World’s Oldest Living Person Lives in Gingee Town, in Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu, India.

. By T.V. Antony Raj

Gingee (Senji Junction) is a panchayat town in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located between three hills. Nearby towns are Tindivanam (28 km away), Tiruvannamalai (39 km away) and Villupuram.

"Gingee Fort" by Sean Patrick Doran selected for Google Earth. — “Gingee Fort” by Sean Patrick Doran selected for Google Earth.

Tourists are attracted to Gingee for its historical Fort popularly known as “Gingee Fort” (Tamil: Senji Koattai). The Fort was founded in 1190 AD by the Kon dynasty. Later during the 13th century the fort was extended by the Chola dynasty. In 1638, Gingee came under the control of Bijapur Sultan of Vijayanagar; in 1677, it was under the control of Maratha king Shivaji, in 1690, it came under the Mughals, and became the headquarters of Arcot; in 1750, it went into the hands of the French; and eventually, the British took control of the Gingee Fort in 1762.

Now, near this historical town in the village called Jambodi lives a couple who are creating history. They are 123-years-old A. Rangasamy Gounder and his wife Sadachi Ammal, aged 108.

World's oldest living man Rangasamy Gounder with his wife Sadachi Ammal — World’s oldest living man Rangasamy Gounder with his wife Sadachi Ammal

Their family members produced the ration-card issued in 2005 to prove the ages of these two elders. According to the ration card, Rangasamy Gounder was 115-years-old and his wife Sadachi was 100-years-old at that time.

Their 80-year-old son Balakrishnan, who is 80 now, said the ration card issued to his parents in 2005 was duly verified by the revenue authorities.

So, Rangasamy Gounder is now 123-years-old and could well be the oldest human known in history – surpassing Monsieur Jeanne Calment of France who died in August 1997, by almost 200 days.

Rangasamy Gounder is in good health and so is his wife Sadachi Ammal. They live in their ancestral abode in Jambodi village.

They have three sons, 39 grandchildren and two great grandchildren living in various parts of Tamil Nadu.

Their grandson B. Sekar, a farm coolie who lives close by said that his grandparents even though old, were are quite independent and manage themselves well. He further said that his grandfather has so far not gone to a doctor for any treatment and his grandmother went just once after she had a fall at home. According to Sekar, his grandfather’s teeth are all intact but disoloured due to chewing beetle leaves.