A Personal Journey into our Evolutionary Past
AKASH
Photo credits to Marcus Lange on Pexels
Dear Akash,
I hope you are doing well! I know that you are, because it is me writing to you. I want to tell you to stay strong and follow your passion – all is well! 😊
In your quest to understand the evolutionary story of ‘us’, let me tell you that you will be chippin’ away at it successfully! You will spend a lot of time underground, in the mud, and get to travel the world. So, you will successfully become a potato!
I still remember the early days when you decided to ask the questions of ‘who are we’, ‘where did we come from’ and ‘what makes us, us’. It was right after those many days of watching the archaeologists on TV exploring the Pyramids at Giza with all their drones and fancy tools. It ignited in you an interest to unravel the many layers of the past, by using these ‘shiny’ tools.
Photo credits to Ancient Egypt Research Associates © 2016, photo by Mark Lehner
"
In your journey, what you will realise is that the past is as complex as the present, so we need all the help we can have- from the physical sciences, humanities and social sciences, to get a complete understanding of our collective past."
Images by Gordon Johnson, b0red, and Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Enjoy the great outdoors - the forests
are your friend. Even though you are a true city boy who never really got the opportunity to explore the wilderness (except on the screen), as you grow up, you will spend a lot of time in them looking for archaeological remains. The interrelationships of humans and their environment is a question that you will continue to ponder upon – even though you can never correctly identify trees and plants very well. You will spend a long time in many far-off and fascinating places (even beyond India 😉), to realise these interconnections. You will actively collaborate with biologists, botanists and zoologists to understand past environments and their modern-day analogues.
And biology is a great tool! I know you like biology (all the cool cell drawings you make Amma do!), and had to choose to give it up academically so that you could become an archaeologist, but you never let your interest in it go. You get to work with human and animal bones, pollen and plant remains and even genetic data. We will also sample teak trees for dendrochronology dates and learn how to reconstruct past environments. While it might seem like a lot of things to learn and do, and at times intimidating, trust me, it is a fun journey with many pleasant experiences and helpful people along the way.
You also get to work with geneticists and excavate sites from where ancient DNA will be recovered. Question them because what the data tells is only one piece of the complex puzzle of our past. Always contextualise this genetic work with the rich archaeological and fossil evidence – that is your responsibility.
Photo by Eduardo Valdes from Pexels
"
Continue on your adventures to integrate the sciences and humanities, and don't let anyone tell you that you have to choose 'one' path or 'fit into' one box."
Another role of yours will be to communicate your work to everyone around you. Everybody is interested in the past (the nation wants to know!! - you’ll know the reference later 😛) and has opinions about it. Therefore, it is correct that you believe that communicating the work we do as scientists to the broader public is something extremely necessary. Be calm, composed and collected when you engage with views you might not believe in. Choose your battles wisely, and patience is always the key, for archaeology and science communication.
Remember to read - like how you have always loved to. I still fondly remember the many Reader’s Digest specials Amma and Pappa got for us. These books were your lens into the world beyond. The book will always be your friend, and even though you put it down at various times, you should always go back and pick them up. And read everything - don’t discriminate. Just know that you are good, you do your best, and don’t let anyone get you down. You’ll get there, I know, no matter how bumpy the road may seem (or even if you think there is no road there!). And remember, we are all rooting for you!
Love,
Forever yours,
Akash
About Akash
Akash Srinivas is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research (CIAR), Ashoka University. He is a prehistoric archaeologist, and his research interests primarily concern with palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic archaeology, incorporating a multidisciplinary approach. He was awarded his Doctorate from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali. He has a Masters in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, and an Erasmus Mundus International Masters in Quaternary and Prehistory from a European consortium of institutions based in Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. He has carried out fieldwork at various sites in India, Italy, Germany, Spain and Tanzania, including prominent sites such as Hathnora (India) and Atapuerca (Spain). He also engages in public archaeology and science communication, and is the co-host of the podcast ‘Chippin’ Away’.
Related Posts
May your grades not defer your dreams!
ANANDHU
"What truly matters in any journey, whether it is one in science or not. It is the ignition within you… the curiosity and the passion…. As you learn, you’ll understand how far you have traveled, which is way less than the distance ahead to be covered. Patience and humility are key to reaching the destination."
Share this page: