This 17-year-old Indian told the world something amazing

Arsh Ali

Source: Supplied

For 17-year-old Arsh Ali, the interest lies in ancient things. Hard to believe but Arsh, at this age, has created a niche for himself in archaeology.


From Harappa to Egypt, Arsh has come a long way in his young age. He knows over 18 ancient scripts. Some of them having nearly one lakh symbols. Arsh has attended excavations of Archaeological Survey of India with special permission. He has delivered lectures and has brought new findings to light.

Archaeology interests him, but the interest took him to new heights. Any teenager visiting Egypt with his parents may be considered as a holiday trip, but Arsh went there to decipher Hieroglyphs, the ancient Egyptian script.

Arsh succeeded in establishing Indo--Egyptian link. A thing which was unexplored till now. Arsh, through his research, proved that King Ashoka had sent emissaries to Egypt for spreading Buddhism.
arsh ali
Source: Supplied

Arsh's baptism in archaeology was also discovered accidentally. When he was just over three years old, Arsh visited Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal with his parents, and while they were sitting in a restaurant, Arsh drew the temple on a paper. His parents realised that their son inclined history. Many similar incidents occurred intermittently. Recalling his journey, Arsh told SBS Hindi, " One day I visited the Bara Imambara in Lucknow with my mother. As we walked around the monument, I started to tell my mother the detailed history of the monument with enthusiasm. As I continued my talk on the monument, a man came to us and said to my mother " Wow! Your son is highly knowledgeable in history; I suggest you should probably visit the ASI office at Bara Imambara, there the officers will probably guide your son more appropriately". Therefore, my mother took to the office of the ASI at Imambara. They suggested to my mother that the headquarter office of the ASI in Delhi will be fully able to help us".

At ASI headquarters, after two hours of vigorous questionings in the various spheres of archaeology by officers, it was concluded that Arsh knew more than that of a postgraduate student in Archaeology.

Since then, Arsh had no looking back. He has participated in nine excavations by ASI including Rajasthan, Haryana etc. However, finally, due to his knowledge of Brahmi script, the script of Ashoka's regime, Arsh got the hint that some emissaries had gone to Egypt. Now Arsh has been learning the script Hieroglyphics, the ancient text of Egyptians. At that time Egypt has Ptolmey regime. Arsh headed there, and after his research, it was established that Ashoka had, in fact, sent his emissaries to Egypt. The connection of Egypt with India of that era was thus established.

For his future, Arsh who will turn 18 in August, plans to gift something to this world, something that might prove itself to be useful for the world.


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