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trueWeird

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A Massachusetts manpaddled his way into theGuinness World Recordsbook by embarking on thelongest voyage ever taken— in a pumpkin.“It was crazy,” said Todd

Sandstrum, after traveling3¹/₂ miles down the TauntonRiver in the 817­poundgourd. “The last couplehundred feet was prettyemotional.”Guinness had set a three­

mile minimum on the first­of­its kind endeavor.

Meanwhile, Guinness hasposted video of a man fromIndia breaking the recordfor fastest time to type us­ing only one’s nose.Beating the previous mark

by more than a second, Vi­nod Kumar Chaudhary, ofNew Delhi typed, “Guin­ness world records havechallenged me to type thissentence using my nose inthe fastest time” in just 46.3seconds.

A weed­loving superherowho stands for truth, justiceand the marijuana way hasbeen pushing for pot legal­ization in Ohio.Known to college kids as

Buddie, the caped cannabiscrusader has been visitingcampuses across the stateand asking students to votein favor of legalizing reeferin a November referendum.

A British man is auction­ing off a chunk of extremelyrare whale vomit for$10,000 in the world’s firstauction of its kind.The waxlike ambergris

was discovered by a dogwalker on a beach inWales.The excretion, which is

highly valued in the per­fume­trading industry, isproduced in the intestinesof sperm whales to protectthem from the sharp beaksof squid they have eaten.

What a bright idea.University of Edinburgh

scientists have injectedchicks with a fluorescentgreen protein that makestheir beaks and feet glow inthe dark.The fowls were geneti­

cally modified with a “de­coy” gene to help expertsmonitor how susceptiblethey are to bird flu.

Chris Perez, Wires

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overAsia

Press

From NY fashionistato no possessions

By HELEN ROBERTSPost Correspondent

ASANSOL, India — Sitting there,waiting to take the very last bath ofher life, Nisha Kapashi was the hap­piest she had ever been.The New York­born former fash­

ionista, 30, was taking part in Dik­sha, the sacred ceremony of re­nouncing one’s materialistic life, inorder to become a Jain nun.“Imagine an Indian wedding, well,

it was just like that,’’ the ex­quintes­sential Manhattanite told The Postof the emotional January ceremony.“I was getting married to the Jain

nun philosophy, and I was treatedlike a bride,” she said. “I had my lastbath ever, and I had my hair shavedoff as a symbol of renouncing myold life. People believe we have ourhair plucked out, but [it’s] only afew strands. The rest is shaved.”While brought up within the an­

cient Indian religion as a child, Ka­pashi said she never imagined theday would come. Seven years ear­lier, Kapashi had been living in theBig Apple fulfilling her dream ofworking in the fashion industry.Born in Poughkeepsie, she at­

tended the Fashion Institute ofTechnology, and then landed an in­ternship at Kate Spade and a high­paying job at J.Crew.She had a closet full of high­end

fashion labels, and her parents puther up in a lavish, one­bedroomapartment on Sixth Avenue and 34thStreet, near Macy’s.“At 23, I was finally living the life I

had dreamed about as a teenager,”Kapashi said.“I used to eat my lunch near the

office on Union Square every dayand eat at some of the top restau­rants at night with my friends,” shesaid. “I was never a party animaland I never drank alcohol, but Iloved good food, especially Italianfood and pasta.”But not even all the pasta and

Prada in the world could fill theemptiness that was growing insideher, Kapashi said.“I couldn’t understand why I

wasn’t the happiest person in theworld,’’ the nun said.“I was trying to be fashionable and

successful, but the more I did so, theemptier I felt. Slowly, I began tochange. I stopped caring so much

about how I looked. I began to wearsimple outfits . . . and no makeup.The more changes I made, the bet­ter I was feeling.’’Kapashi resigned from her job and

began meeting with Jain studygroups in Queens once a week in2011. She eventually moved to Indiaand formally studied to become anun.Jainism is a major religion in In­

dia, along with Hinduism and Bud­dhism. Her family originated fromMumbai.Now, as a nun, “we sleep for six

hours a night, meditate for 90 min­utes a day, and we study the Jainphilosophy for 15 hours a day,” Ka­pashi said. “We live a nomadic exis­tence in India. I have no posses­sions. I have nothing, but I’ve neverbeen so happy.”Instead of Gucci clothes and Fendi

handbags, she now flaunts “a waterholder and bowls made out ofpumpkin for food; an ogho, which isa brush we use to wipe away any liv­ing being as we walk; a walking stickand white material for our clothesand bedding.”“We don’t even have any shoes,”

said Kapashi, a former fan of high­end footwear.“I have no money, not even a

bank account.“I have committed to a life of celi­

bacy and simplicity for the rest ofmy life,” she said.“This is my life now— and it’s the

ultimate happiness.’’Additional reporting by Chris

Perezcperez@nypost.com

NEW LOOK: Nisha Kapashi(above in Manhattan) once wore allthe trendiest clothing, but now livesas a barefoot ascetic (right) in India.

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