Housing 114 Fossil Specimens, India’s Young Paleontologist – Aswatha Biju

“Nature has a habit of placing some of her most attractive treasures in places where it is difficult to locate and obtain them.” ― Charles Doolittle Walcott.

Can you imagine having fossils as your best friend and living amongst them? However, this girl here prefers them over human beings. Aswatha Biju is India’s budding and young paleontologist. She has a collection of a whopping 114 fossil specimens, including many like vertebrates, invertebrates, chordates & flora. 

Her journey began when she was just five years old from just an encyclopedia. Once Aswatha came across the picture of an ammonite and mistook it for a shell and later came to know that it was indeed a fossil. 

Aswatha Biju’s Progress

The child prodigy has collected many fossils after identifying and recognizing them, based on self-taught research and knowledge. Apart from this, When the young girl was in grade 5. She called the Head of the Marine Sciences of Bharathidasan University, India. 

It was only there that she was able to meet Dr. Ram Kumar of Periyar University. He was amazed at Aswatha’s advanced knowledge at such a young age. Being undeniably charmed with this youngster, he called her a prodigy and provided Aswatha Biju with a route map of the famed Ariyalur bed. 

Global Child Prodigy Awardee

Global Child Prodigy Awards, the world’s first and only award ceremony recognizing unique and talented children, awarded Aswatha Biju in January 2020. Moreover, she was listed under the Top 100 Prodigies List of 2020!

She does not just collect specimens but also understands the complex issues in paleontology in India. The limited amount of awareness and its weak and underexplored state in the country is something Aswatha wants to fix. The child prodigy also wants to spread knowledge about this lesser-known field. With this intention, Aswatha has also been conducting various seminars and workshops in schools, colleges, and even geology or paleontology institutes.

We all hope to see this young prodigy shine in India’s paleontology in the future indeed.

Global Child Prodigy Awards is striving to recognize every child prodigy’s talent moreover If you think you know someone, feel free to register them by clicking here.

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