Budding Galileo

11-year-old Prantik Das is an astronomer in the making with a penchant for exploring ancient rock clusters, reports Namita Tewari.

Others his age are probably busy chasing little-boy dreams: cars, football, cricket scores and the next examination. But 11-year-old Prantik Das is an astronomer in the making — with a penchant for exploring ancient rock clusters.

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This Class VI student of St Xavier's School has discovered a megalithic alignment, which has been named after him.

The "Prantik alignment" at Punkree in Hazaribagh is an irregularity in the alignment of megaliths — primitive rock outcrops used for sighting equinoxes. His discovery has found mention in the British website www.megalithicsites.co.uk.