SHARJAH // Like most bright, intelligent teenage boys, Sahaj Bisaria had an insatiable curiosity about the world around him.
Tragically, that fascination cost the 16-year-old his life, when he fell from a 21st-floor apartment while doing something he loved - taking photos of the evening sky.
And last night at dusk, exactly 48 hours after Sahaj died, his grieving family said their last farewells at a cremation ceremony in Jebel Ali.
The teenager was deeply interested in the study of weather and climate, reading books and browsing the internet on the subject, his grandfather RN Bisaria said yesterday.
On Tuesday, he had gone to the veranda of his family's neighbours in Al Majjaz to photograph the dusk.
"He had done this for about five or six days, taking pictures of the sky in the evenings," his grandfather said.
"Unfortunately, as he was continuing with the pictures, he fell down and lost his life."
Sahaj was born in the United States and had US citizenship, although his family is originally from India.
He had just begun 10th grade at the American School in Dubai, attending only three days of school before the accident. Before that he was a pupil at Delhi Private School in Sharjah.
"Even though he was at the school for only a few days, the principal has visited our bereaved family to pay his tribute," Mr Bisaria said. "We were very humbled at his coming to our home and sharing our grief."
Dr Saeed Hassan, a neighbour of the family on the same floor, came to pay his respects yesterday.
"Sahaj was a brilliant young boy, polite to the elderly, and he liked languages," Dr Hassan said. "He preferred to greet me with Arabic words."
Friends, relatives and acquaintances crowded the family's home yesterday. Relatives were on their way from India, too.
Inside, a photo of Sahaj was placed on a dining table, wreathed in flowers. More flowers were on the pavement outside the apartment building, left by friends and neighbours.
"My son has put flowers there, he knew Sahaj and was shocked beyond words," said Abu Mohammed, who lives on the building's 17th floor.
"That evening I came back home to find police had cordoned off the whole building, and I called my family upstairs only to be told someone had fallen to his death."
Another woman came to pay respects on behalf of her son, a classmate of Sahaj at his old school.
"Sahaj attended DPS school with my son for about four years. They were very close friends," she said. "My son is still in shock over this death."
The accident happened about 6pm, and Buhairah police were notified immediately.
"Our ambulances and rescue team hurried to the scene only to find that the boy had already lost his life," said Maj Yousef Obaid Al Harmour.
ykakande@thenational.ae
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Company%20profile
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