She is fondly called the dinosaur princess. The selftaught paleontologist who brought in a new phrase of ‘DinoTourism’ to the many acronyms that are touted as niche experiences in the very diverse landscape of tourism in India. Except this one is most unique, backed by science and one that is putting India on the landscape of geological history seekers globally.
It is a pleasure to know about the very beautiful, soft-spoken and intelligent Nawabzadi Aaliya Sultana Babi of Balasinor. Totally rooted and grounded, she is only obsessed with two things: Placing the Dinosaur Fossil site at the distant village of Rahioli in her state Balasinor on the international map and sharing the culinary history of her family with the world. Above all, she has taken it upon herself to advocate for the protection and preservation of this national asset: the Dinosaur site, which is not just a cause but also her passion.
“Nothing pleases me more than the fact that so many experts in the field first book my tour and then book their ticket. Even today when the museum is shut, so many come all the way to Balasinor and return disappointed,” she says.
She relives the story on how the site was discovered. “It was in 1980 that geologists discovered the eggs and putrefied dinosaur bones. They were so enamored by these large cannon balls that they had excavated. They rushed them to Ahmadabad where the famed geologist Dr. Ashok Sahni identified them.” What transpired thereafter was sheer frenzy. Teams were rushed to this forgotten village, a Dinosaur fossil site declared and the eggs put into the list of national treasures.
“The world found out too and rushed to Gujarat. But at that time Rahioli was cut off totally from modern civilization. There were no roads, the site was unimpressive, a dump if I may say so.” Bringing it into its present glory is a movement one totally attributes to this Babi Princess.
“I had just returned after college from Sophia, Ajmer. My father was orthodox and did not want me to work in a city. Our property Garden Palace Heritage Hotel was already a home stay for all the curious minds who wanted to experience Rahioli. “And thus began Aaliya’s journey to turn the site and the museum into a pride.
“First I educated myself in the subject. The world of dinosaurs was unknown to me.” Then began the lobbying for a museum and a fossil park. “I worked my way through three departments: Tourism, Forests and Geological Survey to make them meet on a common ground.” It was tough and tedious, “The tourist friendly museum came alive in 2015. Yet it stood there as an empty building. It was only a year back that it was actually turned into a museum and inaugurated and within the first 6 months itself we had 92000 tourists!”
She still considers herself a student of the subject, grasping every opportunity to accompany learned paleontologists to gain as much knowledge as she can about dinosaurs. Along with her family she plays hostess to the guests of the ‘Maharaja’s Express’ in Balasinor. This is the only place that allows tourists an opportunity to interact with the ‘Dinosaur Princess’ or Dr. Dinosaur as she is fondly called. The tourists have been floored not just by the hospitality of the royal family, but also with the dinosaur site and her passion for the preservation of the site. “Every child dreams of being a paleontologist when he grows up. Parents too want to know more. And today I take such pride in walking them through the museum’s 10 galleries and then onto the totally developed park.”
That is when she is not playing a perfect host in the Balasinor home, known for their great food and warm hospitality. Even if you meet her in Baroda she would surely have carried a tiffin full of aromatic kebabs, rustled up by her beautiful mother, the begum of Balasinor.
The Nawabs of Gujarat belong to the Babi dynasty and are originally from a village called Babi Khel in Afghanistan. They trace their lineage to Abdur Rashid who had three sons. One son was called Ismail and his one son was called Babi. Their fortunes changed for the better when one of them saved the life of Emperor Akbar during a big cat hunt. They were appointed governors of various regions of Gujarat, a coveted position as the fertile lands and ports of Gujarat brought in fabled levels of prosperity.
Ask her of the connect they had with the famed actor Parveen Babi and she shares, “She was a relative of the Nawab of Junagadh. The daughter of a talukdar of the state. But she was related to us as well. My mother is her bua.” She further shares, “When she passed away, so many claimed lineage but it was my mother and my brother to whom the police handed over the body and they were the ones to give her a befitting burial.”
Ahmedabad was a Mughal stronghold, the subah or fauzdar of Sorath (Saurashtra) Mohd. Sher Khan (also called Bahadur Shah) made Junagadh his capital and other Babi rulers took Balasinor between the fertile river plains of Kheda and the Gulf of Cambay and Radhanpur in North Gujarat. Ironically the youngest member of the family got Junagadh (the largest territory) and the eldest got Balasinor (the smallest territory)! Since then they have been in Balasinor.