SAIoneer Meghali Malbika Swain, a 10-year-old child prodigy, enters into the India Book of Records by naming 165 rivers of the world in one minute time. She also attempted to create a unique record by uttering names of 1000 rivers in eight minutes time, the result of which is yet to be announced. She is no doubt an extremely talented girl with amazing memory. She made record in the category of ‘number of rivers in one minute’. “We recorded her voice and a team of experts approved her entry into the record book,” said adjudicator at the spot adjudication event. When asked why she selected rivers for the record, Meghali says, “Names of rivers are easier to pronounce and I can utter more number of river names in a particular time.”

Apart from knowing the names of the rivers, she can tell about the origin of world’s major rivers, their flow in countries, falling places and also their tributaries. She can also show the flow route of all major rivers of world in a blank map and cities on the river bank across the world. She can name all major straits, channels across the world and about the sea they connect and land masses they separate. “I acquired knowledge about all these from intensive map study. Atlas has been my main source of information. I don’t forget things easily and certainly there is no trick in it,” she explains.

The Class-V student, she has memorised names of 196 countries of the world, their geographical features like neighbouring countries, sea, ocean or gulf exactly adjacent to the countries, mountains, rivers, plateaus, deserts, their capitals, currencies, languages spoken, can recognize their national flags. She also has a fairly good knowledge on geological time period from Precambrian to Mesozoic period, evolution of life form and major developments during the time periods.