Car park security guard first person to count to one billion

MANAMA: A Pakistani car park security guard in Bahrain has become the first recorded person in the world to count to one billion.

Irfan Donovan, 54, who works in the underground car park of Manama’s Golden Orchid 3 hotel, reached the historic milestone last Tuesday, having begun counting almost 27 years ago.

“I started shortly after I got this job as a means to pass the time, 1,000,103,442,” said Donovan, who also claims that his work – which involves sitting in a plastic chair for 14 hours a day and making sure nothing untoward happens in the car park – “isn’t the most creatively challenging, 1,000,103,443”.

Speaking to journalists, Donovan admitted that his record-breaking feat hadn’t been all plain sailing over the years.

“Some time in the early 90s I lost my count at around 235,459,000 and had to start again when a guy asked me about directions, 1,000,103,444,” he said. “And then, in 2003, a stray cat that had crawled under a car put me off for a few seconds, but I eventually managed to find my place, 1,000,103,445.”

Unfortunately for Donovan, who says he now plans to wind down his counting in order to focus on an autobiography and world speaking tour, his achievement is likely to be eclipsed in the next few years.

Akshay DelGardo, an Indian construction site security guard in Dubai, last month passed 900,000,000 and at his current rate of counting is due to hit the one billion mark in early March 2015. DelGardo has already said that, such is the relentless monotony of his day-to-day work, he fully expects to be the first to pass two billion.