The boy who defeated autism with music
Published: 11:09 AM,Sep 12,2023 | EDITED : 03:09 PM,Sep 12,2023
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'Your child is autistic; he may prove to be good for nothing, and you can please take him,' was the message passed by a doctor far from medical ethics and empathy.
Hearing this, Sabeela, the mother of Marwan Munawar, who was diagnosed as autistic, did not burst out or cry. Instead, she carried her two-year-old first son on her shoulder and walked out in grit and determination.
Her experience may resemble that of Thomas Alva Edison, who was one day sent by the class teacher with a letter saying that Edison was mentally ill. However, she told Edison he was so genius that the school thought he was too good for them. Hence, Edison thought that his mother was the best teacher who knew how to encourage him, and the rest is history.
Today, this 23-year-old Marwan has carved a niche for himself in the music industry. He is a busy musician who has, besides giving some flicks to Indian music, a celebrity name on social media, a public performer and an avid follower of the holy Qur'an.
Hailing from the Indian district of Kasaragod, born to Munawar Shuaib and Sabeela, settled in Kasab, Musandam, Marwan today is a master of guitar, keyboard, melodica, Carnatic vocal, and Western music while rendering the verses of the Holy Qur'an beautifully which has already gained followers from across the world for him. He runs a YouTube channel called 'Marwan's Autism Diary', interacts with similar children, and gives guidance to them to achieve their dreams regularly. He has more than 15 video albums on his channel that keep inspiring other autistic children.
His efforts have been recognised by accolades from across the globe, including the Nobel Book of World Records, the International Book of World Records, the India Book of Records, the World Wide Book of Records and so forth.
' We were not aware of the growth stages of an autistic child and the stages of acquiring skills of Marwan because he was the first child and we were like a fish out of water when he was diagnosed with autism,' admits Marwan Shuaib, his father.
He said it all started with a bout of fits during one of their family travels between Kasaragod and Mumbai when a doctor came and controlled fits, but that was the beginning. He began to fall sick very often until he was diagnosed as autistic by a child psychiatrist in Dubai at the age of less than three. This was followed by a series of consultations, doctors, hospitals, mostly in Nimhans Bengaluru, several medicines and so on for quite some time. During this disheartening spree of doctors, hospitals and medicines, his parents cannot forget the day he uttered 'mother'; they still cherish that day on the train.
'It was at the age of 4 that he first sounded 'mother' during one of our journeys from Mumbai to Kasaragod, and I still cannot forget how happy I was. Imagine my first offspring calling me after nearly four years of his birth!!!!' Sabeela wiped the tears that uncontrollably flowed through her cheeks.
His sister was born when he was in the UKG, and he was sent to Icons in Shoranur, which was considered the best for these children for their speech therapy and psychotherapy. His second sister was born when he was 12, and they're best friends to Marwan, besides his parents.
'We closely monitored him, and even the slightest changes in his behaviour, the way he spoke, and the like have really had an impact on us. Sooner, he started developing an interest in music and computers.'
An ardent lover of Holy Qur'an:
Loving the holy Qur'an was a genetically grown passion for Marwan, and he spared no stone unturned in learning about the sacred cities of Makkah and Madinah. Believe it or not, he can recite the holy book in the voice of 12 globally renowned reciters (Qari) and he can imitate the Adan (call for prayers) of nearly 8 mu'adins (one who calls for prayers) and has offered Umra twice in his life. His dream is to wish Abdul Rahman al Sudais one of the nine imams of the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
'We hope that we can make it happen one day,' his parents are optimistic.
Marwan teaches similar children the holy Qur'an on a WhatsApp group called 'Qur'an for Kids', which is a part of the 'Strong Women' group of mothers of autistic children, and hundreds of such children are grateful to Marwan, the teacher after two years of such training. Marwan is still an online disciple of a Qur'an teacher from Makkah.
The boy who always loved music has been awarded a sequel of recognitions starting with the international song competition organised by 'Drishya', a Mumbai-based organisation. Many recognitions from across the country followed this.
After jumping the barricades in education and obstacles that posed challenges in his ambition to come up in life, today, Marwan is pursuing his Computer Animation and Multimedia Effects at Govt ITI. In learning the holy Qur'an, Marwan is a self-trained student who sourced most of the materials online and has completed 15 Juzu (the Quran is divided into one of thirty parts of varying lengths) of the holy book today.
His ambition?
'I want to graduate in music as well as become a 'Hafidh' (Hafiz) in the holy Qur'an and guide and mentor my peers across the world on how to dream and chase their dreams,' a smiling Marwan utters.
'All our family members, relatives and neighbours are very supportive in helping Munawar achieve his dreams, and his sisters, Fathima and Aysha, keep much of their time to take care of their only brother,' said Munawar.
'We are indebted to all those who supported Marwan in his journey and special thanks to Akkara Foundation and teacher Yasser, who helped him participate with nearly a thousand artists from across India, Nirshad Nini, who identified Marwan's aptitude in music, Sammohan All India fest which gave him a stage to sing in front of a packed audience, and Gopinath Muthukad who runs Magic Planet to help and support these children to come up in their lives,' Sabeela concluded.
Hearing this, Sabeela, the mother of Marwan Munawar, who was diagnosed as autistic, did not burst out or cry. Instead, she carried her two-year-old first son on her shoulder and walked out in grit and determination.
Her experience may resemble that of Thomas Alva Edison, who was one day sent by the class teacher with a letter saying that Edison was mentally ill. However, she told Edison he was so genius that the school thought he was too good for them. Hence, Edison thought that his mother was the best teacher who knew how to encourage him, and the rest is history.
Today, this 23-year-old Marwan has carved a niche for himself in the music industry. He is a busy musician who has, besides giving some flicks to Indian music, a celebrity name on social media, a public performer and an avid follower of the holy Qur'an.
Hailing from the Indian district of Kasaragod, born to Munawar Shuaib and Sabeela, settled in Kasab, Musandam, Marwan today is a master of guitar, keyboard, melodica, Carnatic vocal, and Western music while rendering the verses of the Holy Qur'an beautifully which has already gained followers from across the world for him. He runs a YouTube channel called 'Marwan's Autism Diary', interacts with similar children, and gives guidance to them to achieve their dreams regularly. He has more than 15 video albums on his channel that keep inspiring other autistic children.
His efforts have been recognised by accolades from across the globe, including the Nobel Book of World Records, the International Book of World Records, the India Book of Records, the World Wide Book of Records and so forth.
' We were not aware of the growth stages of an autistic child and the stages of acquiring skills of Marwan because he was the first child and we were like a fish out of water when he was diagnosed with autism,' admits Marwan Shuaib, his father.
He said it all started with a bout of fits during one of their family travels between Kasaragod and Mumbai when a doctor came and controlled fits, but that was the beginning. He began to fall sick very often until he was diagnosed as autistic by a child psychiatrist in Dubai at the age of less than three. This was followed by a series of consultations, doctors, hospitals, mostly in Nimhans Bengaluru, several medicines and so on for quite some time. During this disheartening spree of doctors, hospitals and medicines, his parents cannot forget the day he uttered 'mother'; they still cherish that day on the train.
'It was at the age of 4 that he first sounded 'mother' during one of our journeys from Mumbai to Kasaragod, and I still cannot forget how happy I was. Imagine my first offspring calling me after nearly four years of his birth!!!!' Sabeela wiped the tears that uncontrollably flowed through her cheeks.
His sister was born when he was in the UKG, and he was sent to Icons in Shoranur, which was considered the best for these children for their speech therapy and psychotherapy. His second sister was born when he was 12, and they're best friends to Marwan, besides his parents.
'We closely monitored him, and even the slightest changes in his behaviour, the way he spoke, and the like have really had an impact on us. Sooner, he started developing an interest in music and computers.'
An ardent lover of Holy Qur'an:
Loving the holy Qur'an was a genetically grown passion for Marwan, and he spared no stone unturned in learning about the sacred cities of Makkah and Madinah. Believe it or not, he can recite the holy book in the voice of 12 globally renowned reciters (Qari) and he can imitate the Adan (call for prayers) of nearly 8 mu'adins (one who calls for prayers) and has offered Umra twice in his life. His dream is to wish Abdul Rahman al Sudais one of the nine imams of the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
'We hope that we can make it happen one day,' his parents are optimistic.
Marwan teaches similar children the holy Qur'an on a WhatsApp group called 'Qur'an for Kids', which is a part of the 'Strong Women' group of mothers of autistic children, and hundreds of such children are grateful to Marwan, the teacher after two years of such training. Marwan is still an online disciple of a Qur'an teacher from Makkah.
The boy who always loved music has been awarded a sequel of recognitions starting with the international song competition organised by 'Drishya', a Mumbai-based organisation. Many recognitions from across the country followed this.
After jumping the barricades in education and obstacles that posed challenges in his ambition to come up in life, today, Marwan is pursuing his Computer Animation and Multimedia Effects at Govt ITI. In learning the holy Qur'an, Marwan is a self-trained student who sourced most of the materials online and has completed 15 Juzu (the Quran is divided into one of thirty parts of varying lengths) of the holy book today.
His ambition?
'I want to graduate in music as well as become a 'Hafidh' (Hafiz) in the holy Qur'an and guide and mentor my peers across the world on how to dream and chase their dreams,' a smiling Marwan utters.
'All our family members, relatives and neighbours are very supportive in helping Munawar achieve his dreams, and his sisters, Fathima and Aysha, keep much of their time to take care of their only brother,' said Munawar.
'We are indebted to all those who supported Marwan in his journey and special thanks to Akkara Foundation and teacher Yasser, who helped him participate with nearly a thousand artists from across India, Nirshad Nini, who identified Marwan's aptitude in music, Sammohan All India fest which gave him a stage to sing in front of a packed audience, and Gopinath Muthukad who runs Magic Planet to help and support these children to come up in their lives,' Sabeela concluded.