Family grieve for the boy with a thirst for knowledge

A boy who fell to his death in Sharjah was taking pictures of the sky - a hobby that stemmed from his love of meteorology.

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.