Theetta Rappai (20 April 1939 – 9 December 2006) was an Indian

competitive eater Competitive eating, or speed eating, is an activity in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions c ...

who used to eat enormous quantities of food. Rappai used to eat 75 idli for breakfast, buckets of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

and curries for lunch, and 60 chapatis for dinner. He is known to have eaten 250 idlis and 1.5 kg of

pudding Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, ins ...

and halwa in one sitting. On a different occasion, he is known to have consumed 75 idlis, 2.5 kg appam, and buckets of payasam. Rappai had won several eating competitions in and outside Kerala. His name had been included in the

Limca Book of World Records The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...

Early life

Rappai was born on 20 April 1939 in

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

city, as the eldest among the seven children of the late Kuriappan and the late Thandamma. He shot to fame after he challenged a

restaurant that offered an all-you-can-eat buffet. He polished off three bucketfuls of rice, one bucket of fish curry, and 10 kg cooked meat. At the end of it, he quipped that he was still hungry. Finally, the restaurant staff had to call the police. Doctors ascribed his insatiable appetite to a

hypothalamus The hypothalamus () is a part of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamu ...

dysfunction in the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

. This meant that he did not get the sensation to stop eating. In July 2006, Rappai's huge appetite had to be curtailed because he developed a severe stomach ache and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. Due to these problems, he retired from eating enormous quantities and relied to normal eating.

Death

Theetta Rappai died in

Jubilee Mission Hospital Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute is a private, non-profit Christian minority medical college, hospital and research institute located at Thrissur in Kerala, India. The establishment is administered by the Jubilee Mission H ...

city at 4:30 AM (IST) on 9 December 2006, aged 67. He was a bachelor. He had retired from eating competitions earlier that year, after he was diagnosed with diabetes and

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

. He was 120 kg when he died and his family had to build a special

coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...

for him. He was buried at Lourdes Church, Thrissur. At the time of his death, he was survived by his mother and siblings.

Film

Director Winu Ramakrishnan filmed the story of Theetta Rappai as a Malayalam movie in 2018 titled "Theetta Rappai". Kalabhavan Mani's brother RLV Ramakrishnan played the title role of Theetta Rappai in this film.

References

Indian competitive eaters People from Thrissur 1939 births 2006 deaths {{India-bio-stub