Indian news media report that in their eagerness to get their kid into the Guiness Book, a doctor couple in the town of Manaparai in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu have allowed their 15-year-old son Dileepan Raj to perform a caesarean  operation.

The boy is studying in the 10th grade.

Several doctors were aghast when they were shown a recording of the operation by the proud parents, who were said to have been keen on seeing their son hailed as the “youngest surgeon in the world.”

Apparently, the operation was done at the Mathi Surgical and Maternity Hospital, owned by the parents.

The only silver lining in the horrid incident is that the 20-year-old mother and daughter are said to be doing fine.

The state government of Tamil Nadu has ordered an inquiry into the incident. 

If true, the operation would hardly be anything unusual.

After all, Indians do the oddest things to land a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. We remember an incident in the 1990s of a young boy aged six or seven driving a car over several hundred miles.

Next time you think of visiting India for a cheap heart bypass surgery or hip replacement, think twice. And then think again. You never know if it’s a doctor or a Guiness Book wannabe opening you up.

Update: The 15-year-old boy’s parents were arrested by the police on Monday, June 25, 2007.