The News Minute | March 28, 2015 | 4:00 pm ISTImagine hanging upside down, 20 feet above the ground, for a solid 40 minutes. Now imagine you also had to play guitar and sing, while blood flows to your head.This is exactly what got Raghu Malleti, an upcoming music director, into the India book of records. It has been quite a journey for the 32-year-old from Vijayawada. "I have been playing for 17 years now and this was one of the hardest things I did," he says.A former school music teacher, he tells The News Minute about his love for music and his record attempt. "I was upside down for 40 minutes at a height of about 20 feet. I was playing guitar and singing. There were so many things that could go wrong. High chances of a black out and paralysis and even the rope snapping would've made me fall head first," he says.(Raghu during his record attempt)He attempted his record at the Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao Music and Dance College in Vijayawada, to a large audience. He played a combination of English, Hindi and Telugu songs including a little Elvis Presley, John Denver, Johnny Cash and Kailesh Kher.He is hopeful that his attempt has set a new world record. "I'm going to send the video to the Guinness Book of World records and the Limca book of records. I followed all their rules and even had a doctor present who checked my pulse before and after the feat," he adds.Raghu is also an upcoming music director having bagged a few tunes in Telugu films. "I enjoy composing for movies but I also love doing gigs. I have played so many live shows that I have lost count. But I loved every single one," he says.In 2013, Raghu caught the attention of the local media when he composed a Telugu song to commemorate India's 64th republic day which also featured cricketers VVS Laxman, Venkatapathi Raju and film actors Suman, Venkat, Shiva Balaji besides famous TV anchor Suma Kanakala. He is also credited with composing a song for the Hrudaya Spandana Foundation which is a dedicated heart health charity organization focused on delivering quality and fast-track heart treatment to patients from the lower sections of society. The chief guest of the event was Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan.He also composed another Telugu tune for mother's day last year, as a tribute to all the mothers around the world. "I actually grew up to western music and took me 6 to 7 years before I realized that music's simplicity lay in just 12 notes," he adds.Raghu is also a multi-instrumentalist and quite versatile as he switches between languages and genres with ease, playing songs that span from Elvis Presley to Spanish tunes.Getting back to his record attempt, Raghu says, "It was much harder than I expected but I did it. Though there was a fair share of physical fitness involved, it was mental strength and the will power that helped me pull it off," he adds.(Preparing for the record attempt)Talking about his plans for his future, Raghu says, "For this year, I'm just going to work on composing for a few movies. They should probably release next year.""One thing is certain though, I am not going to quit music. I love music more than anything else and it soothes the soul and that's what I want to do. I want people to come together, have a good time and enjoy the music," he concludes.(All Images: Courtesy of Raghu Malleti)TweetFollow @thenewsminuteRead - Nine days ahead of turning three, Dolly Shivani sets national archery record