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Teachers and friends mourn Deanna's death

DUBAI — Friends and teachers mourned the tragic death of Deanna Delphy Ravindran, a grade 11 student of the Indian High School Dubai, who was killed on Thursday morning when the car she was travelling in overturned on the Dubai-Hatta Road near Dragon Mart.

By A Staff Reporter

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Published: Tue 16 May 2006, 10:46 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Nov 2023, 9:31 AM

When Khaleej Times visited the school yesterday, IHS Principal, Ashok Kumar, said emotionally, "We lost a very good and disciplined student. It is a big tragedy for the school. We have yet to overcome the shock.”

A picture of Deanna has been placed in the school reception area for students and teachers to offer their condolences.


Anitha Mehra, a teacher in the school, recalled, "Deanna had been with the school for 11 years. She was always well behaved and pleasant and a quiet student." She added, "We cannot believe that she is no more in our amidst. We will always remember her as a good student."

M. Joe, another IHS teacher, echoed the same sentiments: "I was her class teacher for two years. She was a good student and never created any problems or mischief in school.”

Her classmates were visibly shattered by the news of Deanna's tragic death.

Nithya, her classmate for 10 years, said: "She was my best friend. I cannot control my tears ever since I learnt of her fatal accident. She was always very helpful to all her fellow students. She had a good knowledge of computers. And she used to participate actively in most school functions.”

Divya Anabalagan, another classmate, said: "We studied together for two years. She was hard working and polite to everybody."

Meanwhile, even as the school mourned the death of Deanna, Nikitha Coelho (also an IHS student) who had accompanied Deanne along with three boys on the ill-fated trip and was injured in the accident, is recovering in Rashid Hospital. One of the three boys, Huzaifa, who was seriously injured in the accident, is still in a critical condition and in the intensive care unit at the same hospital.

Hospital sources said his condition was critical and he is on ventilation because of injury to his lungs.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old UAE national who was driving the car is in police custody and one of the boys who suffered minor injuries was discharged from hospital on Thursday.

Deanna's body, according to her father Ravindran, who has been a UAE resident since 1985, will be flown to Trivandrum soon. “We have yet to complete all necessary formalities for the repatriation of her body to India where her last rites will be performed.”

The distraught father disclosed his wife is unable to come to terms with the daughter's death. She was the younger of our two children, Ravindran added, who has a son older to Deanne.

A pall of gloom has descended on the family residing in Abu Shagarah in Sharjah. They have been receiving plenty of telephone calls sympathising with them on their child's death.

Commenting on why his daughter had to go to school on her day off, he said the school was hosting a charity event on its campus. According to a school circular, all senior students and class monitors were requested to be at school from 8am until 11.30am and later in the evening during the time of the event. Deanne, he added, had put on her school uniform and left for IHS around 6.30am.

Deanne was born and brought up in the UAE and studied at IHS since KG grade, according to one of her relatives, who however expressed some dismay that no one from the school visited the bereaved family in Sharjah. But, a school official said Mrs Thomas, Assistant Headmistress of IHS and a relative of Deanne, who was present with the family also represented the school.


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