Little Awad would have been singing and acting on stage tomorrow at a talent show in his training institute had his parents not lost him to death.Awad, a nine-year-old autistic child, was a primary student at Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs. His grieving father, Firoz Khan, said the family has not come to grips with the loss of Awad.
“He was a good child …his (autistic) condition had improved a lot,” he told Khaleej Times.
Awad had been attending the centre for over four years and mainly required speech therapy. “But, his mother was training him more. She is an engineer. But she had given up her job,” said Khan.
He said Awad was preparing to participate in a mega event of the institute on Wednesday. The “Al Noor Concert” gives an opportunity for every child in the centre to be on stage, participating in different items to showcase their talents and boost their personality. Awad’s school mates, most of whom would not even realise the demise of their friend, will miss him.
Awad’s body is currently in the police mortuary and will be released to the family after the legal formalities are over. Khan said the family had decided to bury the child in Dubai.
He said they are not in a mental and physical condition to fly the body to his hometown in the south Indian state of Kerala. Also, they have many relatives living here, including Khan’s brother.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com
