KOCHI: The majestic Tyrannosaurus rex (T Rex) and the fictional dinosaur Indominus Rex might be familiar for all. But do you know Rajasaurus (whose fossils were found from India) that sports a peculiar crest on its head, much like a crown of a raja?
Well, Rajasaurus is one among the nearly 200 dinosaurs Aadikrishnan V Bharat (Aadi), a 7-year-old boy from Kakkanad, had known about since he was five. The knowledge he has about the dinosaur world has secured for him around six records in two categories each in Kalam’s World Records, India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records.
The records are for identifying the maximum number of dinosaurs (132) and their diets in the shortest time (2 minutes & 50 seconds). He also holds the records of identifying the maximum number of dinosaurs (94) in one minute in all the three books. Besides their food habits, he also knows all the characteristics of each dinosaur and from where their fossils were found.
“He was always passionate about learning about dinosaurs and he aspires to become a palaeontologist. He started reading about dinosaurs after seeing the films in the Jurassic Park series and later the documentaries in the National Geographic channel. We supported his passion by providing books like “Dinosaur A to Z” and encyclopaedias. After knowing about the existing record in the category we applied for it and he set new records,” said his mother Vijitha Prasad and father Bharat Rajan, both techies.
When asked about his most favourite dinosaur, Aadi, without even a second thought, said “Velociraptors”. The reason? “They were the smartest, fastest, most intelligent and agile of all the dinosaurs I know. Moreover, they were carnivorous,” Aadi said.
And taking a short breath, the Class II student of Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya started talking about the dinosaur that is at the bottom of his list: Mamenchisaurus, known for its remarkably-long necks, which made up nearly half the total body length.
Aadi has a very “good” reason for it too. “China was the home for Mamenchisaurus and its fossils were found there. Coronavirus came from China and all are struggling because of it. So I don’t like the dino,” he said.
