Childhood throbs with curiosity and most kids are fascinatingly swayed by wildlife, with the big cats and elephants cornering much of the attention.
But dinosaurs? A species with no footprints on planet earth as of now. Dinosaurs may have been extinct millions of years ago, but a two-year-old kid's unique fascination for the species has landed him in the India Book of Records.
When even researchers scooping up all inferences about the extinct species would find it challenging to spell names of dinosaurs, Devanarayanan AV's feat is astonishing.
The toddler worked his way to the India Book of Records identifying the maximum species of dinosaurs in one minute 20 seconds.
India Book of Records shared a YouTube video on which a cheerful Devanarayanan is on a naming spree, identifying 30 species and leaving you baffled.
Devanarayanan, though, is now keen to leapfrog to the next level.
It all started during the lockdown days when his parents Gopika Krishnan and Dhanoop Anidil noticed Devanarayanan's interest in dinosaurs, when he watched cartoons and television programmes.
He began by spotting the difference between the dinosaurs and slowly was capable of identifying the names.
“Though he struggled to spell the names correctly considering his age, he always made sure to even correct us if we identify the dinosaurs wrongly,” says Gopika.
The doting mom and dad showered their encouragement by buying him dinosaur toys and sets.
Gopika and Dhanoop also tried keep pace with his learning.
Devanarayanan also loves books.
“He would often pick up books with the images of dinosaurs and learn to name them. By March 2021, he could identify almost 30-40 dinosaurs,” says Gopika.
An engineer by profession, Gopika left her job during the lockdown.
She feels this helped her give him more attention and encouraged the boy's interest.
"I had no interest in dinosaurs nor did Dhanoop but we thought of making a video of him identifying various species. We shared it in a group and one of our friends asked us to register for India Book of Records. We looked into it, registered and sent them a video of him identifying the dinosaurs," says Gopika.
Devananrayan didn't need any practice and he didn't even know the magnitude of the challenge he was fighting for, but he came victorious by setting a record.
India Book of Records, registered with the Government of India, publishes a record book each year with the list of people recognised for their abilities.
Devanarayanan is not just an expert in dinosaurs but he can also identify around 120 animals. He hasn't started writing, but he loves drawing.
Devanarayanan and his family are currently residing in Qatar, where his father Dhanoop is working as an Instrumentation Engineer in Qcon. Devanarayanan is now immersed in the world of dinosaurs, aiming for more records.
