broke their record, the American family called me and wished me and my family,” Mangi shared.
The Mangi family in Pakistan, who hold the Guinness World Record for having nine family members born on the same day, pose for a celebratory family photo at their home in Larkana. (AN Photo)
Khudeja expressed happiness at the record, saying it brought fame to her family.
“We are filled with joy as the record has increased our popularity, resulting in numerous interviews being conducted with us,” Khudeja told Arab News.
“Before achieving the record, our family used to celebrate our birthdays modestly,” Susui Ameer told Arab News. “But now, we celebrate with much more happiness and excitement.”
Mangi says the world record has made the family into celebrities, adding that friends congratulate them and take selfies with the whole family wherever they go.
“Human beings sometimes achieve records that they did not actively work toward, and our family’s record is an example of nature’s wonder,” he added.
