Aswatha Biju, The Young Paleontologist Wants To Make People Aware Of Paleontology

Aswatha Biju, the young paleontologist, recently had an exclusive interview with Global Child Prodigy under Prodigy Talks. The renowned Entrepreneur, Educationalist, and Humanitarian, Mr. Kavin Kumar Kandasamy, hosted the talk. He is also the Managing Director of Mangalam Educational Institutions. Mr. Kavin’s institutions serve more than 7000 students every year.

Through this interview, let’s join Aswatha Biju in her inspiring journey to success.

Aswatha, Tell Us A Little About Yourself

My name is Aswatha Biju, and I am the youngest paleontologist in India. I am 13-years-old, and I am from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I study in at Sri Chaitanya Techno School Palavakkam, Chennai.

What Does A Paleontologist Do?

Paleontologists are researchers who research the field of paleontology. Paleontology is a science which comes under both geological and biological branches. In this, we study the earth’s history with the help of fossil evidence. Fossil evidence is collected by paleontologists who can describe the earth’s history. They gather every sample and research.

Aswatha Biju, When Did This All Start?

When I was five, my father bought me an encyclopedia. At that time, I was unable to read, but I loved seeing pictures in different books. So, once I was looking at the images in the encyclopedia, and suddenly I stopped on one page. There was a picture of a giant fossilized ammonite. That was the organism that raised my curiosity towards the field of paleontology.

At that age, I didn’t know that it was a fossil. I didn’t have any knowledge of paleontology at that time. But still, I had the curiosity to know what was the field and what was that organism. All I knew at that time was that the particular organism lives in the ocean. Since the age of 2, I love collecting shells, and I had a fair amount of shell collections too. I didn’t lose my hope towards that, and I asked my mother if I could collect this specimen. She said that you could not collect it because it is an organism under the government’s property. But I was too interested in these kinds of fossils, so she took me to Egmore Government’s Museum. At the entrance of the geology department of the museum, we had a fossilized ammonite. 

By the age of 11, I came to know that the organisms I have seen all these years are fossils, and the field that deals with the fossils are paleontology. The area of paleontology is especially endangered in India. When I knew it, I started creating awareness about this field.

Have Your Parents Been Okay With You Getting Your Hands Dirty As A Young Kid?

Yes, my parents are okay with this. Until and unless we touch something and learn it, we can not know about it. So, my parents and I don’t feel anything getting my hands and clothes dirty. I feel engaged with fossils, and each moment I pick up fossils, I started imagining, who was the organism living millions of years ago.

Do You Know How Old Was The First Fossil That You Found?

Yes, I thought that the first fossil I would find would be ammonite. It was the organism that tickled my interest in paleontology. But, the first fossil I found was belemnite. Ammonite & belemnite both belong to the same species called cephalopods. That particular belemnite was 89 to 100 million years old.

Do Your Friends Ask You About Paleontology?

Yes, my friends are curious about fossils. If they would like to know about this, they would learn what fossils are and all. They will try their level best to pursue that in a passionate form, but mostly we don’t communicate about all these things. I don’t tell them that I have got these many awards and these are the fossils I collected until they ask me.

What Was The Award That You Received From The Tamil Nadu Government?

It was my first award that I received from Ficci Flo, a women’s organization. That was the moment when I stepped into the field of paleontology and started creating awareness about the area. It was the first award that enabled paleontology to a high position. I feel super glad that I received this award. 

Has There Been Any Moment In Your Life Where You Learned Something That Changed Your Perspective About Mankind?

The first theory everyone believed was that man evolved from monkeys. Even I thought the same because it was the theory we were accepting since childhood. But still, I had a question in my mind that is it true? I got the answer when I entered the field of paleontology. I came to know that it was not that humans evolved from monkeys. Monkey itself evolved from an organism called a rat, and later humans evolved from monkeys.

Who All Are A Part Of Your Learning Mechanism?

I have my mentors from a lot of universities all around the world. Whenever I find any difficulty in identifying specimens or their details, I refer to my mentors. They help me by sharing a lot of links so that I can go through them and learn much more. My foremost mentor is Dr. M. Ramkumar sir, from Periyar university. He just transferred all his knowledge to me, so I am thankful to him.

How Does It Feel To Be A Global Child Prodigy Awardee?

I feel delighted to be among the Top 100 child prodigies of the world. When I got the Global Child Prodigy Award, I thought that the award is meant for palaeontology to be known globally. It was not just for me as a palaeontologist, but it was for many more people who are passionate about the field. 

Thank You, Aswatha! We look forward to watching your journey ahead. We wish you all the very best.

If you know someone close to you who deserves to be in the Top 100 prodigies list, don’t forget to click here.